Toxicity

Cautions and safety

Guava is a widely eaten fruit tree, but a few cautions apply.

• Toxicity is not well documented. The ripe fruit is a common food, but we found no reliable toxicity data for the leaves, bark or seeds, for people or pets, and no ASPCA entry for guava. Keep small children and pets from chewing the leaves or bark, and ask a doctor or vet if anyone does and feels unwell.
• It can spread as a weed. ICRAF notes that guava is considered a noxious weed in many tropical pasture lands, and that bats spread its seeds. Avoid planting it next to forest edges or grassland you want to keep natural.
• Shallow, spreading roots. ICRAF says the root system is mostly shallow and very extensive, often reaching beyond the crown, so keep it away from paving and pipes; this is only a rough starting point, not a safe distance.
• Wet feet and wilt. It dislikes waterlogged soil, and NHB notes that wilt disease is worse in alkaline soil.
• Rainy-season fruit fly. NHB says fruit flies lay eggs in the fruit during the monsoon and suggests picking fruit at the light-green stage and collecting damaged fruit; ICRAF adds that fruit ripening in very wet weather loses flavour and may split.
• A short-lived tree. ICRAF gives a lifespan of about 40 years, with heavy cropping for 15–25 years.