[Arid_gardener] Fw: Papaya Plants

[Dick]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Dick 
To:  
Sent: Thursday, February 28, 2008 5:30 PM
Subject: Re: Papaya Plants


A papaya from seed should bloom and set fruit the first year if it is a hermaphrodite that is self pollinating. A male or female alone will bloom up a storm sending out long pandacles with boocoo blossoms that will never set fruit alone.
Buy a ripe fruit at Safeway, wash and dry the some 499  odd seed and plant about 3\8 in deep in damp, warm soil. They should come up like grass in ten to 15 days. Transplanted while still in the cotyledon stage, damping-off is not prevalent. Wait for true leaves and you may lose all. Your lone papaya is likely to be a boy or girl. No sex. no progeny.

A female pollinated by either an hermophrodite or a male will bare and ripen fruit in less than a year in a warm climate A male will bloom the first year but will never bear fruit alone, in my experience. Plant a herd  and it is hard to go wrong. It is difficult or impossible for the layman to determine the sex of a tree until it fruits. 

Papaya sex is a little crazy but plant several near one another and you are bound to get the right combination.  Papayas have been known to change sex but I know of no way that we can take advantage of that curiosity.

In warm weather with adequate water and abundant nitrogen, a plant will be over your eaves the first year sending out long blossom tentacles and, if fertilized females, setting small fruits that need warm soil to mature.

In cold, damp soil, a papaya will develop rot overnight in the huge, carrot-like root and be flat on the ground by sunup.

A papaya will take any amount of water if drainage allows the water table to flow all the way through the root system pulling oxygen in behind it. An airless, wet root system is heaven to the pathogen causing rot. It is sure death, and can wipe out a tree over night. Papaya will adsorb abundant nitrogen. I have ueed only 21-0-0 to feed.

I have grown papayas for years but have eaten less than a dozen ripening on my own trees. It aint easy but certainly fun. The flavor of locally grown papaya resembles that of unseasoned toilet paper. That is only as I imagine it. I have never, I assure you all, tried the paper with or without seasoning. 

Let me know how your own papaya turn out.

Dick Gross, Master Gardener Volunteer
University of Arizona Maricopa County 
cOOPERATIVE eXTENSION

cc:  AzCRFG; AZCRFG COMP. 
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Jjdg8 at aol.com 
  To: info at crfg.org 
  Sent: Thursday, February 28, 2008 2:05 PM
  Subject: Papaya Plants


  Hello, I would like to know how long it takes for a papaya tree to bear fruit?

  I was given a papaya plant about a year ago. I planted the small tree as I was instructed how to plant it.

  The tree is doing well about five feet in height many leaves and always plenty of blossoms, but no sign of any fruit at this time.

  I live in Port St Lucie FL where our climate is warm even in our winter season.

  I would appreciate you in put on when can I expect  the papaya tree to bear fruit.

  Thank You.

  John DiGregorio Jr
  jjdg8 at aol.com 





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