Features of the plant, recommendations for cultivating papaya indoors, how to propagate, difficulties in the process of care and ways to solve them, facts, types. Papaya (Carica papaya) is often referred to as a "melon tree" and it is classified as a plant with a woody form of growth (although botanists consider it a herbaceous plant), which are part of the genus Carica, referred to the Caricaceae family. The native territories of this representative of the flora fall on the lands of the southern regions of Mexico, Central America, and it can also be found in the north of South America. However, today papaya is cultivated in all countries with tropical climates. Interestingly, as an experiment, the plant is planted in the South of Russia and on the shores of the Black Sea in the Caucasus.
The plant bears its name because of the Latinized name, which in the Malabar dialect sounds exactly like papaya. When the Spanish conquistadors first saw the papaya, arriving in Panama in the 16th century, they were simply amazed at its outward appearance. Since the plant, because of the trunk, bare from the branches, resembled a palm tree, the openwork deciduous mass, which is an umbrella crown, seemed to them the same. It consisted of large palmate leaf plates. But the trunk itself was decorated with numerous fruits. Because of the fruits, the plant is so unusual, since it differs in caulifloria, since the fruits are not located on the branches, as we are used to, but flaunt on the trunk.
So, the plant is a slender tree, reaching no more than 5-10 m in height, while its diameter is measured in the lower part of 30 cm. At the same time, the trunk of the papaya is practically devoid of branches, they are present only at the very top of its head, gathering in a hat … The inside of the trunk (core) in young plants is soft and friable. But adult specimens are distinguished by a strong trunk, although it is empty inside. This strength comes from the bark, which consists of multiple weaves of fibers that differ in strength.
The leaf plates are rather large, they open 50–70 cm in diameter. Their outlines are finger-dissected. The leaf has an elongated petiole. The color is rich, green.
When flowering, buds are formed in the leaf axils, which subsequently develop to large sizes and turn into greenish-yellow fruits. There are usually 1-2 flowers per leaf - this indicates a high yield of the plant. The diameter of the fruits varies in the range of 10-30 cm, while the length of the fruit is 15-45 cm. Ripening, the fruits delight with a soft insides. This pulp can vary in color from amber and yellow to red. The taste of the fruit is somewhat similar to the taste of melons, but they are slightly sweeter. Not only the pulp is appreciated, but also the juice of papaya, which, due to the large amount of substances that quite closely resemble the enzymes of gastric juice.
An interesting effect is found in papaya fruits that are on the same tree - they can have different tastes, as well as their size and shape. True, the weight of the fetus does not exceed two kilograms. Milky juice is present in almost all parts of the papaya. It contains a substance called papain, because of which the plant is also cultivated. It is extracted from unripe fruits, on which small cuts of 1 or 2 pairs are made in a circle. Then a glass vessel is suspended from the fruit and the liquid that flows down there is collected.
Papaya has a high growth rate, and in a short time its height can be equal to the parameters of a two or three-story house. But collecting fruits from such plants is rather inconvenient and therefore, when growing, they try to apply horticultural techniques that will restrain growth. In this case, the height is brought to 3-4 meters.
Rules for growing papaya at home
- Lighting and choosing a place for the pot. The plant loves bright light, but direct sunlight can cause sunburn on the leaf plates. Therefore, it is recommended to put a flowerpot with papaya on the windows of the east or west location. However, with the arrival of winter and shortening of daylight hours, backlights will be needed. For the summer, you can put a pot with a plant in the garden, gradually accustoming you to sunlight.
- Content temperature. Due to the fact that papaya is thermophilic, in the spring-summer period, the thermometer should be in the range of 24-26 units, and in the fall they are lowered to a range of about 18-20 degrees. Drafts are harmful.
- Air humidity papaya needs high, therefore, in hot weather, daily spraying of the deciduous crown is recommended, and the operation is carried out in the morning and evening hours, so that the moisture drops dry by noon. Only soft, well-settled water is used.
- Watering. Moderate and regular wetting of the substrate is needed. However, it is impossible to overmoisten the soil in the pot, otherwise the root system will begin to rot. Well-settled water is also needed for irrigation.
