How to Start A Profitable Guava Farm – 9 Steps.

Have you ever thought of starting a farming business with little or zero stress? the starting a guava farm should be on your priority list. It is highly profitable and sustainable.

Guava is said to originate from Mexico and South America, they belong to MYRTACEAE family and the  scientific name is PSIDIUM. Their fruits are either oval in shape or round depending on the variety  planted.

Guava ranges from 5cm-10cm in length. Apart from running a guava farm in an open field you can also plant them in pottery, green houses, poly houses and at the back of your house. Indians are the highest  producer of guava followed by China, Thailand, other countries are; Mexico, Philippines, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Pakistan, Indonesia etc. 

Health Benefits of Guava to humans. 

1. Reduction of blood sugar: Regular consumption of guava may help in lowering blood sugar levels. 

2. Good for digestive system: Regular consumption of guava is beneficial to your digestive system as it aids healthy bowel movements  thereby preventing constipation.

3. Helps in protecting the heart: Scientists believe that the high levels of vitamins and antioxidants in the guava leaves can help in protecting your heart from damage by free radicals. 

4. Serves as supplement for herbal tea: Guava leaf extract can also be used as a supplement while the leaves as an herbal tea. The guava leaf extract may aid in reducing the pain intensity of menstrual cramps for ladies in their  periods. 

5. It is beneficial for immune system: It is Also beneficial to your immune system because of the vitamin C present in it. The fruits are very rich in vitamin C, fiber, antioxidants and potassium. 

6. Good for Diarrhea Treatment: Guava leaves contain antibacterial components that fight disease. And can treat  diarrhea! 

7. Good for the Treatment of heart disease: The leaves of guava contain Quercetin that helps reduce oxidative stress and  heart strokes. 

8. Helps in Preventing Cancer and Ulcer: Guava leaves contain antioxidants. Guava leaves are used in stomach ulcer treatment. The leaves contain certain elements called  saponin, flavonoid, and volatility. They combine to tackle ulcers. 

9. Helps in generating a Glowing Skin: Glowing Skin especially for women, the leaves of guava when taken daily will keep the skin fresh. It can  be processed and added to cream for skin moisturization. 

10. Good for male fertility treatment: This is because it increases a man’s spermatozoa. 

11. A good treatment for cough and it also help in preventing bad breath: The leaves of guava when squeezed and fluid consumed helps to clear the  lungs. It helps in preventing bad breath and mouth odor. 

All the benefits listed above reinforces the importance of running a guava farm.

The 9 Steps involved in starting a profitable Guava farm

Preparation of land for the Guava farm:

Clear the land and plough the soil deeply. Apply farmyard manure like chicken  dung, goat dung, pig dung or sheep dung to increase the soil fertility. You can also use the green manure  if you can’t access enough farmyard manure. 

Remove any tree stumps that might hinder the easy penetration of the guava plant roots. Sterilization of  the soil with herbicides and fumigants is also recommended. This will help to kill any soil-borne harmful  plant pathogens that may affect the plants later. Remove any tree stumps that might hinder the  easy penetration of the guava plant roots.

Sterilization of the soil with herbicides and fumigants is also  recommended. This will help to kill any soil-borne harmful plant pathogens that may affect the  plants later. 

Selection of the best variety of seeds for the guava farm:

There are many varieties of guava and they are classified  according to their color; red, pink, red, green. Some of the varieties are: White Malaysian, Ruby  Supreme, Vietnamese, Purple Malaysian, Turnbull White, Giant Bangkok, Mexican Cream, Apple guava,  Nagpur seedless. 

Propagation in guava farming:

Guava can be propagated either by seeds or vegetative means. Experts  recommend that you grow the seedlings in order to get high quality and quantity yield. If you want to  use the vegetative propagation method, you can employ the grafting, air-layering, budding or cutting.

The best vegetative propagation method for commercial guava farming is air-layering while stooping or  mound layering in nursery beds is the cheapest for rapid multiplication of the plants. Vegetative  propagation can be done through cutting, air layering, budding and grafting methods.

The best method  for commercial guava farming is Air-layering. For rapid multiplication of plants use stooping or mound  layering on nursery beds.

Unlike many other economic trees that thrive well through vegetative  propagation guava are mostly propagated through quality seed cultivation. Because it will produce  quality and large quantities of fruits with different shapes and sizes. 

Control of pests and diseases in the guava farm:

There are several pests that attack guava plants such as; Fruit borers,  Beetle borers, Caterpillars, Bugs, Gall flies, Mite, Scale insects. Use pesticides to attack them. Diseases in  guava plants are scarce but not completely absent. Here are some guava diseases; Nematodes,  Anthracnose, Brown blight. Use neem oil, plant resistant variety, maintain good cultural agronomy  management. Birds are predators that will consume your ripe or overly ripe guava, the antidote is to  harvest your ripe guava on time. Ants are also a major challenge to guava farming. 

Application of fertilizer to the guava farm:

Guava plants respond positively to manures but you can also apply inorganic  fertilizers to the farm. While applying the fertilizers, ensure it is at the base of the plants and the  recommended doses are applied. Application of Nitrogen in two equal splits of dose is recommended  and the NPK fertilizer is the best for it.Also zinc deficiency can result in lower production of the guava  fruit. You can prevent this by spraying 450g of Zinc sulfate with 350g of slaked lime in 75 liters of water. 

Weeding:

Weeding can be done 3 times a year in the early growing stage, but can be twice after some  years to 2 times. As we know weed is not good for any crop so also it is not good for guava. Weed can  reduce the quality and quantity of the fruits. It will slow down growth and production. Always weed on time or use herbicide to kill grasses and other weeds. But care must be taken in order not to destroy the  plant.

Setting Up Irrigation System for the Guava Farm:

Irrigation is necessary in guava farming especially during the dry season as the guava plants  get sufficient water during the rainy seasons. Drip irrigation is recommended in guava farming as it’ll  help in the production and yielding of fruits. Watering of plants should be moderately done to avoid  water stagnation which can lead to the decaying of the roots. 

Harvesting:

Hybrid guava variety, fruits can mature faster than the traditional guava plant. Grafted,  budded and layered guava plants produce fruits between 2 to 2 and half years. 

Guava plants raised from seeds (seedling) start fruit production within 4 years of planting. Fruits will be  less at the starting but keep increasing with years then by 8 years they start bearing heavily. 

Pluck fruits when matured manually or by the use of a hand cutter. Maturity time depends on the variety.  Guava fruit will change color from green to yellow when matured. In some varieties the color will only  change from deep green to light green. Don’t allow it to over-ripe on the tree because it will not last long  after harvest nor can it be preserved. Guava fruit can stay for 2-3 weeks before getting spoiled. 

Harvest fruits when they are still very strong, not when soft. Care must be taken not to rub guava on any  hard surface or allow them to fall on the ground during harvest. This is because rough handling and  causing wounds (abrasion) will affect the quality of the fruit thereby reducing market value.

A hectare  can yield more than 25 tons of guava . Yield will depend on the variety, method of propagation and  management practices. Grafted guava plants will produce more than 300kg of fruits while the ones  grown from seed will be about 100kg per guava plant. 

Marketing:

Sell to market traders, fruit vendors, fruit juice companies etc. many fruit juice companies  are looking for where to buy guava in a large quantity. You don’t see guava in the market like other  fruits because it is hardly enough for these companies.

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