Seedling Papayas bloom.

This spring, I planted some papaya seeds that a friend gave me last year. I think it was very late May or (more likely) early June. I know I waited late to plant them because I wanted to start them when it was pretty warm. I also planted some Tithonia seeds (which never showed). But the ones I thought were the Tithonia turned out to be the papaya and I was thinking the papayas never showed. You got all that, right? ;-)))

Anywho, I had read that papaya can bloom in as little as 11 months, but here we are only *four* months later: bud set!!!

I know I won't be seeing any fruit and all the 3 dozen plants I have will perish this winter, save the one potted up, but here are the remarkably early papaya buds--

A few of the my papaya plants in ordinary soil.

Most of the plants are four feet tall.

Robert.

Good for you Robert! That is exciting! I wonder if there is anyway that you can start them in the late winter with a heating pad for bottom heat so that you can get a jumpstart next season and be feasting on papayas this time next year??? lol

I wish....

I could supply the bottom heat but am afraid about the very low light level it would receive. I have a space near a window at ordinary home temps that may suffice.

I did pot up a nice large one [yes, papayas resent it] and it isn't budded, so maybe it will flower early and I'll have the whole season to mature a fruit.

About how they show their dislike of transplanting:

It began to wilt immediately and even lost turgor in the trunk. The wilted leaves never plumped back up. They yellowed and dropped. The few small green ones at the very top stayed green.

Eventually I noticed the tip, which was leaning over from the weight of the leaves in its wilted state, began to straighten up. Yippee! It perked back up and I moved it from the shade and it is now in full sun as it was before.

They're cold sensitive and when the temps get in the mid-60sF at night, I'll be taking it in (and out, and in and out, etc.)

Robert.

I like those leaves.. Wow 65 minimun night temps, that's a lot of moving in and out. How big is the pot, Robert?

AuntB~

I'd rather err on the safe side with 65F.

The pot isn't all that big: 12" across and 10" deep. The root mass was small for the size of the plant. I didn't want to overpot it before winter--it was late in the season when I potted it up.

If taking this one pot in and out gets you going, you should see me in spring carting 50 pots *every day* for weeks when days are warm but nights too cool for comfort. They call it being plant crazy. But people that already know me leave off the plant part most times! ;-)))))

Robert.

Robert, there must be someway to construct a temporary shelter ( out of PVC) that you can keep covered with plastic, and inside the sheltor a bar across it that you can drape a heavy blanket that would be easy to put on and remove each morning, with the plants under it. The bar would prevent the weight of the blanket from being on the plants, but would be close enough to the tops of the plants to keep the warmth in.

I put begonias outside in late March, and when it is going to frost, I cover them with big frost blankets and then heavy weed block and I have had snow on them, and they are fine.

Oh, I know what carrying in and out is about.... brugs in 25gal tubs, tropical hibiscus, passiflora,,.... do it every spring and fall if the brugs are blooming.....not really carry, more like drag.... I even bring small brugs (under 8ft) into the dining room during summer storms. I wondered how big the pot was, cause it didn't like being disturbed... so will you pot it up bigger next spring or in the ground? I totally relate to what people call you... they just don't understand. :)

tigerlily~

Do you mean putting a shelter over the ones in the ground? I know I could construct such a cover with help. I wonder if that would keep them warm enough without additional heat?
I'll search for their cold tolerance..........

There's a woman in the are that puts up a shelter around her Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia) that is planted in the ground and she heats it with a light bulb. She's from Florida and had to have one in the ground as she did at home.

I should just grab my PVC pipe greenhouse plans and get a cold house put up..........it might not be terribly expensive to keep one say 45-50 degrees at night for mostly late Dec.-Jan.

I really would like to have them survive the winter. Some of the stems are 2" across at ground level and they're just so healthy......I knew this moment would come, but I started them all anyway. Was that cruel?

AuntB~

Whew! You have me beat by a country mile as far as pot toting goes! I did much better this year than some years: I didn't flat-out tired of doing it and just say forget it! and leave them out a bit too early and have frost damage come happen.

What's your zone rating?

The good thing about Brugs is they don't mind it a little cool. I have some tropical plants to worry with and after the warm indoors in winter, too much cool in the spring and some of them just go into shock and are loathe to pick back up. So, I love 'em and carry them to and fro ad infinitum. They repay me by continuous growth so it works out well.

