Propagating feijoas

nonumbers, Apr 21, 10:08pm
I will soon be leaving a place that has a very yummy feijoa - the fruit is sweet and large, much nicer than a lot I have tasted in the past.
So - can I take cuttings now or collect seed pulp, and if the latter how long before the plant is big enough to fruit.
TIA
cleggyboy, Apr 21, 10:32pm
x1
Feijoa's are very hard to strike from cutting, I did succeed once,got a couple up to about 150mm high and they died on me.I used rooting hormone.
Never tried from seed, there maybe some info in Google.
gbking, Apr 21, 10:43pm
very easy to grow from seed BUT will probably not come true to type and will take many years to fruit, as above not easy to grow from cutting. If you can find out what variety/cultivar it is (maybe ask at local garden centre) just buy another of that variety
maclad, Apr 22, 4:57am
Yes agree, just get a new plant or two. A far more reliable way of getting what you want and you will get a much faster fruiting. Old school feijoas are sterile to their own pollen but the new grafted ones are generally self fertile so a much better proposition.
mkbooks, Apr 22, 5:04am
x1
It's great that you're interested in propagating feijoas, they're a delicious fruit that would be wonderful to have in your own backyard. Luckily, feijoas can be propagated by either taking cuttings or collecting seeds, so you have a couple of options.

If you want to take cuttings, the best time to do it is in the winter when the plant is dormant. You'll want to select a healthy stem that's around pencil thickness and about 10-15cm long. Remove all the leaves except for the top couple of sets, and then dip the end of the cutting in rooting hormone to encourage new roots to form. Plant the cutting in a pot filled with well-draining potting mix, and keep it somewhere warm and out of direct sunlight. It's important to keep the soil moist but not waterlogged, and you should start to see new growth within a few weeks.

Alternatively, you could collect seed pulp from ripe feijoas and plant the seeds. However, it's worth noting that feijoas grown from seed may not produce fruit that's as good as the original plant, so taking cuttings is generally the preferred method. If you do decide to collect seeds, remove the pulp from a ripe fruit and soak the seeds in water for a day or two. Then, plant the seeds in a pot filled with well-draining potting mix, and keep them warm and moist. You should start to see seedlings emerge within a few weeks, but it can take several years for the plant to grow large enough to produce fruit.

Whether you choose to take cuttings or collect seeds, it's important to remember that feijoas prefer a well-draining soil and plenty of sunlight. They also benefit from regular pruning to keep them in good shape and encourage new growth. With a bit of patience and care, you should be able to successfully propagate your own feijoa tree and enjoy delicious fruit for years to come!
annies3, Apr 22, 5:21am
If you had the time it is very easy to propagate them by layering I just fastened down to the ground the middle of a nice lower young branch, when it had developed roots cut off from the mother plant and popped it into a planter bag, I have it growing here and it fruited last season for the first time, but it is not really a suitable climate for feijoas here.
You need to slightly wound the under side of the branch pin it down and cover that part with compost, keep damp.
nonumbers, Apr 22, 6:51am
Thanks Annie but my feijoa is more of a tree, so layering won't work unfortunately. It is one of a pair and the other plant doesn't appear to have any fruit at all, so probably quite old. No nurseries around here.
Oh well, such is life . . .
les6, Apr 22, 7:23am
don`t be put off by tyring seed.If you have the room for a row or hedge?i did some from seed and it only took 3 yrs before we got fruit,now we have excess.I selected a big well shaped one that we were given and used the seed from it.Some of the trees have an elongated fruit,but a good half the trees have large abundant tasty fruit.Keep them clear of weeds and stake up one straight leader.Well worth trying,if no one tryed there would be no new varieties would there?
kendall40, Apr 22, 7:58am
I found that cuttings would strike if I took them with a 'heel'. I did use hormone powder too.
skin1235, Apr 22, 9:37am
you can air root them, pick a branch that sticks straight out, or bend and tie one to suit, make a wound on the under part and wrap it in spagnum moss ( or some old carpet underfelt ) and wrap a plastic bag around it loosely, keep the moss damp by adding water every few days, within a few weeks you will have roots, sever the branch and place the root section minus the plastic bag in a good potting mix in a medium planter bag, keep it moist, and with winter coming on keep it protected from frosts
skin1235, Apr 22, 9:41am
from seed is the easiest, simply scrape out the seeds, spread them on a kitchen tissue, place that seed side up on damp potting mix and cover with a double sheet of newspaper for a few weeks, you'll have several hundred sprouts to prick out very soon - just from one fruit
nonumbers, Apr 22, 6:26pm
Thanks - that gives me ideas to try. Skin - it that straight from fruit to potting mix - no drying or waiting until spring?
cantabman1, Apr 22, 7:38pm
I have planted about six fruit in home compost, just to see what will happen.
I don't expect anything until next summer.
But as a tip to ALL GARDENERS, I read recently of taking the new branches of spring willow and boiling it up to use as a natural rooting hormone when cold.I am keen to try this next spring as i am growing a gizillion swan plants to sell next year, and want as much root as possible for strong healthy plants.
annies3, Apr 22, 7:42pm
Yes this is the other option
The tree I had layered was a tree to, big enough for the kids to climb ! but I was lucky in that there was quite a lot of lower growth.
skin1235, Apr 23, 12:26am
straight from the fruit bowl on the end of the table, no drying, seasonal variations are temp related, a warm shelf with good sun once they have sprouted will elliviate any seasonal effects
as per normal germination - warm dark place for a few days then into warm area still covered with paper, remove paper once they start popping little shoots
wheelz, Apr 23, 6:59am
Although you may get some to germinate. It will not be the same as the parent tree. Plus will take a long time to bear any fruit, if any.
les6, Apr 23, 8:20am
you will get plenty to germinate,they only take a couple of years to fruit and surprise surprise,they may be better than the parent?
skin1235, Jan 25, 3:00pm
x1
shhhhhh, when I post here it is from experience, not from the book written by those who want to sell you plants they have propagated
If you spread the pulp on a kitchen towel and treat it fairly as above you will get not hundreds but thousands of germinated seeds, so many it will be hard to prick them out into individual planters
theres always some who will poo poo anothers advice, you have to wonder if they have ever tried it or are going by something they overheard in a bar one night