How to Plant Guava Seeds? Detailed Guide to the Latest Planting Method
Guava is a tropical fruit tree with strong adaptability, native to tropical America. It spread to tropical and subtropical regions around the world in the 16th to 17th centuries and was introduced to China around the end of the 17th century. It is cultivated in Taiwan, China, Hainan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Jiangxi, Yunnan and other provinces in China, and in some places it has escaped to become a wild fruit tree. Let's take a look below at how to plant guava seeds!
Seed Selection
Seeds used for guava seedling propagation should come from superior varieties, high-yielding and high-quality mother plants, and fully ripe fruit. After harvesting the fruit, let it rot, take out the seeds and wash them clean, float off the empty grains, and dry them in the air before sowing. Although guava seed viability can be maintained for more than 1 year at room temperature, fresh seeds have strong viability, a high germination rate and good germination vigor, so it is generally best to sow them immediately after collection.
Seed Soaking and Germination Promotion
The guava seed coat is hard and does not easily absorb water, so the seed soaking and germination promotion before sowing must last a long time. Wait until the embryo is exposed before taking the seeds out to sow; then germination is uniform throughout the day and the germination rate is high. Soaking the seeds in 0.1 to 0.3% gibberellin (920) for 12 hours before sowing has a good effect on shortening the germination time, increasing the germination rate and accelerating seedling growth.
Sowing Method
Guava seeds are small, so if sowing directly in a seedbed, the seedbed soil should be broken up fine and leveled, covered with fine soil or sand and then broadcast evenly, and then covered again with fine soil about 0.2 cm thick. After sowing, cover with grass and water thoroughly, then water 1 to 2 times a day depending on the weather. Guava can also first be sown in a sand bed; it germinates 30 to 40 days after sowing, and when it grows to 2 to 3 pairs of true leaves it is transplanted into nutrition bags or a seedbed. If raising seedlings in nutrition bags, use fertile topsoil plus a small amount of rotted pig and cattle pen manure and phosphate fertilizer; after transplanting keep it moist, and when the seedlings are about 10 cm tall begin fertilizing once a month. When the seedlings are more than 40 cm tall they can be used for grafting or field planting. Generally, with autumn sowing, grafting and field planting can be done the following spring.