Any Papaya Growers here?

Cali-wanna-b · Post by **Cali-wanna-b** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 12:37 pm

Hi all,

Anyone here have any advice for growing papayas? I love the tropical look of these plants and think they would make a nice summer addition to my garden. Not to mention I love their taste!!!

thanks,
Craig

oppalm · Post by **oppalm** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 1:37 pm

give me the run down on how you grow a papaya. I germinted many seeds last winter but was not sure what to do with them and I just let them die. I thought it was more of a vine that grew up a fence or something. I like that tree.

Cali-wanna-b · Post by **Cali-wanna-b** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 2:09 pm

http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/papaya.html

Here's a link that has some good info.

It sounds to me like they grow alot like a banana. They can reach maturity in 18 months.

Kansas · Post by **Kansas** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 7:12 pm

Yep OP, I was the same way. I took a papaya and seeded it out and got about 1,000 seed sproats. Problem was I had no idea on what to do with all of them so they ended up dying

oppalm · Post by **oppalm** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 6:26 am

after I read this post yesterday I googled "papaya" and found plenty of info about growing them. I am off to the supermarket in the next couple of days to get a papaya and start my papaya farm. They look really cool and tall, way different than I thought. We'll see what happens. Thanks for Cali-wanna-b for reminding me of a great tropical tree to grow.

Laaz · Post by **Laaz** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 7:09 pm

You do not want store bought fruit for seed. Most every store bought fruit will produce male or female plants that require each other to produce fruit. There are a few varieties you can get that will produce a plant with both male & female flowers that will produce fruit on their own. Papaya is a true tropical, that will not take any frost.

Cali-wanna-b · Post by **Cali-wanna-b** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 5:07 pm

Laaz

Is there any way to identify the male and female plants after a few months or do you have to wait until flowering?

Laaz · Post by **Laaz** » Fri Aug 24, 2007 3:46 am

Hey Craig. No I know of no way to tell until they flower. Have a look here for some info http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/F_N-5.pdf

oppalm · Post by **oppalm** » Fri Aug 24, 2007 6:38 am

bought a papaya on the way home last night. I will seed it and plant this weekend. I for one don't think I can get it to set papayas in Kansas, I am just going to grow it for visual interest and hope that it is vsually interesting (if you know what I mean) . If I am lucky and can get 5-7 growinng maybe I have a chance (like 1 in a million) of getting something that will work.

THANKS for the links.

Laaz · Post by **Laaz** » Fri Aug 24, 2007 9:09 am

They will set fruit in KS, the trick is getting the fruit to ripen. There is a family here in town that grows then every year. They start the plants indoors in the winter & plant them out every spring. The have loads of fruit every year. Here is a link to some photos... http://citrus.forumup.org/viewtopic.php ... rum=citrus