WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Psidium guajava, WUCOLS IV

How often to water common guava in California

In July on the south coast, established common guava in loam needs a deep watering about every 11 days: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy, about 35 gallons a week. Common guava is an evergreen shrub or small tree with smooth, peeling bark and a shallow root system. It needs frost free warmth, since a cold snap near freezing can strip its leaves. Steady moisture during bloom and fruit set fills out the crop better than a dry summer alone.

ShrubTreeRated for 2 of 6 zones

How often to water common guava, month by month

Your city
Canopy width
10 ft
Your soil

Type your city above and the days between waterings and the gallons appear here, worked out from your city's climate table. Or read the figures by climate zone further down.

Every month, on your water days. The personal plan prints this for common guava and the rest of your yard, on the days your water supplier allows.Get the plan for $19

How this is worked out: established roots fill the top 1.5 feet of soil, and you water again when that soil has dried halfway. Loam soil holds about 1.5 inches of water per foot. Water the whole area under the branches, and skip a watering after a good soaking rain.

Which soil do you have?

Dig down a few inches, take a handful of moist soil and squeeze it.

  • Sandy: gritty, falls apart when you open your hand, will not form a ball.
  • Loam: forms a soft ball that crumbles when you poke it.
  • Clay: forms a firm, sticky ball and squeezes out into a ribbon between thumb and finger.

Still not sure? Pick loam. Most garden beds sit between sand and clay.

How to measure canopy width

A tree with its canopy width marked across the widest branches and the circle under it shaded blue

Measure across the branches, from the tips of the outer leaves on one side to the tips on the other. A tape works, or pace it out.

Water the whole circle under the branches, shown in blue. The gallons here cover that circle.

A wider canopy means more gallons each watering, not more waterings. While the tree is young, measure again each spring.

How to tell it needs water

  • Soil dry several inches down across guava's shallow, wide root spread signals it needs a soak
  • Leaves that dull and droop through hot afternoons without recovering by evening point to a dry root zone
  • Delayed bloom or fruit that drops before it sets can follow a root zone left dry too long
  • Yellowing leaves or soft, discolored bark near the base over soil that stays wet point to waterlogged shallow roots
  • Sparse new growth through the warm season can follow underwatering during active growth

How to water it

  • Water across guava's full shallow root spread, extending the wet area beyond the branch canopy
  • Apply water slowly with drip lines or a soaker hose, since shallow roots take an even, gentle soak better than a hard stream
  • Mulch across the root zone to buffer shallow roots from summer heat, keeping mulch clear of the trunk
  • Avoid deep digging near the trunk, since it can damage the shallow, wide spreading roots
  • Extend the watered area outward each year as the canopy and shallow roots spread further

Through the seasons

Give a newly planted guava steady moisture through its first couple of summers while its shallow root system spreads. This evergreen keeps leaves year round in frost free gardens, so established plants still need soil checks through bloom and fruit set for a fuller crop. Frost can strip leaves from exposed plants, and a hard freeze can kill growth back to the ground, though root regrowth can follow. WUCOLS rates it moderate water on the south coast and in the low desert. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the north-central coast, the Central Valley, South Inland or the high desert.

In pots

A guava in a large container can be moved to shelter when frost threatens, protecting its frost tender growth. Because its shallow roots fill a pot quickly, check the mix a few inches down through California heat and water once it dries there. Let excess drain fully through the holes, then empty the saucer so roots do not sit wet. Growth slows once nights cool, so ease off watering through the fall. Keep a sheltered container guava's mix from drying out completely over winter.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
Not ratedWUCOLS does not rate Common Guava for the Central Valley zone
A year
no figure
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses

WUCOLS lists Common Guava as not suited to this region for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Common Guava: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan––0.78––0.78
Feb––0.81––0.93
Mar––1.15––1.52
Apr––1.4––1.95
May––1.61––2.45
Jun––1.74––2.79
Jul––1.98––2.85
Aug––1.86––2.6
Sep––1.49––2.08
Oct––1.15––1.49
Nov––0.84––0.96
Dec––0.65––0.68
Year––15.5––21.08

How this is worked out: the WUCOLS water rating for each zone times that zone’s climate for the month. A dash means WUCOLS does not rate the plant there. The figures are what the plant uses, before sprinkler losses.

Plants with the same water needs 16

Rated not suited to this region in the Central Valley, like common guava. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Chenille PlantAcalypha hispidanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingCopperleafAcalypha wilkesiananot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingSugar MapleAcer saccharumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingQueensland KauriAgathis robustanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingCherimoyaAnnona cherimolanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingYellow Bell BauhiniaBauhinia tomentosanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPurple Orchid TreeBauhinia variegata (purpurea)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingToogBischofia javanicanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMagic FlowerCantua buxifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingClustered Fishtail PalmCaryota mitisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingWhite SapoteCasimiroa edulisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingHawaiian TiCordyline fruticosa (Cordyline terminalis)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingFilbertCorylus maximanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingSpotted GumCorymbia maculata (Eucalyptus maculata)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingDove TreeDavidia involucratanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingRoyal PoincianaDelonix regianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes common guava, your sprinkler type and the month, and gives the minutes per water day for that supplier's schedule. Or put it in a zone of the personal watering plan and get all twelve months printed.

Questions people ask

How much water does common guava need per day?

In July on the south coast, established common guava needs about 5.0 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 20 gallons a day under a 20 foot canopy. Give it in deep waterings spread days apart rather than a little every day, so the whole root zone gets wet.

Does watering for common guava change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates common guava separately for each of the six California climate zones: not suited to this region in the North-Central Coastal zone, not suited to this region in the Central Valley zone, moderate water in the South Coastal zone, not suited to this region in the South Inland zone, not suited to this region in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, moderate water in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

Can guava survive a light frost?

A brief dip near freezing can defoliate guava without killing the plant outright. A harder freeze can kill top growth to the ground, though the roots often resprout. Young plants are more vulnerable than an established, well rooted specimen.

Why did my guava drop its flowers or young fruit?

A root zone left dry during bloom or early fruit set is a common cause of drop. Check soil moisture across the shallow root spread rather than only at the trunk. Steady moisture through this stage supports a fuller fruit set.

How far do guava roots spread?

Guava roots are shallow, so most water uptake happens in the upper soil. Water and mulch across the whole area under the canopy. Avoid deep digging near the trunk that could damage the roots.

Is guava suited to inland valley gardens?

The Central Valley and South Inland see cold snaps and heat swings that work against this frost tender plant, so WUCOLS does not list either as a fit. The south coast and low desert are the two rated zones for this species in the state. Choose a sheltered warm spot if planting outside those areas.

Can I plant a lawn or bedding plants under guava?

Guava's shallow, wide spreading roots compete directly with turf or bedding plants for water in the same soil. Frequent light watering for a lawn can also keep the topsoil wetter than this shrub prefers. Give guava its own watered area separate from thirsty companion plants.

More plant watering guides

Queen's WreathBeauverd's Widow's-ThrillBird's Eye BushProstrate Natal PlumChenille PlantCopperleafSugar MapleDesert Rose

Sources