Growing Papaya

Growing Papaya
Plants grown from seeds will sprout in about two weeks and grow to flowering
maturity in just five to six months. Papaya plants grow in similar conditions
as bananas, requiring bright light, humidity, heat, and plenty of fertilizer and water.

Female and male flowers do not grow on the same tree, so you must have male and
female Soil requirements. Female flowers is bigger and closer to the branch than the
male flowers. Male flowers is very small. there are many flowers which grow on
long branches of the stem. only female trees give fruit but they need male flowers to
pollinate them. Leave 1 male tree for 10 female trees.

They can grow in most kinds of soil, but it must be well drained. The roots can get
diseases if the soil stays too wet. The flowers will drop if they do not get enough
water. Do not apply chicken manure on trees younger than 2 years as it can burn the
young papaya trees.

Field germination of papaya seeds can be greatly improved by soaking them before
planting in an aque ous solution of potassium nitrate (KNO3)

Apply fertilizer once every two weeks - Continue to apply at least until the plants
are about 12 inches (30 cm) tall. After the plant reaches this size, commercial
growers continue to fertilize papaya every two weeks with 1/4 lb. (0.1 kg)
complete fertilizer near but not touching the base of the plant.

This plant does not like shades. As a matter of fact, shades are a fatal factor to
papaya. The best spot for papaya is a sunny spot where it can receive a lot of
sunlight

Sunlight - Give this plant full sun for six to eight hours for the best growth, or
conditions as bright as you can provide. Rotate the plant from time to time to help
ensure the plant grows straight and true in the pot with no leaning. Papayas are a
great sunny patio plant for summer climates.

Temperature and Humidity - Papaya plants need quite warm conditions, up to 28

degrees Celsius.

Watering - These plants need a prodigious amount of water. As the plant grows,
expect to water it every three to four days. You want to water it thoroughly but
never let water stand on top of the soil.

Fertilizer - Feed your papaya plant abundantly. Papayas are very rapidly growing
plants that need nutrients to support that growth. Feed it every few weeks with a
balanced fertilizer.
Pruning and Maintenance - Papaya plants grown indoors grow so fast that they
may reach the ceiling in a matter of months. For this reason, they are often pruned
off at the top to keep them in check. Cut off the main stem to a couple of feet tall.
The plant will send up several new shoots from the base of the plant. When these
shoots are one to two feet tall, select the best one and trim off the others, including
the original central stem.

Potting Soil and Drainage - When grown indoors, use a loose, well-drained, very
rich potting mix. Rot problems may occur if the potting soil is too dense and
lacking in drainage.

Potting and Repotting Papaya - Papaya plants grown from seeds should be repotted
only once: from the seed-starting container into a larger permanent container.

How do you grow papaya from seed? - To prepare the seeds, scoop them from
papaya, spread them out on a single sheet of paper towel, and leave them out to dry
for a week. At the end of the week, roll the seeds around to remove the dried seed-
covering husks, then store them in a cool, dry place.

• Wash the seeds from a ripe papaya.

• Squeeze the seeds from the jelly bag that covers each seed. The seeds will only
grow if you remove the bag.
• Dry them in a shady place.
• Store in a tightly closed container and keep them until December.
• Plant the seeds in December. Put 5 seeds to a hole. Do not put any compost or
manure into the holes.
• Keep the small plants moist

best way to germinate papaya seeds is to remove the arils surrounding the seeds, rinse
them under warm water to remove the juice from the arils and soak them overnight in
warm water. Discard any seeds that are floating after the soak.

For seeds, before planting, you should wash them well and soak them in a tray full of
water for at least four days. You should change the water twice a day

Soak the papaya seeds in the potassium nitrate solution for about 30 minutes. If you
have trouble finding potassium nitrate, soak the seeds in hot water at 50-70 degree
Celsius for 15 seconds or 3-4 hours; then soak them in distilled water at room
temperature for 24 hours to increase the germination rate.

