The feijoa (Acca sellowiana) is a native of South America where it is found in areas with acidic soils in Southern Brasil and Uruguay. It appears to be able to tolerate a wide range of climates and soil conditions provided water-logged conditions are avoided, and soils are not alkaline. Little is known of the nutritional requirements of feijoas grown in New Zealand, although they are often grown in soils naturally low in plant nutrients. No reliable yield figures are available but values of 25 tonnes/ha have been reported. Most of the nutrient removal in mature orchards is by way of harvested fruit.

PLANT ANALYSIS
Critical leaf concentrations have not been established for feijoas. The values listed in Table 1 are for leaves collected from plants showing no obvious signs of nutritional disorders and as such should only be used as a rough guide to interpreting the results of plant analysis. The leaves were sampled during mid to late summer.

SOIL TESTING
Suggested soil test levels are as follows: pH, 5.8-6.8; MAF quick test units - P, 30; K, 8; Mg, 16; Ca, 8.

FERTILISER REQUIREMENTS
In the first two years after planting, no fruit is carried and light applications of fertiliser are sufficient. After year three, cropping begins and by year 10 the orchard may produce 25 tonnes of fruit/ha or more. By this stage, large inputs of fertiliser will be needed. A tentative fertiliser programme for plants of different ages is given in Table 2.

In the first three years fertiliser should be placed around individual trees, but from four years onward broadcast application is satisfactory.

Foliar application of nutrients should be avoided as keeping quality of the fruit has been shown to be adversely affected by this practice.

FURTHER READING
Franklin, S.J. (1985). Varieties and culture for commercial production. New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries AgLink, HPP 104.