Papaya Plant Care
To successfully grow Papayas, you need a frost-free climate, lots of sunlight, lots of water and good soil. If you give your plant all these conditions, then you can grow a papaya.
Growing Tips for Papayas:
Climate: Thrive in subtropical and tropical climates. They do not tolerate freezing temperatures and are damaged or killed if temperatures go below 32 degrees.
Pollination: The female plants produce fruit and may be cross pollinated with others by insects and wind. There are plants that may be self-pollinating (bi-sexual or hermaphrodite).
Growth Habit: The papaya is a short lived, fast growing woody plant. They generally have a single trunk and grow 10 to 15 feet tall, but some plants have been known to grow taller.
Sun Light: Grow best in full sun. Papayas love the heat and sunlight.
Fertilize: Papayas are heavy feeders and require regular fertilizing when warm. Adding compost is also recommended.
Water: Papayas have large soft leaves and evaporate a lot of water in warm weather, so they need above average watering.
Soil: Papayas do best in rich soil that is high in organic matter. Make sure your planting location and soil has good drainage to avoid root rot.
Harvesting: Generally, fruit is picked when there is 1/5 to 1/3 color change in the fruit. After picking, keep at room temperature to fully ripen. Ripe fruit will keep 4 to 7 days in the refrigerator.