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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=rkgross3@cox.net href="mailto:rkgross3@cox.net">Dick</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, February 28, 2008 5:30 PM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Re: Papaya Plants</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>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.</FONT><FONT size=2></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>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.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>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. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>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.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>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.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>In cold, damp soil, a papaya will develop rot
over</FONT><FONT size=2>night in the huge, carrot-like root and be flat on
the ground by sunup.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>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.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>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. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Let me know how your own papaya turn out.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Dick Gross, Master Gardener Volunteer</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>University of Arizona Maricopa County </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>cOOPERATIVE eXTENSION</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>cc: AzCRFG; AZCRFG COMP. </FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=Jjdg8@aol.com href="mailto:Jjdg8@aol.com">Jjdg8@aol.com</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=info@crfg.org
href="mailto:info@crfg.org">info@crfg.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, February 28, 2008 2:05
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Papaya Plants</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT id=role_document face=Arial color=#000000 size=3>
<DIV><STRONG>Hello, I would like to know how long it takes for a papaya tree
to bear fruit?</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>I was given a papaya plant about a year ago. I planted the small
tree as I was instructed how to plant it.</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>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.</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>I live in Port St Lucie FL where our climate is warm even in
our winter season.</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>I would appreciate you in put on when can I expect the
papaya tree to bear fruit.</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Thank You.</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>John DiGregorio Jr</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><A href="mailto:jjdg8@aol.com">jjdg8@aol.com</A>
</STRONG></DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR>
<DIV><FONT style="FONT: 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF; COLOR: black">
<HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">
Delicious ideas to please the pickiest eaters. <A
title=http://living.aol.com/video/how-to-please-your-picky-eater/rachel-campos-duffy/2050827?NCID=aolcmp00300000002598
href="http://living.aol.com/video/how-to-please-your-picky-eater/rachel-campos-duffy/2050827?NCID=aolcmp00300000002598"
target=_blank>Watch the video on AOL
Living.</A></FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>