How To Grow Papaya From Seeds Step By Step Guid

Papayas are tropical fruits that have a elongated melon shape,yellow skin, orange flesh and black seeds inside. Papayas are considered as evergreen tree like-herb though it's a palm like trunk. Papayas are beneficial as it fights against heart diseases, reduces inflammation, aids in digestion, and boosts immune systems.

 Papaya originates from Southern Mexico and Central America. But it is now grow in every tropical and subtropical countries in the world. They are two main types of papaya; Hawaiian and Mexican.

 Hawaiian varieties are the papayas that are commonly found in supermarkets. It has a pear shape and weigh 1 pound and have a yellow skin when they are ripe. Hawaiian papaya plants seldom grow taller than 8 feet and easier to harvest. 

 Mexican papayas are bigger than Hawaiian papayas and weigh 10 pounds . The flavor is less intense than that of Hawaiian. The flesh of Mexican papayas may be yellow, pink or orange when they are ripe. They grow faster than Hawaiian. 

How To Grow Papayas Tree From Seeds 

The question to ask yourself when thinking of growing papayas are where do papaya plants grow, and the soil type that it needs to grow well? Papayas needs a frost free climate with a lot of sunlight of about 6-8 hours per day. Papayas are grown in tropical and subtropical conditions.

 They do not tolerate freezing temperatures. when the temperature drops below 32 degrees, it kills the plant. The soil that is suitable for papaya growth is well drained soil that is rich and fertile in organic matters. 

Sun

Since papayas don’t particularly like being transplanted, papaya seed planting should be done directly in the area where you want them to grow.

 Full sun is best for these plants, so place them in a south-facing area where they can get at least 6-8 hours of direct light. Papaya seeds can be planted any time of the year in favorable, frost-free climates so long as the soil is rich. 

 Preparing Seeds 

To grow papayas, start by choosing a fully ripe papaya cut it into two and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. The seeds of a papaya are covered in a clean jelly-like substance that hinders seeds germination. As the coats keeps seeds from germinating, remove the seeds coat. 

To remove the substance, put the seeds in a container and fill the container with water and keep it over night. Remove the seeds and gently rub them and then rinse to remove the coats.

 Put the seeds on a paper towel and dry them but if you want to plant the seeds right away, then there's no need to dry them. Dry the seeds for a week or two and when they are dry, put it in a plastic bag and seal it until when you are ready to plant. 

 If you want your papaya seeds to germinate fast, soak them in potassium nitrate and water for about 5 hours before planting. Since papaya plants do not support transplanting, it's better to plant the seeds where you want them to grow. 

 How To Plant Seeds 

To plant fresh or dried seeds of papaya, dig a hole of about 18 inches wide. Fill the holes or pots that you want to plant your papaya with soil that is mixed with organic matters, plant the seeds 3 inches depth. 

Water them regularly to keep the soil moist.Note that not all the seeds will germinate so, plant as many seeds as possible. 

Planting Seedlings 

  If you plant your seeds in a pots, transplant them when they grow tall  to about 3-4 inches and develop leaves. Take away the seedlings that are weak and plant the ones that are stronger.

 Give space for the papaya plants to grow well. When transplanting, be careful with the roots . Make sure you plant them in the same depth that they were in their original pots.

How To Care For Papaya Plants 

1. Watering. Water the plants regularly to keep the soil moist but not waterlogged. Fluctuations in water can reduce fruit production. So, keep your schedule consistent. Use watering can to water slowly and steadily. There's no need to water if there's rain. 

2. Fertilizing. Fertilize papaya plants throughout the growing season with balance fertilizers. Use fertilizer that are high in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Phosphorus robust roots and blossoms, nitrogen foster lush leaves and potassium is for the well being of the papaya.

3. Pruning. Prune your plants before they bloom kickstarts their growth spurt. Remove dead or diseased wood, remove crowded branches. Pruning enables air circulation and penetration of light to the fruit.

All these increases fruit quality and prevent disease. Pruning and maintaining papaya plants increases productivity.

Diseases Affecting Plants 

1. Brown spots. This disease is caused by fungus corynespora cassiicola. The symptoms of brown spots are, light brown circles on leaves, small dark sunken lesions that develop on fruits, long elliptical lesions on leaves. 

This disease reduces fruit yield and makes the affected fruits less desirable. To combat this disease spray the plants with fungicides.  

2. Black spot.It's caused by fungus asperisporium caricae. The symptoms are; small circular water-soaked spots on the leaves. Black spores develop on lesions on the outside of the leaves.

 Lesion on fruit as black spot and later develops. The infected leaves become necrotic brittle and later die. To control this disease, remove leaves that are affected and spray the trees with fungicide. 

3. Anthracnose. It's caused by colletotrichum gloesporioides . This disease manifests itself when the fruits and still in the garden and in storage conditions . The symptoms are in the form of brown black spot on the fruits.

 The symptoms starts as small, water-soaked spots on ripening fruits. As the spots develops. The fruits become brown or black. The infected spots expand to 5cm . This disease makes the fruits to be soft and lose its flavor and taste. To control this disease, it's important to spray the plants as it begins to produce fruits. 

Harvesting 

Papayas takes up to 12 months from seed to grow and produces fruits. But if the growing conditions are good and the plants are well taking care of, then they might take less than 12 months to mature.

 The color of papayas is a great indicator of its maturity. When papayas are mature and ready to be harvested, the color changes from green to yellow. If your plants are not that too tall, you can stand on the ground and harvest the papayas with your hands. 

But if your plants are tall that you can't reach the fruits, use a ladder. The mature and ripe papayas are easily harvested either by turning it upwards or by twisting it. A knife or pruners can also be used to harvest papayas but be careful to avoid injuring them. 

Storage 

 Fully ripe papayas should be kept in the fridge to slow down the ripening process. Store the ones that are not well ripe at room temperature until it ripens.

 To fasten the ripening process of papayas, put them in a plastic bag and place an apple and a banana in the bag for the papayas to capture the ethylene gas from the banana and apply. 

How Long Do Papayas Live

Papayas can live up to 25 years, with an average lifespan of around 20 years or so. Due to its lack of proper woody growth, fruit production typically will decline as the tree ages. If yield is the goal, it is recommended to replant papaya trees every three years for optimal fruit production.

Conclusion  

Conclusively, to successfully grow papayas with good flavor and taste, it's important for you to choose the right variety, climate, and soil that would give you the tasty and juicy papayas you want.

 It's also important to take good care of the plants, by watering regularly, fertilizing them with balance fertilizers, pruning and maintaining the plants. Moreover, identify the diseases affecting papaya plants and fruits, and look for solutions to these diseases.

 If these tips are followed effectively, then your plants would yield the sweet and flavorful taste you want.