Psidium guajava 'Ruby Supreme'
fruitRuby Supreme is one of the most popular pink-fleshed guavas for warm gardens, valued for heavy crops and an intense, perfumed aroma you can smell across the yard. The baseball-sized fruit turns from green to yellow when ripe over soft, sweet, fragrant pink flesh that is wonderful fresh, juiced, or in paste and jelly. The plant is a fast, tough evergreen that can reach about 10 to 15 ft and, once established in a frost-free spot, flowers and fruits in cycles nearly year-round. It grows easily in the ground in mild climates and takes well to containers and pruning elsewhere, making it one of the most rewarding tropical fruits for a beginner.
Sun
full sun
Water
Every 5 days
Harvest
~3 yrs
to first harvest
Difficulty
easy
Lifecycle
perennial
Comes back every year
Spacing
15 ft or more apart
Planting Depth
Top of the root ball level with or slightly above the soil
Soil pH
4.5-7.0
Soil Type
Adaptable, well-draining
Hardiness Zones
Zones 9 – 13
When to Fertilize
Every 1-2 months when young; a few times a year when mature
Fertilizer
Complete fertilizer (e.g. 6-6-6) with minor elements; chelated iron on high-pH soil
Guava is an easy, adaptable tropical tree that wants full sun and good drainage above all. Young trees are damaged near 27 to 28F and mature trees near 25 to 26F (roughly zones 9b to 11), so in cooler areas grow it in a pot to shelter in winter. It tolerates sands, loams, and limestone soils across a wide pH (ideal about 4.5 to 7); on high-pH soil add chelated iron. Plant 15 ft or more from buildings and other trees. Water newly set trees every other day the first week, then one to two times a week for the first months; established trees need water mainly during dry spells and while fruiting. Feed young trees a complete fertilizer (such as 6-6-6 with minor elements) every one to two months, scaling up as the tree grows. Light pruning after a harvest cycle keeps it compact and triggers the next flush of bloom.
Direct sow
Apr 15
Projected first harvest
Jul 14 · Year 4
Year 1
Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests
Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide
The key guava pest - bag fruit, pick promptly at color change, and clean up fallen fruit that breeds maggots
Watch leaf undersides, rinse off colonies, and treat hot spots with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil
Inspect stems and leaves and treat with horticultural oil, pruning out heavily encrusted wood
A wet-weather fruit and leaf fungus - prune for airflow, avoid overhead watering, and remove mummified fruit
In good conditions Ruby Supreme can begin bearing within a few years of planting, then fruits in repeating 60 to 90 day cycles from bloom to ripe. Pick pink guavas as the skin turns from light green to yellow and the fruit softens and turns fragrant; they will finish ripening on the counter. Harvest promptly and often, since ripe guavas are a magnet for fruit flies and birds. To time crops, many growers prune and briefly stress the tree to trigger a fresh, concentrated bloom.
A nutrition standout: about 68 calories per 100 g with a huge 5.4 g fiber and an exceptional 228 mg vitamin C (several times an orange), plus 417 mg potassium, folate, and the lycopene that colors the pink flesh. Guava is one of the highest vitamin C and fiber tropical fruits, eaten skin and all, fresh or as juice, paste, and jelly.
For educational and informational purposes only — HomeSown is not medical, health, or other professional advice. Always positively identify any plant before handling or eating it; some plants, and some parts of otherwise-edible plants, are toxic. Consult a qualified professional before consuming or otherwise using any plant, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a health condition.
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4