Acca or Feijoa

Family Myrtaceae. Evergreen small tree (up to 4 m in height)

Synonym: Feijoa sellowiana.

Originates from the mountainous areas of southern Brazil, parts of Colombia, Uruguay and northern Argentina. Occurs in protected locations of the subtropical part of the Caucasus, as well as in Crimea and Azerbaijan.

The genus name was given in honor of the Brazilian botanist de Silva Feijo. It includes 6 species naturally occurring in South America.

Location: A light-loving plant. Optimal temperature 18-20°C. In winter plants are kept at 10-12°C and the soil is regularly moistened.

Lighting: Bright light

Watering: During the summer the plant needs abundant watering.

Air humidity: Moderate

Humidity: During summer the plant should be misted.

Care: Needs regular fertilizing in summer. Indoors the plant grows as a neat bush and does not require special crown-forming care. Nevertheless, the first seedling 25-30 cm tall is pruned by one-third of its length and the lateral shoots are also trimmed to prevent excessive elongation.

Propagation: Feijoa is propagated by seeds, cuttings, layering, root suckers and grafting. When propagated by seeds plants practically do not retain cultivar characteristics.

To obtain seeds use ripe freshly picked fruits, cut them lengthwise and squeeze out the jelly-like pulp with small sparse seeds, which are left to ferment for 3 days. Then the seeds are separated from the pulp, washed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate and dried (they retain viability for two years). Sowing feijoa seeds is carried out in January-March in a shallow box filled with a mixture of turf soil, peat and sand (2:2:1). The soil should be lightly compacted and watered before sowing. Seeds are sown in furrows 0.5 cm deep at about 5 cm from each other and covered with soil.

The sown seeds are moistened with a sprayer and covered with glass. The box is placed on a bright windowsill at a temperature of 16-20 degrees. The glass should be wiped and turned daily; seedlings appear approximately in a month. When 2-3 pairs of leaves appear the seedlings are transplanted into individual pots, removing part of the taproot. The substrate for young seedlings is prepared more heavy and fertile: turf soil, leaf mould, humus, sand (6:4:1:1).

Cutting propagation, unlike seed propagation, preserves all characteristics of the parent plant. Cuttings with three nodes (8-10 cm long) are cut from the upper or middle parts of semi-woody shoots from September to December. To avoid excessive moisture loss, leave only the top pair of leaves. The cutting is planted at an angle, burying the lower node in the substrate. The substrate for rooting cuttings consists of a mixture of leaf soil and sand in equal parts, moistened with a solution of heteroauxin (a quarter tablet per 0.5 liter of water).

After planting the cuttings the substrate is watered with a warm weak solution of potassium permanganate, the cuttings are covered with a glass jar (or a "mini-greenhouse" is made in the pot) to create a favorable microclimate, and placed in a bright (but without direct sunlight) location. The greenhouse is periodically aired and the cuttings are sprayed; they root with difficulty: when using root stimulants and with slight bottom heating of the soil rooting occurs in 2 months. Rooted plants are transplanted in spring into the substrate for young seedlings.

Feijoa seedlings begin to flower and fruit after 5 years, and rooted cuttings after 4 years. To accelerate fruiting, feijoa should be formed as a compact low stem and emerging root suckers should be removed immediately. When the plant reaches about 30 cm in height its top is cut by one-third to stimulate the development of scaffold branches; lateral shoots are also trimmed to limit their length. Further pruning is not required, only weak and dried branches are removed.

Transplanting: Young plants are repotted twice a year, mature ones annually or once every two years. Soil mix: turf soil, humus, sand (1:1:1).

Feijoa is a light- and moisture-loving crop, grows well in fertile soil and does not tolerate excess lime. In summer feijoa must be watered and sprayed abundantly; young plants are demanding of moisture. In summer feijoa can be placed in the garden or on a balcony, in a spot protected from the wind. Stable growth and abundant flowering of feijoa are ensured by regular feedings in spring and summer twice a month, combining mineral and organic fertilizers.