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Black Thumbs Guide to Papaya – Not just a Tropical Plant anymore
By Dr. Peter T. Dixon D.B.S.
Most people see a papaya in the local store and have no clue what it is. Is it a fruit, is it an herb, is it a vegetable? These are just some of the questions they ask. Do you know it has great medicinal value? Lets look at the history of papaya, the different types, its value and of course how anyone in any area can grow this beautiful tropical plant. The papaya is closely related to the passionflower.
The most common papaya we see is ‘Caribbean Red’. The stores sell this, usually in abundance, but also at a high price. Unless you are lucky enough to live in an area that can support mass production of this plant, you are at the stores mercy to buy.
Let’s look at the history. We do not have a clear picture of the history of papaya. We can only assume from local legends brought down from generation to generation of the plant. We can deduct from this that it is believed to be native to southern Mexico and neighboring Central America, however there are still lots of Asian legends that do not support this theory. Until recently the papaya has only been grown as a tropical plant, leaving many in colder zones to only grow this plant in their mind. Part of this Guide will show you how you are able to grow this beautiful plant in almost any zone in the United States of America, and those countries that fall into the same zones.
The papaya is not really a fruit, but considered an herb. However most people think of the papaya as a fruit. It can have many different shapes, sizes, colors and tastes. There are varieties that are dwarf only reaching 2-3 feet high, and varieties that can reach up to 20 feet high. Fruits that can reach 2 inches up to fruits that are almost 3 feet long and can weigh up to 12 lbs. Colors that vary from Green all the way to red and every color in-between. Today papaya can be found all year long with the peak season being early summer and fall. Most of the papayas imported come from Hawaii, but smaller quantities from Florida, California, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Central and South American countries are becoming more available.
By now you are asking, what really is a papaya lets address this now. Again, this beautiful plant is commonly and with error, referred to as a “tree” or “fruit”. It is nothing more then a large herb. It is a fast growing plant that can reach 6 to 10 feet in its first year and can reach as high as 20-30 feet in ideal conditions. It has a hollow stem colored green or a deep purple, with the stems reaching 12-18 inches in length. As the leaves turn yellow and fall off, with the new growth sprouting from the top, the stems become roughened by the scars left by these leafs. The sprouting top, are leaves that emerge directly from the upper part of the plant in a nearly horizontal petioles 1 to 4 feet long, again being hollow inside, but succulent green or even a purple hue. Each of these leaves are divided into 5-9 main segments, with each part divided irregularly. These can each vary from 1-2 feet in width. They seem to have a yellowish color to the ribs and veins. Each leaf has a life span of 4-8 months in length before turning yellow and falling off. If you were to cut this leaf before it falls off you will notice a white milky latex type liquid, both the leaves and stem seem to contain this feature.
Papaya are pistillate, or female, some are staminate, or male, and some maybe moneocious plants having both male and female flowers. The male and female plants can be determined in one of two ways. The first way is the only way to tell when the plant is still too small to bear flowers. When you first remove an 8 inch or higher plant from its pot, pay close attention to its root structure. The male roots are long and skinny. The female are large and round to go down and allow the plant to bear heavy fruit. The second way to tell is by the flowers, however this can be deceiving. A male flower is on a long stem before the actual flower, the female flowers are right against the trunk of the herb. Some plants, during certain times of the year, can produce the staked male flowers and other times the perfect female flowers. Male or hermaphrodite plants may change completely to female plants after being beheaded, or by the heat of summer. Both a male and female plant is required to bear fruit.
The fruits tent to be smooth-skinned and have colors of green, yellow, orange and rose. These fruits can weigh as much as 20 pounds, but usually around 1-3 pounds. They hang on short stalks in a cluster like pattern, directly from the trunk under the umbrella of giant leaves. The papaya flowers and fruits all year. The wild cultivars are the most common papayas in American grocery stores. These are moneocious cultivars, reaching only 6-8 feet tall and only produce small, single serving fruits. The Mexican or Asian variety produces fruits in much larger sizes and quantities.
