Which Feijoa Variety (forum)

Bec_86 starts with ...
Hi
I want to plant a feijoa hedge along the back fence, I want it to be about 1m wide by 2-2.5m high, so looking for a smaller variety that is quite dense.
I will need about 12 plants (1m apart spacing). I also want it to grow as fast as possible (if there is any difference in the varieties with growing speed).
Can anyone recommend which varieties would be best?
Thanks,
Bec.

Time: 3rd March 2014 11:36am

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Goodna
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Boris Spasky says...
They are not fast growing regardless of cultivar.
Apollo is probably more vigorous than others.
If as an ornamental hedge, it would be irresponsible to leave the fruit unprotected given it is a favourite host for fruit fly.

Time: 3rd March 2014 12:09pm

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About the Author Boris Spasky

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Bec_86 says...
Thanks Boris, but I'm after an edible hedge. It is not ornamental, it is to screen the back fence. I don't think I'm doing anything irresponsible by planting some plants in my garden.
Also my question is regarding which varieties would be best to maintain at 2-2.5m as I know they vary.
But thank you for your input...

Time: 3rd March 2014 12:26pm

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sternus1 says...
I question whether in fact feijoa is even a good candidate for an edible hedge. I think what boris is referring to with the fruit fly comment is that your feijoa plot will literally becoming a breeding ground for FF and they will spread to your neighbors trees and their neighbors trees. They really are a fruit fly disaster.

Why not swap them out with a dwarf guava of high quality like china pear? Even dwarf citrus would be better, and can be hedged.

s

Time: 3rd March 2014 12:53pm

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About the Author sternus1
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BJ says...
You'll not have much fruit from a feijoa in Goodna I'd imagine. 1m is not near enough spacing. you'll need to put them at 2m spacing or they crowd and kill each other (well, that's my experience). I've only had flowers from 'unique' of the four I have (In about 4-5 years) and its also the most bushy and seems most suited to hedging. Mammoth wants to get large and Nazematze seems to hate being crowded and dies back on lower limbs and just puts on top growth.

Replacing a feijoa with 99% of guava species wont help a fruit fly problem. The one guava you do get less ff damage on is the Brazilian guava, which is also among the best and most compact of guavas and seems fairly suited to hedging. The true Purple guava (Malaysian purple?) would also be very suaitable for a hedge, with soft purple foliage, hot pink flowers and lots of fruit. It gets less fruit fly than feijoa or regualr guavas, but still gets a fair bit...

There are other plants that are much better suited here as an edible hedge, including the improved brazillian cherries ('Black Beauty' cv), Grumixama (black and yellow types for aesthetic affect), Pitomba, Candolleana. Jaboticaba is good too, but has a bad rap for 'slow growth', but generally will grow at a similar rate to feijoa under similar conditions. Yellow jaboticaba would make a mighty fine hedge too...

Time: 3rd March 2014 2:33pm

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About the Author Theposterformerlyknownas
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Diana says...
Also natal plum (Carissa) is great- no fruit fly, pretty, sweet smelling flowers, evergreen, does well in Brisbane. I have a small natal plum hedge and I know someone with a large one in the Gap. I like the fruit a lot but some people don't like the latex (but if you like figs and jakfruit, the sap isn't worse than those). I have a guava hedge too. Part is Hawaiian (I remove summer fruit to avoid fruit fly and it fruits in winter), part is yellow cherry guava- no fruit fly, tastes nice.
Pitomba also grows slowly like jaboticaba.
It is also possible to make olives into a nice hedge (probably won't fruit for you though).
I also have a kei apple hedge- it works too well and I am thinking of removing it (gradually). It is very dense and inpenetrable, but the huge thorns are not nice. The fruit is only good for chutney.

Time: 3rd March 2014 11:01pm

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About the Author Diana
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