Yes, I plan to pot it up next season as big as it need to get. I might have to put it in the ground though, as they grow so darn fast! Anyway, these were SO easy from seed that I wouldn't mind starting more.

You must dearly love those Brug to bring them in from storms. Yes, you are certifiable, too! I like that in a person!

Robert.

Ok, the papya is more cold tolerant than I thought, so I ain't schlepping it til I have to!

Frost damage occurs easily but nothing was noted about it swooning from being on the cold side alone. So letting it cool off from the hot summer might be good in keeping it from stretching under the bad indoor light I have. We'll see how it goes.

Bad news dept: Saving one plant may not be good for fruiting. Why? The male and female flowers may be on seperate plants. Depends on the cultivar it seems.

Better than bad news dept: Both male and female flowers may be on the same plant at different places (like gourds) or sometimes the flowers are bisexual, containing both sex-parts. Haven't the slightest clue about my plants, but Ill know later when (if) the other plants bloom.They're not in any rush it seems.

Robert.

Robert, you had said that you bring in and out "everyday" 50 pots . I don't know what plants they are, but those are the ones that I was talking about protecting with a coldframe-with a blanket covering them in the coldframe for extra warmth.

I don't know that you could protect the papayas all winter long w/out a real grhouse-but maybe-not sure of your winters, but I know that you get some really cold nights....

I am also talking about when doing this in the spring-when the night temps start to rise some. Are you saying that you bring 50 pots in and out throughout the entire winter? Or just starting in the early spring?

Got it!

In the spring is when I cart 'em back and forth and that would be the perfect time to have that temporary cover!

Most of the plants this spring were Hippis, Zants, and a few Crinums, plus a mix of other tropicals (house plants)--an orchid, some Aloes, Alocasias and Colocasias, an Argyreia vine, you know-this 'n' that.

I have a long SE-ish facing slate-floored porch that I have thought of covering in one corner as a cold "house" for winter. It would prolly work in the spring too. I could have one side of it covered with a big flap door to open it easily to vent in the day. The brick and slate would radiate the heat well.

There is one problem: convincing the "head of house" (not a plant person) to let me do it!

Hmm. Time to really think this over...........thanks for the 'bee'.

Robert.

Robert, I was glad to see in your pictures that u also have some yellow leaves on your papaya. I was so worried that I was being neglectful or somthing with my plants. Mine are potted so I can still drag it into the green house if in San Antonio it ever gets cold (jk).

There are many more now (tee-hee). It seems to be a natural reaction to drying out a little too much, the older, more stressed foliage being dropped as a result.

In many of the photos I have seen of them, the lower stem is usually bare, so I think it just happens anyway.

Please tell me that you have seen a site where someone has pulled plants from the ground and stoted them in a cool frost-free place, such as a garage or basement, much the same as keeping bananas over..........

Some of them are five feet tall and prettier than those pictured above and I so hate to lose them......{Boo-Hoo!!!!!}

Robert.

Cool!
Were you surprised at how many successfully grew! I sure was- was giving trees away left and right to pleased friends.
I read about Papaya trees, and well...the information seemed confusing, and my trees were doing all different things. I read about - male, female so planted them in pairs and 3's. They all bloomed, all bore fruit? I bought the original in the grocery store- so mabe something from Costa Rica? I just love the look of them though. Mine over winter fairly well- I see you have discovered the "transplant" quota- I wrote some of my experiences down for overwintering that may be helpful- It was a long road of trial and error- but alas I am on the 7th generation of trees from that one papaya 7 years ago! I grow a batch to over winter in case the winter is cold. Like you say- they grow and bloom fast.

Here is the link http://davesgarden.com/journal/ed/index.php?tabid=1993

Beautiful papaya there, rjudd! Wowsers!

Since it's been cooler in September, my plants have been growing a lot. One has opened two blooms.

Here's a picture of the one with opened buds. Nearly 6 feet tall now.

OOOPs. Try that again!

The flower has both male and female parts, AFAIK. There are the stamens surrounding a central cucumber-shaped fruit. The female part doesn't show in this pic (which is blurry too.) :-(

My potted plant, about 5 feet tall including the pot. A bit paler than those in the ground.

Robert.