Most papayas are short lived perennial plants. They last from 5-7 years. The younger plants produce more fruit then the older plants so it is best to cultivate a succession of papayas so you will always have some heavy bearing young plants.
The Fruit of the papaya has a flesh that is creamy and firm, yellow in color. Most are fibreless, sweet and refreshing. There are different flavors of fruit, ranging from melon to apricot. The black plentiful seeds in the center cavity are also edible, tasting like watercress or nasturtium. You will know when the papaya is ripe as it is soft with thin skin. Most store bought papayas are green and picked to early to have the sweet taste papayas are known for. Like avocados, they will ripen off the tree at room temperature, but they will never taste as good as a tree ripened fruit. Never chill your papaya’s until they are completely ripe. The young leaves are sometimes eaten like spinach.
WARNING
Leaves and unripe fruits are toxic and must be cooked before eating.
Most publication tell you there are only two types of varieties, however this is not correct. They list Hawaiian and Mexican, but leave out Asian. You cannot list the Asian varieties under the Hawaiian variety. Most of the Hawaiian varieties are know as Solo Papayas and these are the types most often found in supermarkets. The fruits are pear shaped, and weigh around 1 lb. Yellow skinned when ripe. The Mexican varieties are not as common and have a pick or orange fruit, depending on the variety. Mexican papayas are much larger and the fruits can weigh up to 20 lbs. The flavors are not as intense as the Hawaiian Varieties, but still delicious. The Asian Varieties combining the two types, they are intense in taste and are large fruited.
Most people eat these papayas peeled and seeded, often cut in wedges and served with lime or lemon. They can also be used in salads or fruit cups. Firmer varieties can be used as vegetables. The juice and nectar may be prepared from peeled or unpeeled fruit and are sold fresh in bottles or canned. Unripe papaya should never bee eaten raw because of its latex content. Green papaya is frequently boiled and served as a vegetable or in soup. The young leaves can be cooked and eaten like spinach. Mature leaves are bitter and must be boiled with a change of water to eliminate much of the bitterness. One can eat the older stems, after peeling and grating, the bitter juice squeezed out, and the mashed fiber mixed with sugar and salt.
Now we can talk about soil and location. Near the end of this article I will show you how to grow these magnificent plants in a container to enjoy in non-tropical regions.
Papayas grow in almost any types of soil, but they require it to be adequately drained. If you have poor drainage you will end up with root rot. Papayas can tolerate moderate winds if well rooted. Fertilizer schedules vary with soil type, climate and the season. Generally it is suggested for the home gardener to use the same fertilize schedule as the garden they grow local vegetables. Too much fertilizer can be worse then not enough.
Grow papaya in fertile, well-drained soil. This is one of the easiest of tropical fruits to grow. Papayas usually have male and female flowers on separate plants and you can't determine the sex until they flower, usually about 6 months after germination. Male flowers are thin and borne on short stalks; female flowers are wide and borne directly on the trunk. Select only hermaphroditic plants or all female plants with one male for each 15-20 females. Grow only locally developed cultivars for best results.
Light: Papayas need full sun and warmth. Grown in partial shade, they produce fruit that is not very sweet.
Moisture: The tropical papaya needs at least 4 in of rain per month for optimal fruit production. They like plenty of water when it's warm and less when it's cooler.
Hardiness: USDA Zones 9 - 11. Papaya does not tolerate frost or even periods of near freezing temperatures.
Propagation: Papayas are usually propagated from seed which takes 3-5 weeks to germinate. Plant at least four or five seeds to be sure you get female and male plants. Seeds of 'Solo' usually produce only female and hermaphroditic plants. Propagate other named cultivars from cuttings or by grafting onto seedling root stock. Papaya is grown from seed. Dry seed may be stored for a year or more in airtight refrigerated containers. Fresh seeds will usually germinate in 10 to 14 days. Germination can be improved by removing the gelatinous outer seed coat before drying. Seeds are sown either in containers or directly in the ground. Transplanting container-grown plants is usually limited to areas where there is dependable rainfall or supplemental irrigation.
