Are feijoa trees fast growing?

Standing in my orchard here in San Diego, surrounded by the sweet, perfume-like aroma of ripening fruit, I often get asked the same question by visitors eyeing my hedges. They look at the silver-green foliage shimmering in our coastal breeze and ask, “I want a privacy screen yesterday; are these things fast?” They are talking about the Pineapple Guava, or as the botanists label it, Acca sellowiana. It is a staple here in Southern California, but there is a lot of misinformation floating around about how quickly it actually takes over a space.

Emily Rodriguez

The short answer is yes, but with a massive asterisk attached to your irrigation schedule. I have grown these beauties from one-gallon pots into twelve-foot behemoths, and I have also seen them sit stagnant for three years like plastic decorations. The difference usually boils down to whether you treat them like a desert survivor or a tropical guest.

Unlike a bamboo runner that might conquer your yard while you sleep, the Feijoa offers a more controlled, moderate-to-fast explosion of growth, typically pushing out 12 to 24 inches of new wood per year once established.

Ever wonder why some neighbors have a lush, impenetrable Feijoa hedge while others have scraggly, see-through sticks? The secret isn’t usually the soil quality; it’s almost always the frequency of the watering can during our dry summers.

Here at Exotic Fruits and Vegetables, we’ve found that the “fast growing” label is relative. Compared to a Macadamia nut tree, which seems to contemplate its existence for a decade before growing, the Feijoa is a race car. But compared to a Papaya, which shoots up ten feet in a single season here in Zone 10, the Feijoa is a jogger. In my experience on the farm, you can expect a 5-gallon nursery plant to reach a functional 6-foot privacy screen height within three years if—and only if—you feed it right.

The Speed of Growth: Realistic Expectations

Let’s get down to the brass tacks of growth metrics. In our Mediterranean climate, the Guavasteen (another common name you might hear) does the bulk of its growing in late spring and early autumn. When I first started planting these windbreaks, I assumed they were drought-tolerant enough to ignore. I planted a row of ten along my southern fence line and left them to fend for themselves with just a splash of water every two weeks.

That was a mistake. After two years, they had grown maybe six inches. I essentially bonsai’d them by accident. I once ruined an entire batch’s potential by assuming “drought tolerant” meant “drought loving.” It doesn’t. It just means they won’t die; it doesn’t mean they will grow.

Drought stress induces dormancy in Feijoa trees. If the soil moisture drops below 40% capacity, the plant stops vegetative growth immediately to protect its core systems.

Once I switched that irrigation line to deliver 2 gallons of water per plant, twice a week, the difference was night and day. They shot up two feet that very next season. Water is the gas pedal for this plant, and nitrogen is the steering wheel. If you want speed, you cannot rely on San Diego’s scant 10 inches of annual rainfall.

Comparative Growth Rates in San Diego

To give you a clearer picture, I’ve tracked the growth of several exotic varieties on my plot over a 5-year period. Here is how the Feijoa stacks up against other common fruit trees we grow locally.

Accelerating the Process: How to Make Them Sprint

You can hack the growth rate. I treat my young Feijoas differently than my mature, fruiting ones. If your goal is a fast screen, you need to treat the soil like a battery storing nutrients. Our native soil here in San Diego often consists of heavy clay or decomposed granite. Feijoas tolerate both, but they don’t sprint in them without help.

Our experience at Exotic Fruits and Vegetables has shown that amending the planting hole with 30% organic compost and adding a handful of gypsum works wonders for breaking up the clay. This allows the roots to run fast. If the roots hit a concrete-like wall of clay, the top growth stops. It is that simple.

I dig my holes three times as wide as the pot—yes, it is back-breaking work—to ensure that root expansion faces zero resistance for the first 12 months.

Apply a 10-10-10 granular fertilizer spread at the drip line once in February, once in May, and once in July. This triple-application schedule fuels the spring push and the late summer surge.

Pruning is another counter-intuitive accelerator. It sounds crazy to cut a plant you want to grow big, right? But think of pruning like traffic control for energy. If the bush has forty tiny branches, it dilutes its energy. If I snip off the bottom third of the chaotic suckers and the crossing branches, the plant funnels all that hydraulic pressure into the main vertical leaders. I usually gain an extra 6 inches of vertical height per year just by keeping the bottom clean.

