Description for Imported Hybrid Papaya, Papita
Papayas (Carica papaya) grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 through 11. However, they can also be planted in USDA zones 8 through 10 in large pots that can be brought indoors so that cold weather doesn’t kill them. Although papayas look like trees, they are actually perennial herbs with hollow trunks. These branchless plants grow to 20 to 30 feet tall with 1-foot-long to 3 1/2-foot-long leaves growing directly from the trunk. Papayas are relatively fragile plants, with several common diseases, fungi and insects that can injure or kill them.
Common name | Flower colours | Bloom time | Height | Difficulty |
---|---|---|---|---|
Papaya | – | – | 1.5 to 29 feet | Easy to grow. |
Planting and care
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. …
Take the plant out of the container. …
Do not disturb the roots.
Place the tree in the centre of the hole.
Sunlight | Soil | Water | Temperature | Fertilizer |
---|---|---|---|---|
Full sun. | Well drained soil. | Medium | 20 to 35 degrees C | Use any organic fertilizer |
Caring for Papaya
- Fill a half wine barrel or other large container with a well-draining potting mix, such as a blend of equal parts sphagnum peat, compost and coarse sand.
- Fill the container to about 3 inches from the top of the container.Gather seeds from a mature papaya fruit to start the papaya tree.
- Press the seeds against a colander to break the gelatinous sarcotesta sac, and rinse the seeds thoroughly.
- Sow about 12 seeds spaced evenly in a 12-inch circle at the center of the container.
- Cover the seeds with 1/2 inch of soil.
- Water the seeds at planting, and fertilize with a complete fertilizer, such as 10-10-10, added to the water supply.
- Thin out the seedlings about six weeks after planting, leaving the six healthiest plants in each container.
- Look for plants with strong growth and thick stems.
- Cut off plants with weak, spindly growth at soil level to avoid disturbing the roots of the remaining plants.
- Determine the genders of the young flowering plants.
- Female flower buds are cone-shaped, with a wide base that tapers to a point at the tip of the bud.
- Water the papaya plants around the root zone as needed.
- Papayas need plenty of water to grow tasty fruit, but the plants do not tolerate wet feet.
- Apply a complete fertilizer every two months after planting, using a formula that contains nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, such as 10-10-10.
Typical uses of Papaya
Special features:
References
- http://www.stylecraze.com/articles/benefits-of-papaya-for-skin-and-hair/
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/papaya/growing-papaya-fruit.htm
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