GROWING PAPAYA

Papayas are adapted to practically any well drained soil. The plant is shallow rooted and will not tolerate excessive wetness or standing water. Raised beds can partly overcome drainage problems.

Although papayas thrive best in full sun, some concession can be made to protection from wind or cold weather. Close to the south or southeast side of the house is the warmest location in most residential sites. Some wind protection provided by other plantings or structures is helpful.

Varieties

Papayas are generally grown from seed so there are few true varieties. The Hawaiian Solo, Blue Solo and more recent types are fairly uniform and are closest to varietal status. Consequently, most papayas are types rather than varieties, so fruiting characteristics are better considered in groups.

Papaya is polygamous, with three primary sex types: female, male and bisexual. There are some cases where plants produce more than one kind of flower at the same time. Bisexuals are usually preferred for home plantings, but most types available in Texas are male or female. Because sex determination prior to flowering is practically impossible, two to four seedling plants are grown together until flowering to assure females for fruit production and males for pollination.

Fruit types range from small to medium round and medium to large oblong. Flesh color is mostly yellow, although there are some orange to red types.

Female flowers are borne along the trunk and can be identified by that location and the presence of a miniature papaya fruit inside the base of the flower petals. Male flowers are borne in long sprays that originate along the trunk. Each spray is much-branched with inch-long, trumpet-shaped, male flowers. Bisexual types are practically identical to the females, but have male stamens surrounding the miniature fruit inside the flower petals.

Propagation and Planting Germination is accomplished in approximately two weeks under full sunlight. The plants can be set out as soon as they are large enough (about 1 foot tall) to survive with minimal care. The pots of plants should be spaced 8 to 10 feet apart. Papaya seedlings should begin flowering in five to six months, at which time they can be thinned to a single female or bisexual plant at each site. In the absence of bisexual plants, one male plant is needed for every eight to ten females.

Cuttings may be rooted to preserve a particularly desirable selection. However, branching must be induced by girdling or decapitation in order to provide the suckers for rooting.

Seed can be obtained from papaya fruit purchased at the local supermarket. If the fruit is from Hawaii, the chances are good that the resulting seedlings will be mostly bisexual. For nursery production of papaya seedlings with a high percentage of female or bisexual flowers, controlled pollination between desirable parents is essential.

Pollination

Pollination is accomplished by covering an unopened flower (female or bisexual) with a small paper bag until it opens, then transferring pollen from a bisexual (or male) flower onto the protected stigma, and re-covering the pollinated flower for several days. The resultant fruit should be marked so that its seed can be collected at maturity.

In colder areas where overwinter survival is questionable, seedlings can be developed in late fall and carried through the winter in greenhouses. After frost danger passes in spring, these seedlings can be planted outdoors to provide fruit until the next killing frost.

Culture

Weed and grass control within 3 to 4 feet of the papaya is essential for optimum growth and fruiting. Cultivation for weed control should be quite shallow, as the papaya's roots are concentrated near the soil surface. The use of organic mulches is highly recommended. Fertilizer at the rate of one-quarter pound of ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) per plant should be applied monthly after planting, increasing to one half pound six months after establishment.

Irrigation should be applied to thoroughly wet the soil periodically as needed through the year. Avoid standing water following irrigation. A fluctuating irrigation regime may retard growth and cause poor fruit set.

Because papayas rapidly reach 10 to 15 feet or more, cold protection of the top is difficult. Protection of the lower portion of the trunk may permit the plant to regrow from sprouts in the event of freeze damage.