Papaya plants are a natural for almost any garden. They are prolific and nutritious as well. Probably no other plant supplies the home gardener so much for so little effort. This tropical American, herbaceous, treelike plant will grow and produce
Papaya plants are a natural for almost any garden. They are prolific and nutritious as well. Probably no other plant supplies the home gardener so much for so little effort. This tropical American, herbaceous, treelike plant will grow and produce fruit year-round with minimal care.
Green, unripe papayas are high in papain that helps digestion. The leaves are also high in papain and used in cooking. Ripe fruits are high in calcium and vitamins A and C.
Start out right with good plants, proper attention to fertilizer and moisture needs, and keep insects under control. You’ll harvest some very good fruit that will repay you for your trouble.
There are several varieties, from the big watermelon fruit to the small Solo types. Most folks prefer the hermaphrodite or Solo strain of papaya. This type produces a high percentage of top-quality fruit. Seeds from the large watermelon types produce male, female and hermaphrodite trees. Most of the male trees must be eliminated as soon as they are detected. They are identified by means of their bloom stems. These are sometimes more than a foot in length and have many flowers, but no fruit. Female blooms are produced close to the stem but have no pollen-bearing stamen and pollination is required for fruit development. Hermaphrodite flowers have both ovary and stamen, therefore they can self-pollinate.
Occasionally, garden shops and nurseries offer Solo papaya plants for sale, and the gardener who needs a few plants will do well to buy his plants rather than attempt to grow them from seed. For larger numbers of plants, you may grow seed from selected fruit. Seed order forms are available from the University of Hawaii Cooperative Extension Service.
The papaya is a relatively short-lived plant, reaching a height of 12, 15, or even 25 feet in five years. A top-quality plant should produce more than 150 pounds in a two-year period, but commercial growers often harvest up to 300 pounds from a plant during that same time period. After that, the plant becomes so tall it is difficult to pick fruit and production drops rapidly.
Here are some tips for successful papaya production.
Select seeds from a fruit that you like or purchase UH seed. Plant three or four seeds in individual containers, preferably those from which the plants and soil can be removed without injury to roots. Paper potting cups are okay for planting, as long as they have good drainage. When seeds begin to sprout, fertilize with a soluble fertilizer once a week, mixing according to the manufacturer’s direction. It takes six to eight weeks to raise plants large enough to set out in permanent locations.
Set plants in permanent locations at least 8 feet apart. The area should receive as much sun as possible. Put about three plants to a hill, 1 foot apart in the hill. Keep them there until you determine the sex, selecting the strongest hermaphrodite plant. If the soil in which you are to set young papaya plants is poor, prepare it two weeks ahead of planting by spreading complete garden fertilizer such as 8-8-8, 16-16-16, or 10-30-10 over a 4-square-foot area about the site of each hill and dig the fertilizer into the soil. Wet it down so that the fertilizer will dissolve and mix well with the soil. Fertilize newly set out plants once a week with soluble fertilizer for the first month. Then begin fertilizing with a regular dry garden fertilizer, applying once a month as the papaya requires good nutrient levels for best production. Apply fertilizer to the area outline by the leaf canopy.
A papaya plant won’t thrive in soil that is very dry. Young plants must be kept well-watered until they are established, then watered every four or five days during the dry season or as needed. Mulching helps to conserve moisture. In wetter areas of the island, irrigation will only be necessary during prolonged drought periods.
Pests can give papaya growers trouble. The worst pests are nematodes, aphids, mites and fruit flies. There has been no topical insecticide that will give satisfactory control of the fruit fly in dooryard plantings. The Easy as 1-2-3, Fruit Fly Suppression in Hawaii Program can greatly reduce the number of fruit flies in your garden. For information go to fruitfly.hawaii.edu.
Mites, almost microscopic spider-like creatures, sometimes cause visual damage. This does not usually affect the taste of the fruit.
Nematodes, microscopic worms that feed on papaya roots, are also a problem. Good fertilization practices and mulching will minimize nematode damage.
Occasional diseases may cause fruit blemish. Fungicides applied according to manufacturer’s directions usually clear up this problem.
Let me say first that I apologize, if by discussing this subject, I offend anyone. It is not my intention. But the issue of genetically modified plants or animals is very complex as is any new technology. Actually, the GMO issue is just a new twist on what humans have been doing for centuries.
By hybridizing, creating and selecting advantageous mutations, we have created thousands of varieties of orchids, citrus, bananas and many other plants. Because it is a great leap of this technology, we tend to be wary and that is good. For example, electrical power can be used to make our lives better or it can kill. Even the discovery of nuclear power and its use or misuse can be argued. Probably the first human to create a fire was considered a witch. That is not to say that we should rush head-on into new technologies without recognizing that they may have serious downsides. On the other extreme, do we want to simply reject advances in science and medicine? I think a healthy and respectful dialogue is important as we explore any new technology. To totally ban all GMOs to be grown or sold at this time would be throwing out the baby with the bath water. Farmers need to have the opportunity to choose if they want to grow their crops organically, or with safe use of pesticides, or GMO-free, as long as consumers know what we are buying.
Let’s take a look at just one example. Papayas have been valuable food and medicinal plant throughout the tropical world. In the early 1950s, a devastating disease called papaya ring spot mosaic wiped out the papaya industry in Florida and many areas of tropical America including the Caribbean. Later, the disease hit Hawaii. Luckily, some scientists were working on the problem and were able to develop a genetically modified papaya that was resistant to the mosaic virus. Today we can grow papaya plants in regions that were previously virus infested thanks to those efforts.
There are many examples of new technologies being misused. Taken to the extreme, genetically modified organisms could be used to create neon cats that glow in the dark, or the technology could give humans protection from the Ebola virus that is causing havoc in Africa. The experimental vaccine now being tested is possible because of this technology.
Frankly, I am not the expert here, so to get a better handle on the subject, you may contact Russell Nagata, Hawaii County administrator for the University of Hawaii at Manoa, College of Agriculture and Human Resources at 981-5199.
So let’s just focus on growing healthy, virus-free papayas in our gardens!
