Grow this fruit quickly with less labor

Any new gardener would dream of planting fruit trees for getting fresh and delicious fruits. Most fruit trees take years for maturing. Then there are other uncertainties- environment, quality of the fruit that would result, predators, vandals and theft. Also you may shift to another before the tree fruits. Taking these issues in view, planting of fruit tree seem to be farfetched. In a culture that is largely inundated with instant gratification, the natural process of growing fruit trees may seem like an eternity.

If you have that mind set, here is good news. There is a tree which will give you fruits quickly with less care and labor.In hot regions, 6-9 months, and they're ready to harvest. In more temperate areas, 9-11 months, and they're ready to harvest. Also that fruit can be enjoyed in many forms like ripe fruit pieces, liquidized pulp, milk shake,  raw fruit Julian or chips shallow fried  etc. Even the juice of the leaves is used for increasing the platelets in blood.  Could you guess which fruit? Well it is our everyday fruit -papaya also known as paw- paw. Though papaya can be grown in most soils and climates, there are certain tricks of trade which I can tell you. 

 First thing you should know that there are different types of papaya trees. All papaya trees cannot bear fruits. It is only female tree which can produce fruits. A male tree cannot produce the fruit. Even then you require male trees, if not in large number a few  to pollinate the female trees. Also there are hermaphrodite trees in which both male and female parts are there.

Male Flower

Female Flower

Hermaphrodite Flower

Papayas can sometimes self-pollinate and be pollinated by wind, but in order for papaya fruit to develop, pollen must be transferred from the staminate (male) flowers to the pistillate (female) flowers. You may need to identify your papaya's sex as some papayas are bi-sexual, meaning that they self-pollinate. Hermaphrodite flowers have both an ovary and sta­mens bearing pollen. They can pollinate themselves and do not require the presence nearby of another papaya plant. They are borne in the leaf axils, like the female papaya flowers. The crux of the problem is that it is not easy to differentiate male and female plants at least when they are small. It is only when they produce flowers you can understand whether it is male or female. In male plants flowers are small and are on the branches whereas in female trees the flowers are bigger and near the steam.  I feel that even experienced persons may mistake in recognizing. For example my neighbor who I think is experienced in papaya matter, told me that a certain plant will not bear the fruit. But to my surprise that plant produced many delicious fruits.

Though it is cheaper to grow papaya tree from seeds, it is going to be laborious and time consuming. it is better to buy identified male and female plants or hermaphrodite  from the nursery. This will save from the effort of growing many seedlings and to select healthy ones; some of them females and a few male. A medium size plant can be successfully transplanted. If it is too large, then maybe cut it and plant. Papaya plant will grow even if it is cut from the top. Also if you plant a medium aged tree, you can save its growing time and get the fruit earlier.

Papaya is a perennial plant that grows in tropical and subtropical Indian sub continental that has no chance of frost or freezing temperatures. Some species can grow as tall as 30 feet, and most have attractive yellow-, orange- or cream-colored flowers. 

Female Plant Fruit

Hermaphrodite (Bi sexual) Plant Fruit

The plant's fruits may take on a variety of shapes, including pear-like or round, depending upon the sex of the tree and are known for their sweet, yellow or orange flesh.

Comparison of Male female and Hermophrodite

The male flower on on the left (A), the female is in the middle (B). The hermaphrodite flower has a more bulbous carpel than the female (C). The fruit from the female is rounder and has more papain.

Aged trees still fruit, though the fruit is just average-tasting.

Planting a Growing or Mature Papaya Plant



1.  Choose a sunny, well-drained location, preferably about 10 to 20 feet from buildings or other plants. If that is not possible keep as far as possible because its roots run long

2. The soil: Papaya will grow in sandy, loamy, or rocky soils. As long as the soil drains well, the exact soil texture doesn't matter. Any soil that successfully grows other plants in your garden has the correct pH for papaya.

3. Make the hole three times as deep and wide as the planting pot or root ball, in the plant's intended permanent location Make a separate hole for each papaya plant.

4. Unless your garden soil is already rich in nutrients, replace some of the soil in the hole with compost and mix thoroughly. Do not mix with manure, as this can burn root

5. Add the altered soil back into the hole until the remaining depth is roughly equal to the depth of the potting soil or root ball of the plant being transplanted. Remove the papaya plants from their containers, one at a time, and plant each in its own hole at the same depth as it sat in the container. Handle them carefully to avoid breaking or scraping the roots.

6. Fill the remaining space in the hole with the same soil. Pack gently to remove air pockets if the soil isn't filling the spaces between the roots. Water the newly planted papaya seedlings until the soil surrounding the root ball is thoroughly moistened.

7.If there are heavy rains or floods in your area, build a mound of soil 2–3 feet high and 4–6 feet in diameter to keep water from pooling around the papaya's roots, reducing the chance of damage.

