New Papaya tree - will I get fruit ?

14 years ago

I am engaged in a discussion with a friend about whether I will ever have fruit on the new papaya tree I planted in March. It was 2 1/2 ft tall when I purchased it in Homestead, and it is now 5 ft tall easily. The plant has 4 trunks growing vertically, one is twice the diameter of the other 3, with the thinner one's wrapping around the thickest one, like snakes. Wish I could enclose a photo, but do not know how to do that yet.

My friend is telling me I could easily be wasting my time, as I cannot be assured I will have fruit later on. I planted a papaya tree 7 years ago in the Keys, and got plenty of fruit for two years, but wasn't aware then of the male/female flower thing.

Questions :

1. Can someone buy a papaya tree in a nursery that will never produce any edible fruit ?

2. I feel strongly that with four ( 4 ) healthy looking trunks growing vertically, that I should not have to worry about eventually getting papayas, the odds are well in my favor that I have at least one female tree. My friend strongly disagrees, says my chances are only 50/50 that I will ever see any papayas. Who is right ?

3. I am now seeing some small green lobe-like growths at the base of some of the upper green branches that extend out horizontally, are these future papayas as I think they are ?

4. Should I just leave the tree alone to grow as is, or do I need to separate or eliminate one or more of the four trunks ?

Thanks for any advise, am anxious to put my well meaning pal in his place. ( smile )

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Comments (6)

laura1
14 years ago
I think they would have done better if you had seperated them out at the beginning. All would be larger than your largest one and by now you would probably know which ones were males/female.
I planted from seed in January and by the end of summer I had fruit.
It doesn't sound like the thingy is a fruit unless you saw it flower.
IMHO
1. yes
2. probably...even if you have all males the males will still set fruit.
4. I'd wait to see which are male/female and eliminate extra males
and tell your friend ....
well...you'll think of something!hehe
joanie_pomseed
14 years ago
It's normal for male papayas to produce hermaphrodite flowers? We are talking about Mexican papayas, right? Does it only happen when there are no females, and how far away does the nearest female have to be?
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saldut
14 years ago
Hi - There are so many Papaya here in Fla., but I just buy one at Publix and then dry the seeds and plant them, there are loads of plants will come up and most will produce, also get the small Solo Papaya at Publix and it is a small tree... I have just bought 3 RED LADY plants at Lowes and waiting to see how they do for me, it is supposed to be a dwarf and not get as tall as some of the others.... these all seem to be self-pollinating... where I live in St Pete I don't hardly ever get a freeze but it can be a problem in more northern areas of Fla., and then the seeds need to be planted in a sheltered location or started indoors and then transplanted when it warms a bit... Papaya need lots of water and food, I give them fertilizer also Black Cow also Black Hen and water.... the only problem I have ever had was the fruit-fly laying eggs in the fruit and when you cut it open there are maggots.... when the plant is short enough you can cover the fruit as soon as it sets with an old sock or piece of nylon-hose and this prevents the fruit-fly from injecting her eggs into the fruit.. some folks use a paper-bag but it washes away in rain, so I save old nylon-hose and old socks and they just slip up onto and cover the fruit..works for me.......... sally
jofus, ( Englewood, Fl zone 10a )
Original Author
14 years ago
OK, I am now wiser, will definitely plant my future papayas from seed,..seems like the way to go. So I paid $12 for this multi stemmed plant and am stuck with it. It seems to be healthy, with all 4 vertical trunks producing vibrant looking leaves and these small, soft, green lobes that I assume are the future flowers with ovaries, that will hopefully swell into fruit.
I have no idea whether it is a Hawaiin or a Mexican papaya. Is one type more commonly sold here in South Florida ?
From all the websites I've perused that have photos, I now believe that I may have four bisexual plants,( a great senario ), or a mixture of female and bisexual,( another good scenario ), or possibly even all 4 being female, ( bad scenario ), as they both look very similar in the pics I've seen. So my concern about possibly not having any fruit has greatly diminished.
I see no evidence of the distinctly different looking male flower pattern.
However, I am still unsure what to do about these four entwined vertical trunks, 3 about 1/3rd the diameter of the largest. Can I just leave them alone and see what happens as the 4 plants climb skyward ? Or should I cut one or more off now ?
Thanks.
saldut
14 years ago
Why don't you just leave them and let them grow, just feed and water a lot... and see what you get ? You can add more plants, if you can get RED LADY it is supposed to be short, and self-pollinating.... I got 3 of them at my Lowes here in St Pete and am waiting to see how they do, but there were pics of some on the Papaya forum that were great so I thought I would try them.... and plant your seeds, the label on the papaya when you buy it will usually tell you where they are from and you can see how big it is and the tree will be correspondingly the same size. good luck, sally
jofus, ( Englewood, Fl zone 10a )
Original Author
14 years ago
Sally : Thanks, will do as you say, should be interesting. Will also take a look at what Lowes has to offer. Case closed. Thanks a lot.

New Papaya tree - will I get fruit ?

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laura1

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New Papaya tree - will I get fruit ?

Comments (6)

laura1

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jofus, ( Englewood, Fl zone 10a )Original Author

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jofus, ( Englewood, Fl zone 10a )
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