How to grow papaya at home
Photo by C. Nelson Liu on Unsplash
Papaya is a tropical fruit tree that is native to Central America. It grows well in tropical and subtropical regions. Consuming papaya has a lot of health benefits such as improved digestion, eyesight and prevents cancer. The native papaya tree can grow up to 30 feet tall and the dwarf variety can grow up to 6 feet tall. You can grow papaya in your backyard or if you don’t have enough space you can grow papaya in containers. Some of the dwarf papaya varieties include Red Lady, Sunrise Solo, honeydew and Pusa delicious. Dwarf varieties can be grown in containers.
Growing Conditions for Papaya
Soil Conditions
Papaya grows best in well-draining sandy loam soil. Before planting your papaya sapling amend the soil with compost or aged manure.
Climatic Conditions
Papaya needs 6 to 8 hours of sunlight to grow well. It cannot stand frost or wet conditions. Make sure you plant it in a location that gets a lot of sunlight.
Fertilising
Once your papaya sapling is planted, you can fertilise your papayas with compost or liquid fertiliser once in 2 to 4 weeks.
How to grow papaya at home
You can grow papaya from seeds or you can buy a sapling from the local nursery.
Grow papaya from seeds
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Take a grow pot and fill it with a seed starting mix. Next, sow the seeds and cover them with half an inch of soil. Gently moisten it.
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Place it in a location that gets some sunlight. Your seeds will germinate within 2 to 4 weeks.
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Allow them to grow into a sapling before you transplant them. Only the female and bisexual papaya plants will produce fruits. Once your plant has grown a bit tall you can transplant it into the soil or to a container.
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If you are growing papaya in a container take a container that is 15 inches deep and 20 inches wide. Amend the soil with compost or aged manure and add it to the container. Place the container in a location that gets plenty of sunlight.
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If you are growing papaya directly in the soil, amend the soil with compost or aged manure before you transplant the sapling. You can add cocopeat or wood chips to retain moisture in the soil. You can also mulch the soil.
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If you are growing papaya in containers you can fertilise them with compost or liquid fertiliser once in 4 weeks.
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If you are growing papaya directly in the soil you can fertilise it three times a year, with compost or liquid fertiliser.
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You can also grow turmeric or ginger at the base of the plant. This can help to improve the flavour of your papayas and repel pests.
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Your papayas will start to produce fruits after 10 months from seeds. You can harvest the fruit when it starts to turn yellow.
Pests and Diseases in papayas
Some of the pests that attack papaya include mealy bugs, spider mites, aphids and whiteflies. Practising companion planting can help to get repel these pests. Some of the other ways to control these pests using neem oil or diatomaceous earth.