8. Apply fungicide. Papaya trees can die from disease after transplantation. Apply gardening fungicide to the soil to reduce this risk.

For planting in USA, the suitable zones 9-11, which corresponds to minimum winter temperatures of -7℃ to 4ºC. They may be damaged or die if exposed to prolonged frost,

Growing from seeds:

1.Make your own mix out of garden soil and 25–50% compost.If you want more of your seeds to germinate, make soil sterile by baking the mixture in the oven at 100 degrees C for 2 hour.

2. The seeds: You can use seeds scraped out of the center of a papaya fruit, or seeds purchased from a nursery. Press seeds against the hard surface to break the sac surrounding the seeds, taking care not to break seeds themselves. Rinse and dry in a dark location on a paper towel.

3.Plant seeds. You may plant seeds directly in your garden to avoid the risks of transplanting them later, or you may plant them in pots to have greater control of plant arrangement once you see which ones are sprouting. Poke the seeds into the soil about 1/2 inch under the surface and about 2 inches apart from each other.


Plant as many seeds as you have room for to increase the odds of both male and female plants sprouting; you can remove the weaker plants later on. There is no feasible way to tell whether a seedling will be male, female, or hermaphroditic before planting.

4. Water the soil moderately well. Water thoroughly after planting, but do not soak to the point that standing water forms on the soil. Monitor the moisture over the next few weeks and water as necessary, keeping the soil slightly damp, but not soggy.

5. Determine which seedlings to keep. Approximately two to five weeks after planting, some of the seeds will germinate, and emerge through the soil surface as seedlings. After giving them a week or two to grow, pull out or cut the smallest seedlings, along with any seedlings that appear withered, spotted, or otherwise unhealthy. Cull plants until you have only one plant per pot, or the seedlings are at least three feet apart. Keep at least five plants for now for a better chance to produce both male and female trees.

6. Once you've chosen your most successful plants, move on to the section on planting, if transplanting to your garden.

7. Once plants are flowering, remove excess male plants. If you still have more plants than you want to end up with, wait until the plants are about 3 feet tall to see what sex each plant is. The male plants should flower first, producing long, thin stalks with several flowers. Female flowers are larger and near the trunk. In order to produce fruit, you only need one male plant for every ten to fifteen females; the rest can be removed.

Some papaya plants are hermaphroditic, meaning they produce both male and female flowers. These plants can pollinate themselves.

Care for Papaya Plants

1. Apply fertilizer once every two weeks. Apply fertilizer to growing plants every 12–14 days, diluting it according to the fertilizer's instructions. Use a "complete" fertilizer Continue to apply at least until the plants are about 1 foot tall.

After the plant reaches this size, commercial growers continue to fertilize papaya every two weeks with 0.1 kg complete fertilizer near but not touching the base of the plant. Follow this practice if you would like to hasten the plant's growth, gradually increasing the amount of fertilizer and length of time between applications until the papayas receive no more than 1 kg every two months starting at seven months old.

2.Water papaya seedlings and established plants regularly. Papayas can be easily damaged by standing pools of water, but may not produce sizable fruit without regular water access. If planted in loam that holds water well, water no more than once every three or four days. In sandy or rocky soils, increase this to once every one to two days during hot weather. Allow a few more days between watering during cooler seasons.


3. Apply bark mulch or wood chips if necessary. Apply leaf mulch, bark mulch, or wood chips around the base of the plant if you need to reduce weeds or if the plant looks withered from failure to retain water. Layer 2 inches of mulch around the papaya, no closer than 8 inches to the trunk.

4. Inspect the papaya's leaves and bark regularly for signs of disease or insects. Spots or yellowing on leaves or bark indicate possible disease. Black spots on the leaf won't typically affect the fruit, but may be treated with fungicide if the infection is severe. Curling leaves may be a sign of picking up herbicide from a nearby lawn. Other problems, including insects or full plant collapse, may require consulting an expert gardener.


5. Do not mow or weed eat close to the papaya tree, as you may inadvertently hit and damage its trunk. Keep a grass-free space approximately 2 feet surrounding the papaya to reduce the need for weed control underneath.Refrain from fertilizing the lawn around the papaya tree. Its roots extend farther than its drip line, and excessive lawn fertilizer may damage the roots.

6. Harvest papaya fruits when they reach the level of ripeness you desire. Put two long poles into a netted bag. Use the protruding part of the poles as extended arms and the outstretched bag to catch the falling fruit. You need to practice.Tart, green fruits may be eaten as a vegetable, but many people prefer fully ripe, yellow or orange fruits for their sweet taste. You may harvest anytime after the fruit is mostly yellow-green, if you would like them to finish ripening indoors, away from pests.


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