- Fertilizers for papaya are necessary all year round, especially during the period of active vegetation. The regularity of such dressings is 2 times a month. In this case, mineral complex preparations with a high nitrogen content are used. Melon tree responds well to humus and fresh manure. Also, a layer of crushed grass is poured onto the soil, imitating the moist organic flooring of a rainforest.
- Transplant and soil selection. As soon as the papaya root system has mastered all the soil provided in the pot - braiding it with root shoots, then you can take out the plant by cutting the pot. If the "melon tree" is pulled out without damaging the container, then the main thing is not to damage the fragile root system. A drainage layer is needed at the bottom of the new pot.
The soil should be light. Use substrates for ficuses or universal soil, to which sand or very fine expanded clay is added. You can mix soil from leafy earth, turf, sand and peat, all parts are taken equal.
Self-breeding tips for papaya
To grow a young "melon tree", you can sow seeds or carry out cuttings.
If reproduction is by means of seed, then take the papaya fruit, cut it and take out the seeds. Then they are thoroughly washed under running water to cleanse the pulp residues. After that, the seeds are placed on clean paper and dried for 24 hours. To speed up germination, you can place the seeds on wet sphagnum moss or sand. So the seed is kept for 12 hours. Growth stimulants are often used by gardeners.
Then the planting goes into containers filled with a peat-sand mixture, mixing leafy earth and sod into it (parts are taken equal). If you do not want to make up the soil mixture yourself, then use a soil for ficuses or a universal substrate. These compositions are mixed with sand and fine expanded clay (the latter are taken in a 1: 2 ratio). The pot is no more than 7-9 cm. The container is wrapped on top with a plastic bag or a piece of glass is placed on top. This will create conditions for a mini-greenhouse with constant high levels of humidity and heat. In this case, airing is needed daily for an hour and a half.
When preparing seeds for planting, the following feature of papaya is taken into account - its root system is very fragile and the plant does not tolerate frequent changes in the pot, it begins to hurt and inevitably dies. Therefore, it is immediately recommended to plant the seeds in a container that can be easily cut so that the root system with an earthy clod is not damaged. A plant pot is selected large when an already grown plant is planted in it. If you plan to keep a "melon tree" in a greenhouse or in a closed terrace or winter garden (greenhouse), then the seeds must be immediately planted in a permanent place of detention.
Seeds are placed in one bowl in the amount of several dozen, while they are buried two centimeters, placing them at a short distance from each other. After the seedlings germinate, you can choose the strongest among them and transplant, while the rest are removed. If the papaya fruit was well ripe, then the first seedlings can be seen after 14 days, but often it takes a little longer. After a month of caring for the seedlings, you can see that their parameters vary greatly among themselves and it's time to choose among them healthier specimens for picking. It is recommended to leave only a dozen of the strongest steams. All this is done because male and female plants can form in papaya, and bisexual specimens also appear.
Important to remember! Male papayas do not bear fruit and are only needed to produce pollen to pollinate the female flowers on the trees. One male plant is enough to pollinate a dozen female papayas. When grafting papaya, you can cut blanks from 1–2-year-old specimens so that the thickness of the stems is not less than 1.5 cm. The branches are divided into parts that reach 10 cm in length, then they are dried for three days. This is necessary so that liquid stops oozing from the cuttings. The place in which the workpieces are dried must be dry with good ventilation.
The cuttings are planted in pots filled with coarse, disinfected, and then moistened river sand. The cuttings are also covered with a plastic bag or placed under a glass vessel. In this case, it is necessary not to forget about airing and moisturizing the substrate in the pot.
Diseases and pests affecting papaya in home cultivation
If the conditions for keeping the "melon tree" are violated, for example, the humidity indicators are greatly reduced, then this will lead to the appearance of spider mites and aphids. If you use folk remedies to combat, then a decoction or tincture of onion peel, garlic gruel is made, and yarrow, pyrethrum and others are used that are potent on grass pests, with a pronounced insecticidal effect. The solution is applied to a cotton pad and wiped on foliage, branches and trunk. Spraying can be done. If folk remedies do not help, then it is recommended to use chemical insecticides for processing, for example, Aktellik, Aktaru or Fitoverm.
