Feijoa

Irene starts with ...
Please can you tell me where the Feijoa originated or is it an Australian native.
Just a point of dicussion and I volunteered to find out. Thank you!!

Irene says...
Thank you for your help, this will provoke further discussion while we enjoy eating the fruit.

John Mc says...
Seedlings Gus? my three are worlds apart. Only one is worth eating. That's why I bought some grafted cv's, at least I know what fruit to expect.

Gus says...
My two are Mammoth and Nazimet.
I Don't know why they are so poor, but suspect it has more to do with our sun?

Maybe I am just doing something wrong?

Gus says...
I have no problem producing fruit, both small trees have heaps on them, just changeable quality.

Maybe the trick is just to leave them alone. I have fertilised them and given them potash at the right times and was so looking forward to the fruit.
Maybe next year they will taste better if that is possible?

Phil@Tyalgum says...
Rebecca feijoas only flower on new growth so it is essential to keep them fairly well clipped to get decent fruit formation, otherwise you'll get spindly branches with just a few flowers at the tips. Interestingly, named varieties are somewhat difficult to propagate but often seedlings or rootstock do ok with ordinary methods. Mine do well with a bit of blood and bone as well as some ash out of the wood fire to stimulate flowering in spring.

Phil@Tyalgum says...
It's not that far from Brisbane but a cooler, highland climate, Mt Warning area. I have two varieties in for pollination, Large Oval and Mammoth. Haven't had Mammoth fruit yet but Large Oval is in it's first year and although the rind is thicker than I'd like, the pulp is very tasty. Interestingly I visited friends in central Vic last week and had given them seedlings I had grown from a supermarket fruit about five years ago and their trees were up to the top of the fence and covered in developing fruit - they don't seem to even shiver in the cold climate there. Just have to watch for fruit fly around here in the subtropics, so far so good.

Dave says...
Hey Gus.. I spoke to my neihbor that grows Feijoas today. They prefer the cooler nights and milder daytime conditions around fruiting time. Yeah, yours may be getting a bit sunburnt by the sounds of it, can you shade cloth them on those hot days when they have fruit on them? Keep the water up too.
The farm here is just starting to drop their fruit now on the earlier varieties, bumper crop for them this season. We picked up an armful of a few different types, will post some pics in a couple of days.

Dave says...
Here are a couple of pics I took with my phone cam. There is only slight variance in these varieties from outside and easy to mix up which is which. The largest on the right is an early mammoth I think, it was delicious with nice jellies in centre even though it could ripen a bit more for optimal flavours. There is also an Apollo and possibly a Gemini but I've mixed them up now so not sure if that is the second more ribbed one or first. A good Mammoth gets even larger than these. The cut section show the clear jellies and yellow/white flesh which is what you are after. The more 'jelly' the better, this is still a bit early for feijoa harvest here but by end of month the jellies will be larger and more defined. Then they are highly addictive and the kids will eat them quicker than I can cut them open...yeah my son actually eats the skin an all without flinching!

Pictures - Click to enlarge
Picture: 1	Picture: 2

john says...
Gus, 'fraid there are no hydrocarbons in feijoas and you will never be able to fill the tank with feijoa juice. Maybe it's carbohydrates you had in mind. Here is what I've noticed between the varieties - Nazemetz is like an egg -one end is blunter. Large Oval is, well, large and oval. Seedings are more pappillate and tend to be more spherical. I agree, taste is not hugely different.

Gus says...
and a tangy flavour?

Phil@Tyalgum says...
I think organza bags (the ones you get at weddings with sugared almonds and the like) and the best way of excluding fruit fly, as they tie up firmly at the stem. I would recommend any named variety you can find, but check on the internet as, for example, Mammoth and Triumph are good or essential pollinators for each other, but most types just need a second variety nearby to set a crop. I take cuttings of firm growth at the tips of the branches and strip off the bottom leaves, dipping in hormone gel to get them started. You're best to use cuttings about six or eight inches long, but don't cut into old wood, just where is changing from green to brownish on the stem.