The Nitrogen Trap

There is a catch, however. You can pump them full of nitrogen to get five feet of growth in two years, but the wood will be weak and whippy. I have seen high-nitrogen hedges flop over in our December Santa Ana winds because the wood didn’t have time to lignify (harden). You want steady, sturdy growth, not a green noodle that snaps in a 20 mph gust.

Furthermore, excessive vegetative growth often comes at the expense of fruit. If you push the tree for maximum height, you will likely sacrifice the first 2-3 years of fruit production. It is a trade-off I usually accept because I want the privacy screen first and the fruit salsa later.

My 5-Step Formula for Rapid Establishment

If I were planting a new row today and needed it to block my view of the street by 2027, this is exactly what I would do:

1. Excavation: Dig a hole 24 inches wide and 18 inches deep, mixing the native soil 50/50 with aged compost to create a nutrient-rich transition zone.
2. Mulching: Lay down 3 to 4 inches of wood chip mulch (not bark nuggets) extending 3 feet from the trunk to lock in moisture and cool the surface roots.
3. Hydration: Install two 1-gallon-per-hour drip emitters per plant and run them for 90 minutes, twice a week (three times during heatwaves over 85°F).
4. Feeding: Use a half-cup of organic chicken manure or blood meal every 6 weeks during the growing season (March through September).
5. Training: Stake the main leader loosely to encourage vertical growth rather than the plant’s natural tendency to sprawl horizontally.

Why do I insist on wood chips? Because naked soil in San Diego bakes at 140°F in the summer sun. Feijoa roots feed near the surface. If you cook the roots, the plant stalls. Mulch acts as the air conditioning system for the underground engine.

Fruit Production vs. Foliage Speed

We need to talk about the fruit because that is the prize. The Feijoa fruit tastes like a gritty pear mixed with strawberry and pineapple. But here is the kicker: fast-growing trees drop fruit. When a tree is channeling all its sugars into making new branches, it often aborts the fruit set. It is the plant’s way of budgeting.

Once your tree reaches the desired size, stop the high-nitrogen feeding. Switch to a fertilizer higher in potassium (the last number on the bag) to tell the plant, “Okay, stop running and start making babies.”

I recall a specific season where I kept pushing nitrogen into November, trying to close a gap in the hedge. Not only did the new tender growth get fried by a freak frost in January, but the tree also produced zero flowers the following spring. I confused the poor thing’s internal calendar.

Through our work with Exotic Fruits and Vegetables farm, we emphasize that patience yields the best flavor. A tree that grows naturally at 18 inches a year tends to have denser wood and holds onto its heavy crop better than a speed-fed tree. The fruit ripens here in San Diego anywhere from late September to December. If you are still forcing growth in September, you are ruining your harvest.

The Verdict: Is it Fast Enough for You?

So, is the Feijoa fast-growing? In the world of landscaping, it is a solid sprinter. In the world of fruit trees, it is a Ferrari compared to a citrus tree. But it is not a miracle worker. It requires your input. You are the mechanic; the soil is the track.

Varieties matter. The ‘Coolidge’ and ‘Nazemetz’ varieties seem to have more vigor in Southern California compared to the ‘Mammoth’, which puts more energy into fruit size than vertical height.

Beyond just the speed, consider the versatility. I use these trees for multiple functions on the farm:

• Windbreak: Their dense structure blocks wind better than a wooden fence, protecting delicate crops like Passion Fruit behind them.
• Edible Landscape: The petals are edible (tasting like cotton candy), and the fruit is a winter delicacy.
• Pollinator Haven: The striking red and white flowers attract birds and bees when few other things are blooming.
• Drought Buffer: Once established (after year 4), they can survive on very little water, though they won’t grow much.

If you stick a Feijoa in the ground, slap some water on it, and walk away, you will be disappointed. But if you prep that soil with compost, mulch it heavily, and keep the drip line running, you will have a 6-foot wall of green and silver within three seasons. That is fast enough for me.

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today.” – Chinese Proverb. But for a Feijoa, if you plant it today and feed it well, you’ll be eating fruit by the time you forget you planted it.

Gardening is an act of faith, but with Acca sellowiana, it’s a faith that is rewarded pretty quickly. Grab a shovel, get some compost, and get growing.