It's the time of the year for feijoa pruning. When the last feijoa has fallen off, you can have a real go at it 

No difficult techniques needed (as with apples and pears and grapes - thinking a year or more ahead!): Feijoas fruit on new wood that grows in spring. So even if you literally whack them with a hedge trimmer (I do that!), next spring’s new growth will give you fruit.

But what about a tree that’s getting a bit too high?

Easy: you can really cut them back quite hard, because they’ll grow again; but seeing you’re going to do some surgery, you might as well do it real well: thin some of the branches inside the tree; That opens up the interior and gives the new growth a bit of space.

It also gives the birds a bit of wriggle room to move 

Birds – like blackbirds and silvereyes – are the main pollinators of the feijoa flowers! Hence the colour red – birds can see red well).

If you see a blackbird violently attacking the red flower stamens in late spring, don’t panic! It’s doing its job.

For those of you that consider having a feijoa tree in the garden, here are two tips: 

1) plant two trees next to each other (they require crosspollination) 

2) Plant them now, while there is still some warmth in the soil – otherwise they’d sulk most of the winter.

Sunny, well-drained soil - little bit of fertiliser each spring, topped by compost of good mulch, to keep roots moist during dry periods.

For people on the sixteenth floor (remember, Jack?) may I suggest a reasonably large pot with quality Living Earth Tub mix and the variety Bambina, a small grafted plant with small feijoas that can be eaten skin-and-all. Just a bit of liquid fertiliser and regular watering – you’ll love it!

Feijoas have very few pests and diseases

I thought we were lucky – so far – in Canterbury: no guava moth? 

Guess what: a week or so ago, Julie found at least three larvae (caterpillars) in our fruit, resting in trugs on the kitchen floor.



Guava moth is a real bugger from Oz, no products registered for control as yet. A regular dose of Success on developing fruit might stop caterpillars getting in.

LISTEN ABOVE

It's the time of the year for feijoa pruning.&nbsp;When the last feijoa has fallen off, you can have a real go at it&nbsp;
No difficult techniques needed (as with apples and pears and grapes - thinking a year or more ahead!): Feijoas fruit on new wood that grows in spring.&nbsp;So even if you literally whack them with a hedge trimmer (I do that!), next spring’s new growth will give you fruit.
But what about a tree that’s getting a bit too high?
Easy: you can really cut them back quite hard, because they’ll grow again; but seeing you’re going to do some surgery, you might as well do it real well: thin some of the branches inside the tree; That opens up the interior and gives the new growth a bit of space.
It also gives the birds a bit of wriggle room to move&nbsp;
Birds – like blackbirds and silvereyes – are the main pollinators of the feijoa flowers! Hence the colour red – birds can see red well).
If you see a blackbird violently attacking the red flower stamens in late spring, don’t panic! It’s doing its job.
For those of you that consider having a feijoa tree in the garden, here are two tips:&nbsp;
1) plant two trees next to each other (they require crosspollination)&nbsp;
2) Plant them now, while there is still some warmth in the soil – otherwise they’d sulk most of the winter.
Sunny, well-drained soil - little bit of fertiliser each spring, topped by compost of good mulch, to keep roots moist during dry periods.
For people on the sixteenth floor (remember, Jack?) may I suggest a reasonably large pot with quality Living Earth Tub mix and the variety Bambina, a small grafted plant with small feijoas that can be eaten skin-and-all. Just a bit of liquid fertiliser and regular watering – you’ll love it!
Feijoas have very few pests and diseases
I thought we were lucky – so far – in Canterbury: no guava moth?&nbsp;
Guess what: a week or so ago, Julie found at least three larvae (caterpillars) in our fruit, resting in trugs on the kitchen floor.

Guava moth is a real bugger from Oz, no products registered for control as yet. A regular dose of Success on developing fruit might stop caterpillars getting in.
LISTEN ABOVE

Jack Tame’s crisp perspective, style and enthusiasm makes for refreshing and entertaining Saturday morning radio on Newstalk ZB.

News, sport, books, music, gardens and celebrities – what better way to spend your Saturdays?

Jack Tame’s crisp perspective, style and enthusiasm makes for refreshing and entertaining Saturday morning radio on Newstalk ZB. News, sport, books, music, gardens and celebrities – what better way to spend your Saturdays?

Jack Tame’s crisp perspective, style and enthusiasm makes for refreshing and entertaining Saturday morning radio on Newstalk ZB.News, sport, books, music, gardens and celebrities – what better way to spend your Saturdays?

Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

Ruud Kleinpaste: It's the time of the year for feijoa pruning

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/94722ca9-d014-4da6-9752-b476000ec184/transcript