To sprout papaya seeds, place them in seed-starting soil and keep moist and warm
(28 celsius). Seeds sprout quickly, and the plants will begin rapid growth. When
the seedlings are a few inches tall, transplant into larger containers to grow as
houseplants.
Drainage is also essential for papaya to grow. You should use a sandy soil rather
than clay soil. The latter slows water movement leading to rot root.
root Sandy soil
drains better. However, don’t choose too sandy soil as it is not effective in water
retention.
Growing papayas
1.Take the seeds from the bottom half of the
papaya
2.Remove those seeds that float in water
which is no good
3. Cut the main roots

Growing my seeds, remove the seeds jelly

using paper
Papaya tree cannot be soak in water, the root
will rot in few hours
Prune the lower leaves often so that top will
have more nutrient and growing from top
Female tree flower will shorter from the
trunk
Cut off fungus leave or yellow leaf
The fruit of papayas is high in vitamin C. You can also pick the fruit when it is green
and cook it like a marrow.

Female and male flowers do not grow on the same tree, so you must have male and
female trees in the garden.

Climate
• Papayas grow best in hot areas.
• They can tolerate mild frost if they are protected from cold winds.

Soil requirements
 • They can grow in most kinds of soil, but it must be well drained.
• The roots can get diseases if the soil stays too wet.
• Loamy soils are best.

Planting date
Papayas can be planted at any time of the year, but preferably in late summer.

Spacing
Plant papayas 1,5 metres between plants and
3 to 4 metres between rows.

Growing papayas from seeds

It is easy to grow the ordinary papaya tree from seed.

• Wash the seeds from a ripe papaya.

• Squeeze the seeds from the jelly bag that covers each seed. The seeds will only
grow if you remove the bag.
• Dry them in a shady place.
• Store in a tightly closed container and keep them until December.
• Plant the seeds in December. Put 5 seeds to a hole. Do not put any compost or
manure into the holes.
• Keep the small plants moist.
• You can only tell which trees are female and which are male when the trees
start to flower. Therefore, you should always have more than one tree per hole,
because then you can select the female trees.

Female flowers

• bigger
• closer to the branch than the male flowers
Male flowers

• very small
• there are many flowers which grow on long branches of the stem.
• only female trees give fruit but they need male flowers to pollinate them. Leave
1 male tree for 10 female trees.

Planting
• Dig a hole about twice the size of the bag in which the young tree is growing.
• Remove the soil from the hole and add some compost and manure. Mix this
with some of the soil that has been dug out.
• Take the plant out of the container. If it is a plastic container you just cut it
open at the side.
• Do not disturb the roots.
• Place the tree in the centre of the hole. When you fill up the hole hold the tree
so that its base is level with the surrounding ground.

• Raise the soil around the tree to dam the water (rain or irrigation).
• Do not plant the tree deeper than it was in the container.
• Do not cover the stem with soil because it will rot.

Water
• Papayas need little water.
• They will, however, give more and bigger fruit if they are watered every 2
weeks in the dry season. The flowers will drop if they do not get enough water.
• If they are planted in clay soils, make sure that the soil does not stay too wet.
• To avoid waterlogging in clay soil, make a ridge and plant the papayas on the
ridge.

Fertilisation
Compost or manure

Give the tree:

• 1 bucketful in September,
• 1 bucketful in November
 • another bucketful in January.
• Sprinkle a few handfuls of manure evenly around the tree each month from
September to the end of March.

NB: Do not apply chicken manure on trees younger than 2 years as it can burn the
young papaya trees.

Artificial fertiliser

• Give the trees 4 tablespoonfuls (115 g) of 2:3:2 in September, November and

January.
• Sprinkle evenly around the tree, not against the stem.
• Keep the trees mulched all the time (use grass, leaves, etc).
• Do not grow other plants next to the trunk because it is quite soft. If the trunk is
damaged the papaya tree can get diseases.
• If the fruit shows humps the tree may be short of boron. Sprinkle 2
tablespoonfuls of borax around the tree.

Pruning and thinning

You can cut the tree (remove top) so that it does not grow too tall. This encourages
branching. Cut into winter wood, where leaf scars are close together. Paint the cut
with a sealant.

Harvesting
• You can pick the fruit when the skin starts to become yellow.
• The fruit will ripen after you have picked it.
• Handle it carefully because it gets bruised easily.

Diseases
Papaya trees easily get black leafspot. Your nearest extension officer or cooperative
will be able to tell you how to treat this disease.