What Are Guavas?
Guavas are a group of tropical trees in the Psidium genus that produce delicious fruit. Guava paste, juice, and preserves are important in the cuisines of Caribbean and southeast Asian countries, and the fruits are eaten fresh or cooked. Today, the common guava (Psidium guajaba) is grown in places as far apart as Florida, Hawaii, India, Egypt, and Thailand. Properly pruning a guava tree is an important part of its care. If you’re wondering how or when to prune guava trees, this article is for you.
How Do I Prune My Guava Tree?
Guava is a shrubby tree that grows densely and will attempt to spread horizontally along the ground. You can, therefore, choose to prune guavas into the shape of a tree or a bush, or even grow them as a hedge. If you prune your guava in bush form, branches will emerge from near the ground. If you train your guava into a tree shape by selecting a single trunk, the fruiting limbs will emerge from 2 feet (61 cm.) off the ground and up. In either case, it’s best not to allow your guava to grow taller than 10 feet (3 m.), or it could blow over in strong winds.
How To Prune A Guava Tree In South Africa
1.Trim the evergreen guava shrub into a tree, starting when it is planted. Select the strongest upright stem as the main trunk and prune off all the others at ground level.
2.Prune the tree again in fall or early winter. Trim out all upright shoots that compete with the main trunk, including suckers that grow to the sides of the shrub. Do not prune the canopy until the tree is more developed.
3.Trim the guava tree the following spring to remove water shoots — the fast-growing upright shoots that form just below a pruning wound. Remove all branches that depart from the lower 4 feet of the trunk to encourage a higher canopy. Select several strong lateral branches evenly spaced around the tree to serve as the framework for the canopy. Prune back these branches to one-half their length, making the cuts at outward-heading lateral branches; remove all competing branches. Remove all flowers as they appear, so the tree can invest its energy in growth.
4.Trim the guava tree several times a year to remove competing upright branches and maintain the tree with a single trunk. Prune back the tree’s upper branches to open up the canopy to sunlight to further encourage growth. Prune out crossing and inward-heading branches. Make each cut at a lateral branch with a diameter at least one-third that of the cut branch. Trim out low branches and those with tips that touch the ground. Check for and remove suckers.
When to Prune Guava Trees
Prune guavas three to four months after planting to train them to the desired shape. If you are pruning yours to a tree shape, select a single trunk and three or four lateral (side) branches. Remove all other shoots. Pinch back the tips of the selected side branches when they are 2 to 3 feet (61-91 cm.) long. This will encourage them to produce additional branches.
After this, prune your guava tree annually to maintain its symmetry and remove excessive growth. Guava tree pruning should be performed in late winter or early spring. Diseased branches and suckers can be removed at any time of year. Commercial growers also conduct severe “crop cycling” pruning to delay fruiting on individual trees in the following season. This practice allows a planting to produce fruit over a longer period.
