~Obsidian~
30th September 2008, 09:07 PM
Here I go again! :D Me mam brought a papaya home and the thought of all those juicy seeds glistening up at me was just too much temptation!! I've done some research (of which I'll post the links later) and I've found out that papaya's seem to be awesome trees to grow - heres a summary!
The Physical Structure
The only problem is that the trees have gender problems. That's right, they can each be either male, female, or both! And the only way to tell is when they fruit, the fruits of the male trees hang away from the trunk on long stalks. The fruits of the female tree are alot closer to the trunk (shorter/almost non-existant stalks). What I've gathered so far is that the seeds of a single papaya can contain possibilities for all of these, so I will probably plant quite a few! They have some nifty seven-lobed leaves (quite like a fig tree). The life of a papaya tree can be quite short-lived - they fruit best when they are young and they grow vigorously!! When they are older they tend to produce fruits that are poorer in quality and can be smaller in size, and because the trunk of the tree is hollow it can be prone to snapping in high winds (they can grow up to 10 metres tall!).
Fruiting Habits
They fruit approx 8 months after planting, and they grow quite quickly.They also fruit all year round if the temps are constantly warm!! When they are older they tend to produce fruits that are poorer in quality and can be smaller in size.
Possible Problems
Apart from the gender issues, they are prone to root-rot and so the best kind of soil for them to grow in is loamy - which I shall be creating with a mix of 50/50 or 40/60 sand/compost. It also helps to put a layer of gravel in the bottom of the pot (if grown in a pot) around an inch thick to improve drainage, although it is recommended to plant them directly where they are to grow as they do not like their roots being disturbed!! IF you do plant many trees and end up with males and females (and no mixes) then you can have a ratio of 15 females to 1 male tree.
The Seeds
A good seed is blackish in colour, it's best to avoid any small whitish ones (you can take your chances with the grey, I won't because the black are plentiful!) grey seeds are a sign of unripe fruit, so allow them to ripen fully first!!
Propagation
To plant them, get them out of their jelly sacks and allow them to dry out, before planting them half an inch deep in the soil.
Conflicting Advice
One problem I'm having is that the websites I have been on disagree on the issue of fertilization. Site 1 says they feed heavily whilst another site says not to use fertilisers such as chicken manure on trees less that 2 years old as they may burn from it...although site 1 says this is ok. :confused: I'll proceed with caution!
Here are some good links for more information:
http://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/growing-papaya.html <--best link
http://www.nda.agric.za/docs/papaya/papaya.htm <---VERY good
http://weedseedshop.com/grow_help.php?weed=Papaya
http://www2.dpi.qld.gov.au/horticulture/5326.html
Here are some pictures:
The pictures from somebody else's grow (http://http://www.all-creatures.org/pics/papaya.html)
Picture 1 -Male tree
Picture 2 - Female tree
The Physical Structure
The only problem is that the trees have gender problems. That's right, they can each be either male, female, or both! And the only way to tell is when they fruit, the fruits of the male trees hang away from the trunk on long stalks. The fruits of the female tree are alot closer to the trunk (shorter/almost non-existant stalks). What I've gathered so far is that the seeds of a single papaya can contain possibilities for all of these, so I will probably plant quite a few! They have some nifty seven-lobed leaves (quite like a fig tree). The life of a papaya tree can be quite short-lived - they fruit best when they are young and they grow vigorously!! When they are older they tend to produce fruits that are poorer in quality and can be smaller in size, and because the trunk of the tree is hollow it can be prone to snapping in high winds (they can grow up to 10 metres tall!).
Fruiting Habits
They fruit approx 8 months after planting, and they grow quite quickly.They also fruit all year round if the temps are constantly warm!! When they are older they tend to produce fruits that are poorer in quality and can be smaller in size.
Possible Problems
Apart from the gender issues, they are prone to root-rot and so the best kind of soil for them to grow in is loamy - which I shall be creating with a mix of 50/50 or 40/60 sand/compost. It also helps to put a layer of gravel in the bottom of the pot (if grown in a pot) around an inch thick to improve drainage, although it is recommended to plant them directly where they are to grow as they do not like their roots being disturbed!! IF you do plant many trees and end up with males and females (and no mixes) then you can have a ratio of 15 females to 1 male tree.
The Seeds
A good seed is blackish in colour, it's best to avoid any small whitish ones (you can take your chances with the grey, I won't because the black are plentiful!) grey seeds are a sign of unripe fruit, so allow them to ripen fully first!!
Propagation
To plant them, get them out of their jelly sacks and allow them to dry out, before planting them half an inch deep in the soil.
Conflicting Advice
One problem I'm having is that the websites I have been on disagree on the issue of fertilization. Site 1 says they feed heavily whilst another site says not to use fertilisers such as chicken manure on trees less that 2 years old as they may burn from it...although site 1 says this is ok. :confused: I'll proceed with caution!
Here are some good links for more information:
http://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/growing-papaya.html <--best link
http://www.nda.agric.za/docs/papaya/papaya.htm <---VERY good
http://weedseedshop.com/grow_help.php?weed=Papaya
http://www2.dpi.qld.gov.au/horticulture/5326.html
Here are some pictures:
The pictures from somebody else's grow (http://http://www.all-creatures.org/pics/papaya.html)
Picture 1 -Male tree
Picture 2 - Female tree