Very nice- I find it pretty lucky that my first round with the papayas are self producing! The fruit tastes sooo good and sweet. It is interesting, but so far- the fruit does not mature until the spring time. I thought mabe because of the warm winter last year it might change, but looks like fresh papaya in the early spring again. The only worry is that the local critters are beginning to develop a taste for them.

My trees go on the growth spurts too. I notice when the sun shifts position, some of the trees grow a foot or two. I was amazed the other day at how HUGE the leaves had gotten.

I brought back some seeds from Kauai this last spring, and have a couple of them growing. Those trees are very thick and tall.

I have some trees in the front garden roadside strip that didn't grow very much. I am going to experiment with them and try pulling them out carefully.

Looks like you should have some small fruit developing any day !

Rj

Rj~

Please stop with the juicy and sweet! Makes me wish I was in zone9 too!

I think it's much more likely that I'll be bidding farewell to them soon rather than seeing fruits come. Temps are going down into the hi 40sF this weekend, in fact it's pretty chilly now. That'll surely slow everything to a crawl and then later, the frosts will be biting

It is so cool to have your own papaya trees to pick from. Now that's FRESH!

Most of my plants have purple-wine spots on the trunk. Adds a lot of interest. Don't know if all paps have this or certain ones like I have.

Enviously,

Robert.

That is interesting- if yours does fruit- mabe we can swap seeds. well....you can have some of my seeds. As you can see there will be no shortage soon. 40's ...thats cool. You will be surprised how much the Papayas can stand. I'm lucky in my neighborhood as it is an old pecan grove and with the other trees too, we have a good canopy that saves us a few degrees..

okay...got to examine the wine spot. wonder how tall they get? I know there is a variety here that only gets about 5 feet tall.

Rj

Well, I'm in 7b and any left outside will surely be killed by the cold. Maybe by next winter I'll have some sort of a greenhouse to carry them over warm-ishy.

The potted one hasn't yet budded any. I would rather it didn't grow anymore this year so I can give it a good strong start in the spring. I haven't been feeding it--hence the pale color. I have very limited window space and it will be lucky to see any direct sun at all. O well.

This is the first year I've grown papayas so I have no idea which one this is nor how tall it might get.

Next year. I'll start them in small pots individually so I can just pop them into the ground. They stalled a little when I transplanted them to the seedflat but just went on easily when I took them from the flat to the ground.

You can see just a little of the purple markings in the 3:54 picture, but I'll get some better shots tomorrow.

Robert.

Spots before your eyes.

Closer.

Further up the stem, the markings are mere dots.

Robert.

wow, never seen that one before!

I started growing papayas every year like annuals-- so if it does freeze, can pop the new ones in the ground in spring, if not, you have a lot of lovely gifts to give friends..
What do you feed your Papaya's? The variety I have is very picky about that.
Randy

Maybe I'll be able to use the markings to ID it.

I only fed them once this season with some granulated triple 17. They seem to like it. :-)

Robert.

I posted about this in the Carolina Gardening forum, but here is the same plant right now almost a year later. It's over 6 feet tall now.

I'm hoping the fruits will ripen........crossing my fingers...........

Good job! That fruit is ripening right now..see it turning yellow! The trunks look very cool...
I hope we can exchange seeds! That would be cool to try and cross pollinate these.

Rj

Is the fruit turning yellow? I thought so at first, but then I looked closer and I think it is the sun hitting it on the bottom lefthand side. I hope that I am wrong and that it is turning yellow

Really? all of mine begin their ripening by turning a light yellow...

Yes, thats how they ripen-I am just saying that I am not sure if Raydios are actually turning yellow yet-or whether the sun hitting the papaya in the picture just makes it look yellow. That it might still be green

ooooh...okay....Did you see the trunk picutures..they're very interesting looking. I suppose his are all blooming too.

The fruits are still green and not yet yellowing, darn it. Just looks like that in the pic.

R.

My trunks aren't doing that purpley thing, and though I had a few blooms, mine have not started to form fruit. I have the dwarf variety-hoping that it would fruit in a container-but not this summer! I have one in the ground as well, and interestingly, they are both the same size.

I have one with open blooms right now in the GH, 'TR Hovey.' Unfortunately the blooms appear to be all male. I read something about "beheading" the plant to get the flowers to switch. Anybody tried it?

Tiger~

This year, mine didn't do the purpley thing for some reason. None of this year's growth is spotted. All the markings from before pretty much faded away. Go figure......