Medicinal Value
The Papaya is regarded as a fair source of iron and calcium, a good source of vitamins A, B and G and an excellent source of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). It is low in calories, fat free, cholesterol free, and a good source of potassium, folate, and fiber. The papaya enzyme called papain is used as a meat tenderizer. It breaks down tough meat fibers. Its use is nothing new. South American cooks have been using papaya to tenderize meat for ages. It is sold as a component in powdered meat tenderizer available in most supermarkets.
It seems the skin is the most potent part of this herb for medical purposes. The seeds are soft enough to chew and spicy. They can be ground up and missed with other juices. It takes about 20 seeds for about 5 days to eliminate most of any intestinal parasite effectively. Papaya also detoxifies the body, speeds metabolic processes and increases elimination of toxins. It also converts the amino acid arginine, which is an essential amino acid for proper cell function. The papaya is an excellent fruit for antioxidants, but also has more vitamin A then carrots and more vitamin C then oranges. It also contains calcium, potassium, iron B vitamin and proteants.
How to Grow Papaya in Non-Tropcial Regions.
Choose a smaller variety, such as a dwarf species or a variety similar to the Filipino Variety that we sell; these only get 6-8 feet high and make wonderful potted plants.
Potting
There are many different types of pots available and each has its benefits and drawbacks. There is plastic with can heat up or freeze quickly, Metal, same as plastic,
Clay and wood dry quicker, ceramic that can be heavy and many others that you can buy at local garden centers. For the most part all can be used quite successfully with Papaya. Choose one based on your own preferences.
These pots should have holes in the bottom for adequate drainage. When you buy your pot, and before you put in soil, cover these holes with a mesh of some sort to help retain the soil, it is also good to put down an inch or two of gravel to insure good drainage. With Papaya drainage is essential to healthy plants.
Potting soil from the local garden center will suffice; however a much better solution would be 1 part Perlite or Vermiculite, 1 part course sand, and 1 part Peat. This gives good drainage as well as sufficient nutrients. Make sure your soil is not packed down heavy to allow good drainage but not excessive drainage.
Place the plant in the new container making sure you have filled it halve way with the new planting material. You want to make sure that when you fill the rest of the container with soil, the soil line is the same as the original plant when you pulled it out. The soil like should be about 1-4 inches below the rim of the pot when you are all finished.
Important key: Make sure your fully grown plant will be proportional to your pot. Don’t put an 8 foot tall tree in a 10 inch pot. Allow the roots to be able to grow, the larger the pot the more fruit it will bear.
Light
Papaya usually require lots of sunlight, anywhere you can place them to receive full sunlight is beneficial to them. Search on the internet for your species to find out their light requirements. Some tropical do well in partial shade however most need to receive the maximum sunlight available.
Papaya, when you receive them are most likely used to full sunlight, when you are going to bring them indoors, or for winter times, when bringing them indoors, you must acclimate them to your indoor area. Make sure to put them near a good light source and if possible add additional light
Water
Papaya are used to lots of water, however they are also used to well drained soil, so their water requirements are different for potted plants. These dependencies are based on size of the pot, size of the plant, type of plant, temperature where you keep the plant, the humidity and the type of soil you have. You are usually safe to water, when the upper surface of the soil is dry before you water your plant. Slowly fill the container watching for runoff at the bottom holes. Remember that wood or clay pots dry faster, making watering more frequent and cooler weather slows down the growth of the plant, thus reducing the need to water as much.
Temperature
This is probably the key ingredient to successful Papaya keeping. NO FREEZING WEATHER. Papaya cannot take cold temperatures, so you will need to find a way to bring these indoors. Cold temperatures will lead to root damage, and leave damage. Again it depends on the species of tropical plant you have to the extent it can take cold weather. Some plants you can just cover overnight and then remove each morning, others will need to be brought indoors. If you bring them indoors make sure you keep them away from drafts from doors or windows to freeze, and out of the heating vent areas so not to dry out too fast.
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