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How to Grow Papayas
How to Grow Papayas. Wouldn't it be nice to walk out to your back yard and pick a juicy, delicious papaya? You can if you decide to grow your own. If you have a little patience and the right type of soil plant some seeds and watch them grow. In about one year(this is where the patience comes in) you will have your own tasty papayas to snack on...
Wouldn't it be nice to walk out to your back yard and pick a juicy, delicious papaya? You can if you decide to grow your own. If you have a little patience and the right type of soil plant some seeds and watch them grow. In about one year(this is where the patience comes in) you will have your own tasty papayas to snack on whenever you like.
Things You'll Need
Papaya seeds
Gather the seeds from a ripe papaya and wash them thoroughly. There is a jelly bag that covers each seed that must be removed completely in order for the seeds to grow.
Dry the seeds in a cool place. Store them in a tightly closed container until December. This is the best month to plant them.
Plant five seeds to a hole with no compost or manure. Make sure they are planted in loamy soil in a well drained area. Fertilizing the seeds this early will kill the seedlings. Be sure to keep the plants moist as they grow.
Separate the male plants from the female plants. The male papaya plant bears no fruit. Determining the male papaya from the female can only be done when the plants begin to flower after several weeks. Female flowers are larger and grow closer to the branch than male flowers. If you are growing multiple plants save a few males for pollination, if not, discard them.
Fertilize the growing plant with a bucket of compost or manure every other month. Do not apply chicken manure to trees younger than two years. It will burn young papaya trees.
Prune the plants as they grow so they do not become too tall. This also encourages branching. In about one year they will be mature enough to begin bearing fruit.
Tips & Warnings
Papaya trees grow best in hot weather with a lot of sunlight. When you plant the seeds be sure to place them in an area free of shade.
Papayas are a short lived plant and the younger ones produce more fruit, so keep a succession of plants to ensure a steady crop.
Papaya plants need to planted in a well drained area. They are very susceptible to rotting if they are over watered.
Papaya plants are extremely sensitive to frost. Grow them in an area where they will be well protected or reconsider raising them if you cannot do so.