If the humidity is high, that is, the owner floods the substrate too much with water, and the plant is kept at low temperatures, then this can cause the formation of a whitish bloom on the leaves, which indicates a powdery mildew attack. To cure papaya, it is recommended to use colloidal sulfur or copper sulfate. From these preparations, it is necessary to prepare a weak solution and wipe off the leaf plates, branches and trunk.
Curious facts about papaya
When the fruit is harvested, latex juice containing papain may be released, but although many of its beneficial properties are known, people with sensitive skin are likely to have allergic reactions. And also in the fruits and foliage there is an alkaloid called carpain. This substance is distinguished by its anthelmintic effect, and if a large amount of it enters the human body, it can be hazardous to health.
If we take into account the research conducted by the virologist Luc Montagnier, then the preparations made from papaya have the ability to prevent viral infections.
Due to the fact that when baked, the fruits of the "melon tree" begin to exude a smell similar to the aroma of freshly baked bread, the papaya is sometimes called "breadfruit". When the fruits are not yet ripe enough, they are used in the preparation of a seasoning - curry. Papaya is not uncommon in various dishes on the table of nationalities where it is grown and cultivated. They are used in food both raw and cooked.
Because of the ability to stimulate the smooth muscles of the uterus, papaya-based remedies are prescribed by tropical healers to stimulate menstruation, as well as abortion or even contraception. In Ghana and in Cote d'Ivoire, it is customary to prepare a decoction from papaya foliage and give it to horses as a laxative. If the leaf plates were dried, then they more than replace tobacco or even used when smoking to relieve asthma symptoms.
Types of papaya
To date, breeders have worked so hard to develop new varieties of papaya that there are up to 1000 of them. Plants differ from each other not only in size and shape, but have different flavors. As experts say, the fruits of the papaya, which are green or orange, are the tastiest. But the green fruits of the "melon tree" contain fewer seeds than the orange "brethren". However, the pulp of all fruits has a rich, bright orange color.
Let's dwell on those varieties that are considered the most popular in cultivation:
- Big Lady. This variety is one of the best, the fruits of the peel are cast in a greenish-orange color. The shape of the fruit is pear-shaped, as if they were inflated from the inside. The pulp has a bright red color, it is juicy and sweet taste, its qualities are quite high.
- "Solo". This variety has probably the smallest fruits. The plant was hatched in 1911. Both the pulp and the peel of the fruit have a bright red hue. The taste of the pulp is very sweet, pleasant, its consistency is average. The height of the trees of this variety of papaya does not exceed 2.5 m, this makes the process of collecting fruits quite simple.
- Long. The plant has large fruits, their shape is elongated. Because of this, they resemble zucchini. The peel is colored green; when ripe, it may change. The pulp has an orange color, it itself is characterized by increased juiciness, but the taste is less sweet than the varieties given earlier.
- "Dutch" papaya has elongated, oblong or oval-elongated fruits. The peel has a light orange color, and inside the fruit, a juicy dark orange pulp is visible, the taste of which is very similar to strawberry. The variety was first bred in Holland.
- Hawaiian. On the tree of this variety, fruits of a small oval shape with an orange color ripen. The pulp is sweet, its color is dark orange. It is mainly cultivated in Thailand.
- "Hortus Gold" marked by excellent taste of large fruits. It was first bred in South Africa.
- "Washington". Differs in fruits of yellow color, their shape is spherical or oval. The pulp has an orange tint, sweet taste, rather juicy. The variety is Indian.
- "Ranchi" - a variety with medium-sized fruits, sweet and juicy pulp, but its aroma is not so pronounced. It is the second most popular variety after "Washington", bred in India. The height of the tree does not exceed 3 m.
Also, in addition to the indicated varietal varieties, there are others that differ in color:
- The pinkish-red papaya is characterized by a bright orange hue of the fruit and a pinkish-red pulp. The fruit's taste qualities are quite high.
- Small green is distinguished by medium-sized fruits and a green skin, the flesh is bright orange in color, has a sweet taste.
- Embossed red is so called because of its embossed surface of the fruit and the red hue of the pulp. In terms of taste, it is considered the best.
For more information on the dangers and benefits of papaya, see the following video:
