How to Grow Feijoa (Pineapple Guava) in Australia

Updated June 2026

Ripe feijoa fruit on the tree, with grey-green leaves and silvery undersides

A tough, evergreen fruiting shrub that doubles as a hedge, with a climate selector and clear variety and pollination advice

What it looks like as it grows

Feijoa, also sold as pineapple guava and known botanically as Acca sellowiana, is one of the most forgiving fruiting plants you can grow in a temperate Australian garden. It is a dense evergreen shrub with grey-green leaves, silver undersides and showy red-and-white flowers in late spring, and it crops in autumn with fragrant green fruit that tastes like a blend of pineapple, guava and pear. The fruit is loved across the ditch in New Zealand and is just as well suited to much of southern and upland Australia.

What makes feijoa so worth a spot is its versatility. It handles frost once established, copes with wind and coastal salt, grows happily in a large pot, and clips into a productive hedge. This guide gives you a climate suitability selector to check your area, then walks through pollination, planting, feeding, pruning, hedging, harvest and the named varieties worth seeking out.

Is feijoa right for your climate?

Feijoa is at its best in cool temperate and temperate gardens. It grows well in warm temperate and cooler subtropical areas too, and it even fruits in pots on a balcony. The one place it struggles is the hot, humid tropics, where it grows leafy but flowers and fruits poorly because it wants a cool winter. Pick your climate below to see how well feijoa suits you and whether you need a second variety for pollination.

My climate

Not sure which you are? Use Find My Region to match your postcode to a climate zone.

Do you need two plants? Pollination explained

This is the question that trips up most first-time feijoa growers. Feijoa is mostly pollinated by birds in its native South America, where they eat the sweet petals and carry pollen between flowers. In an Australian garden, that means fruit set can be patchy unless you give the plant a hand.

The simple rule: some varieties are self-fertile, but almost all feijoas fruit better with a second variety nearby. Self-fertile varieties such as Unique and, to a good degree, Apollo will set a crop on their own, which makes them the right pick if you only have room for one plant. Varieties like Triumph, Mammoth and Den's Choice reward you with much bigger, more reliable crops when a different variety is planted within a few metres for cross-pollination.

Boost fruit set: plant two different varieties, encourage birds with flowering plants nearby, or hand-pollinate by dabbing pollen between open flowers with a soft brush. Eating a few sweet petals will not cost you fruit, as the fruit-forming parts sit at the centre of the flower.

Planting feijoa

Plant feijoa in autumn or spring, when the soil is warm but not baking. Choose a full-sun position for the best fruit, though feijoa tolerates part shade at the cost of a lighter crop. It is not fussy about soil as long as drainage is reasonable, and it copes with a range from sandy to clay-loam. It prefers a slightly acidic to neutral soil.

Spacing: a free-grown bush wants two to three metres of room. For a hedge, plant one to 1.5 metres apart.
Hole: dig twice as wide as the pot, tease out circling roots, and plant at the same depth it sat in the pot.
Water in: firm the soil, water deeply, and mulch with about five centimetres of organic mulch kept clear of the trunk.
First summer: water regularly through the first warm season while the roots establish.

Growing feijoa in a pot

Feijoa is one of the better fruit trees for containers. Use a pot at least 40 to 50 centimetres wide with free-draining quality potting mix, and choose a self-fertile variety like Unique if it will be your only plant. Keep it watered through flowering and fruiting, feed it through the growing season, and pot up a size every couple of years. A potted feijoa stays naturally compact and takes light pruning well.

Feeding and watering

Feijoa is not a heavy feeder, but a steady supply keeps it cropping. Feed in early spring and again after fruiting with a balanced organic fertiliser or a citrus-style blend, and top up the mulch each year. Liquid seaweed or fish emulsion through the growing season suits potted plants well. Keep water up during flowering and fruiting, as dry stress at this time causes flowers and small fruit to drop. An established plant in the ground is reasonably drought tolerant once mature, but consistent moisture means a better crop.

Pruning and hedging

Feijoa fruits on new season's growth, so a light prune just after harvest, or in late winter before the spring flush, keeps the plant productive and tidy. Thin out crowded inner branches to let light and birds in, and shorten leggy growth to encourage bushiness.

Because it is dense, evergreen, wind-firm and salt-tolerant, feijoa makes a first-class edible hedge or windbreak. The trade-off is fruit: hard, frequent clipping removes flowering wood, so a tightly sheared hedge crops far less than a free-grown bush. If you want both a hedge and a good harvest, clip lightly and accept a slightly looser shape, or grow a hedge for screening and keep one or two plants free-grown for fruit.

Harvesting feijoa

Here is the trick that surprises new growers: feijoa tells you it is ripe by falling off the plant. Ripe fruit drops naturally, usually over a few weeks in autumn. The easiest harvest is to collect windfalls every day, or lay a tarp or net under the plant and give it a gentle shake. Fruit picked while still firmly attached will soften off the plant but never reaches the same perfume and sweetness as tree-ripened, dropped fruit.

Ripe feijoa is fragrant and gives slightly to a squeeze. To eat, cut in half and scoop the jelly-like centre with a spoon. The fruit does not store long, so eat within a few days, refrigerate for up to a week or two, or scoop and freeze the pulp for smoothies, baking and chutney. A mature plant can produce a generous crop, so it pays to have a plan for a glut.

Pests and problems

Feijoa is refreshingly trouble-free. The main issues to watch are:

Fruit fly: in warmer regions, Queensland fruit fly can sting the fruit. Net the plant, use traps, and collect and dispose of fallen affected fruit promptly.
Poor fruit set: usually a pollination problem. Add a second variety, encourage birds, or hand-pollinate.
Scale and mealybug: occasional, treat with horticultural oil if they build up.
Birds and possums: they love the ripe fruit, so netting helps if you are competing for the crop.

Feijoa varieties for Australia

Always buy a grafted, named variety. Seedlings are cheaper but slow to fruit and unpredictable in quality. These are the standout cultivars to look for.

Variety	Pollination	Fruit and notes
Unique	Self-fertile	The classic choice for a single plant. Reliable, early cropping, medium smooth fruit with good flavour.
Apollo	Partly self-fertile	Large, sweet, smooth-skinned fruit. Crops well alone but better with a partner. Spreading habit, good all-rounder.
Triumph	Needs a partner	Firm, gritty-fleshed fruit that stores and travels better than most. Heavy cropper with cross-pollination.
Mammoth	Needs a partner	Very large fruit, slightly wrinkled skin, excellent flavour. A favourite where size matters.
Den's Choice	Needs a partner	Medium to large, smooth, full-flavoured fruit. Reliable and productive when cross-pollinated.

A proven pairing for a strong crop is a self-fertile variety such as Unique or Apollo planted alongside Triumph or Mammoth, which gives you cross-pollination plus a spread of harvest size and timing.

When does feijoa crop in Australia?

Feijoa flowers in late spring (around October to November in most southern regions) and the fruit ripens and drops in autumn, broadly March to May, with cooler areas running later. Exact timing shifts with your climate zone, and in warm subtropical gardens the season can be earlier and shorter. For dates tuned to your spot, use Find My Region or open the Planting Season app.

Plan your fruit trees with the chill and variety tools in the app

The Planting Season app includes a Fruit Tree Varieties and chill-hours module that helps you match feijoa, stone fruit, apples and more to your exact climate, track flowering and harvest, and plan pollination partners. Log your plants and never miss the drop.

Open the App →

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need two feijoa plants to get fruit?

Not always. Some named varieties such as Unique and Apollo are partly to fully self-fertile and will set a crop on their own. Many others fruit far better, with bigger and more reliable crops, when a second variety is planted nearby for cross-pollination. If you have room, plant two different varieties. If you only have space for one, choose a self-fertile variety like Unique.

How long until a feijoa fruits?

A grafted, named feijoa usually begins fruiting two to three years after planting. Seedling plants are slower and far less predictable in fruit quality, so buy a grafted named variety if you want good fruit sooner. Plants reach full cropping at around four to five years.

How do I know when a feijoa is ripe?

Feijoa tells you it is ripe by dropping to the ground. Ripe fruit falls naturally, so the easiest harvest is to gather windfalls daily, or lay a tarp or net under the plant and shake it gently. Fruit picked early will soften off the plant but never reaches the same perfume and sweetness as tree-ripened, dropped fruit. Eat soft fruit within a few days or refrigerate it.

Can feijoa handle frost?

Yes, an established feijoa is hardy and tolerates light to moderate frost, down to around minus 8 to minus 10 degrees Celsius once mature. Young plants in their first winter are more tender and benefit from protection. Feijoa is a great choice for cool temperate and temperate gardens, and it also grows in warm temperate and cooler subtropical areas, though very hot, humid tropics suit it less.

Can I grow feijoa in a pot?

Yes. Feijoa grows well in a large pot, at least 40 to 50 centimetres wide, in free-draining potting mix. It stays naturally compact, takes pruning well, and is a good choice for balconies and courtyards. Keep it watered through fruiting, feed it through the growing season, and choose a self-fertile variety like Unique if you only have room for one plant.

Is feijoa a good hedge?

Feijoa makes an excellent edible hedge or windbreak. It is dense, evergreen, has attractive grey-green foliage with silver undersides, tolerates wind and salt-laden coastal air, and clips well. Plant feijoas about one to 1.5 metres apart for a hedge. The trade-off is that hard hedging removes some flowering wood, so a clipped hedge usually fruits less than a free-grown plant.

Are feijoa flowers edible?

Yes. The fleshy petals of feijoa flowers are sweet and edible, with a flavour a little like marshmallow or fairy floss. Birds eat them in the wild and help pollinate the flower in the process. You can pick a few petals to eat without harming fruit set, as the central flower parts that form fruit are left untouched.

Why is my feijoa not fruiting?

The most common reasons are a lack of a pollinating partner, too little sun, heavy hedging that removes flowering wood, or a young plant that simply is not old enough yet. Feijoa is pollinated mostly by birds in its native range, so in some gardens hand pollination or a second variety lifts the crop. Give it full sun, plant a second variety if you can, and ease off hard pruning.