Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Strawberry Guava (Psidium cattleyanum)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Strawberry guava, Cattley guava, Cherry guava.

More about strawberry guava

About Strawberry Guava

Psidium cattleyanum · also called Strawberry guava, Cattley guava · tropical

Strawberry guava is a compact evergreen shrub or small tree from Brazil bearing small red (or yellow) berries with a strawberry-like flavour. Slightly hardier than common guava and very ornamental, with glossy leaves and smooth bark, it suits containers and patios. It is highly invasive in tropical regions, so contain it where it can naturalise.

Cold limit: USDA 9-11 (somewhat hardier than common guava; tolerates brief light frost when mature) · RHS H2 (18-30°C)

What strawberry guava's hardiness rating actually means

Strawberry Guava is half-hardy (RHS H2). It survives a mild winter outdoors in a sheltered spot, but a hard frost kills it — so in colder zones it is lifted, potted, or grown as a tender plant. Its RHS rating of H2 means: Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot. On the US scale that maps to USDA 9-11 (somewhat hardier than common guava; tolerates brief light frost when mature) — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 1 to 5 °C — tolerates cold but no real frost. Strawberry Guava shrugs off cold nights but a real, sustained freeze will kill it.

Concretely, for strawberry guava as it gets too cold:

Down to roughly about 1 to 5 °C it copes, especially if dry and sheltered.
A sustained hard frost collapses the top growth; whether it returns depends on whether the roots, crown or tubers froze.
Wet cold is far more lethal than dry cold for this plant — soggy, frozen soil is the usual killer.

Can strawberry guava go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 9-11 (somewhat hardier than common guava; tolerates brief light frost when mature) or a frost-free UK microclimate.
In colder zones, grow it in a pot you can move under cover, or lift its tubers/roots and store them frost-free over winter.
A south-facing wall, free-draining soil and a dry winter position can push it a full zone hardier than the books suggest.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when strawberry guava can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H2 figure above.

Frost protection for borderline strawberry guava

Strawberry Guava is right on a hardiness edge in many gardens, so if you are pushing it, these measures buy it the margin it needs:

Mulch the crown or root zone deeply with bark, straw or leaf-mould before the first hard frost.
Move container plants against a warm wall or into an unheated but frost-free porch or greenhouse.
Fleece the top growth on the coldest nights, and keep it on the dry side — dry roots survive cold far better than wet ones.
Lift dahlia-type tubers or tender crowns after the first light frost blackens the foliage and store them somewhere cool but frost-free.

Strawberry Guava hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is strawberry guava cold hardy?

Strawberry Guava is half-hardy (RHS H2). It survives a mild winter outdoors in a sheltered spot, but a hard frost kills it — so in colder zones it is lifted, potted, or grown as a tender plant. Borderline outdoors. In its mild end of USDA 9-11 (somewhat hardier than common guava; tolerates brief light frost when mature) (and sheltered UK gardens) strawberry guava can stay out; in colder areas it must be lifted, brought in, or treated as a frost-tender plant.

What is the minimum temperature strawberry guava can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 1 to 5 °C — tolerates cold but no real frost. Strawberry Guava shrugs off cold nights but a real, sustained freeze will kill it.

What hardiness zone is strawberry guava?

Strawberry Guava is rated USDA 9-11 (somewhat hardier than common guava; tolerates brief light frost when mature) and RHS H2 — Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot.

Can strawberry guava survive winter outside?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 9-11 (somewhat hardier than common guava; tolerates brief light frost when mature) or a frost-free UK microclimate. In colder zones, grow it in a pot you can move under cover, or lift its tubers/roots and store them frost-free over winter. A south-facing wall, free-draining soil and a dry winter position can push it a full zone hardier than the books suggest.

How do I protect strawberry guava from frost?

Mulch the crown or root zone deeply with bark, straw or leaf-mould before the first hard frost. Move container plants against a warm wall or into an unheated but frost-free porch or greenhouse. Fleece the top growth on the coldest nights, and keep it on the dry side — dry roots survive cold far better than wet ones. Lift dahlia-type tubers or tender crowns after the first light frost blackens the foliage and store them somewhere cool but frost-free.