Log in

View Full Version : Papaya Germination Technique


Funkthulhu
05-21-2014, 10:29 AM
I don't have one.

I'm pretty sure I have accidentally murdered every seed I've planted, I have no idea what I'm doing wrong and I have yet to get any papaya to sprout.

I just gutted a really nice specimen and kept her innards to try again. Any suggestions?

Abnshrek
05-21-2014, 10:53 AM
Don't disturb the roots once you get one going.. Place seeds in dirt in full sun.. Last year I did it in the shade, but sun is faster.. :^)

trebor
05-21-2014, 12:12 PM
Ok....I think I can help or mix you up so badly you’ll think I’m crazy ..
It sometimes takes Papaya 21 days to germinate but as a rule 10 to 14 days is normal . The seeds have a gelatinous coating on them if you get a fresh seed and squeeze it in your fingers you will see this coating rip and the seed will be exposed. Yes remove the coating. This cuts out as much as 6 days on the germination. Then you need a full sun location. Remembering these are tropical herbs and sunlight is their friend. Even here in South Florida lots of folks are successful planting them close to a south facing wall that increases the heat and they seem to thrive .. Remove fresh seeds and plant a.s.a.p, no need to dry them .. just remove the coating, Dry them if you want to save seed..
Water them every morning don’t mess up and forget.. Use rain water if you can store it some how, or river water (fresh water not salt water). Tap water is not the best to use. That said if all ya got is tap water then use it! Over all Papaya are pretty tuff but some of them seem to not like tap water. This depends on what verity you have and where it came from. So if your at work and you remember OMG I forgot to water my seeds .. Never fear you been watering all along and one day will not hurt..
Soil can be pretty much anything as long as it allows for drainage. I use peat and 20 % Pearlite, or any good compost. 6 to 8 inch deep container. Or potting soil..
If Im not sure the exact plant the fruit comes from I plant 3 seeds per hole allow them to grow together then when I see signs of flowers I remove males . Or I might keep one male to a GROUP . Here where I live there are plenty of people growing Papaya pollen is everywhere. OK OK OK Papaya hate to have their roots disturbed so once I have them 6 to 10 inches tall I place them in their new location in my back yard. Transplant on a cloudy day if possible and late in after noon to avoid that blast of sunlight. And yes WATER after transplanting and the next morning..

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=56082&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=56082&ppuser=7970)
Above is a photo of some seeds I just planted. I bought the fruit in Texas planted them May 6 2014. Because Im such a Papaya hog I want to be sure I get more of them. Plus I will share with my neighbors locally. There is 20 groups of three in that planter see my soil has good drainage. But the bottom of the planter has a ½ inch reservoir so some humidity is maintained giving the roots something to grow towards. Another thing is seed depth! I just poke a hole with my finger about ½ inch deep drop in the 3 seeds and knock some soil over top. In nature them seeds will sit in the fruit till it rots! Then produce a root to search for dirt. Oh and by the way as the fruit rots it removes that coating from the seed. Then breaks down adding food for the seeds. So I guess that’s how Mother Nature decided to allow this plant to survive.
I use Azomite as recommended on the bag and fertilize every 15 days. Yes I cut back to 1/2 the recommended amounts because I use little bits more often! I grow beautiful fruit and plenty of them in sandy soil. My friends go cheap on fertilizer and get smaller fruits and not to many of them OR even worst fruit that has a thin wall of flesh inside of them . So Feed them guys and remember Minerals are what everything living thing is made of ! That’s why I use them.. I wait 3 months before adding fertilizer 8 3 9 with elements/minerals added . I use that fertilizer because it works on everything I grow in soil. I go to the Palm Beach Rare fruit and Plant Show in Palm Beach Florida to purchase the fertilizer. I would suggest to any one who wants to grow stuff to find the local plant clubs and attend at some level .. Before you know it you will be eating fresh stuff from you back yard and loving it .
I put that last line in the text because if some one new to growing reads this it will sure be a huge help to them. Also Richard here on this list has some kick A$$ fertilizers he sells
plantsthatproduce.com (http://plantsthatproduce.com)

Olafhenny
05-21-2014, 06:23 PM
Hi Trebor,

living in Canada I can really not benefit from your advise. However I appreciate it, if
somebody goes into some detail as you did. It saves a lot of guessing. :)

Thank you,
Olaf