Carica Species, Mamao-Macho, Melon Tree, Papaya

On Feb 9, 2017, RidhaDZ from Knäred,
Sweden wrote:

Hey from Sweden !
I want to grow papaya in My original country Algeria Can it secced there
My land located in the african hardsines zone 10 exactely north west Algeria closer to morroco borders ( 2 km) from morroco city called souani ?
Can any one help ?
I AM planing to fertelize 100% organic cow shit chiken shit rabbit shit and egg shells!
Any ideas tips advice
Thank you

On Dec 13, 2014, greenman62 from Kenner, LA (Zone 9a) wrote:

this is absolutely my favorite fruit.
it is one of the healthist fruits there are.

To grow this in the ground, you should be in zone 10 or warmer
I am in zone 9a
so, i have a few tricks after years of growing them.
LOTS of mulch is a must, they love organics, and it is great winter protection.
I plant them on the south-face of my house, about 2-3 feet away.
The roots grow under the house (and stay warm)
the roots are not damaging, they are not hardwood
they are pretty soft, and will not hurt concerte.

i plant with an evergreen on each side of them
just far enough away so the leaves intermingle a bit.
this cuts the wind down, and keeps the heat near the ground.

grow a dwarf var... read moreiety...
or, cut the top 1 or 2 inches off, when its about 3 ft tall
again when its 4 ft tall.
then, every spring if it gets over 6ft.

the farther away the plant top is from the ground,
the less heat it has, and more damage to the plant.
keep it as short as possible, but still able to fruit
(about 6ft)
if you know you will get a couple of hard freezes
remove most (or all ) of the fruit just before the freeze.

keep the roots dry during any cold weather
they are surprisingly drought tolerant
they need water when its hot, but not when its cool.
lots of mulch should keep the soil fairly moist anyway.
i add a plastic tarp over the mulch all winter.

root-rot and cold-wet feet
is their nemesis

On May 1, 2008, basilio from Athens,
Greece (Zone 9b) wrote:

Papayas are great, but I don't think that they can tolerate 9a winter temperatures, as it is claimed here. I had about 10 papayas grown from seed and just one freezing night (lowest temp. around 26F) was more than enough to kill every one of them...Not as hardy as listed!

On May 5, 2007, FloridaGrower from Winter Springs, FL (Zone 9b) wrote:

The above comment is not entirely true. Papaya is good for a few years and several crops before the fruit starts to decline. You should get at least 3 to 4 good crops out of it.

On Apr 29, 2005, armentarius wrote:

I concur with Harrison's experience. Last year, I bought a papaya (aka "lechosa", in Venezuela) from the Farmers' Market in Houston. It was an unusually delicious, red one. I saved the seeds, and threw them in my flower bed where I also grow Tabasco Pepper plants. They grew rapidly, flowered and put on fruit, lots of fruit. They survived the Christmas Eve "snow storm" and continue to have lots of delicious fruit. Definitely positive experience in the Houston area, when no hard freezes occur.

On Apr 13, 2005, JaxFlaGardener from Jacksonville, FL (Zone 8b) wrote:

I bought a small papaya plant last year. It grew to about 6 ft in a 30 gallon pot, flowered, and produced good sized fruit. I am fairly certain it is the only papaya for miles around, so I apparently have the self-pollinating variety. I overwintered it in my greenhouse. Most of the leaves fell off as well as some of the fruit, none of which had time to ripen in one season. I've now moved the potted plant back to its location in full sun in my garden and will probably have ripe fruit before the Fall. The tree is somewhat of a novelty in NE Florida since we do typically have a few nights of below freezing temperatures in the Winter. I find the elongated trunk shape, waxy flowers, and mammarian fruit attractive enough to be worth the effort of hauling the plant in and out of the green... read morehouse with the seasonal changes, but based on what I've read in the notes here, I may try growing new plants early in the season from seed and treat it as an annual next year.

On Apr 11, 2005, Kameha from Kissimmee, FL (Zone 9b) wrote:

Such a wonderful versatile plant. Not only does it give you delicious fruit but it provides fragrant flowers and attractive foliage. Very common dooryard plant in much of the Florida peninsula...it surprised me how many old specimens there are even in Orlando. Provides fruit year round. It will be killed by frosts and freezes but mine has been growing for 4 years now. If you want more of a chance of it making it through the winter than plant it close to a southern wall of your house. It will also benefit from absorbing some calcium from the foundation concrete. North Floridians grow papayas as an annual and it will bear fruit in only 9 months. You need both male and female plants for pollination but there are bisexual plants as well. Male flowers hang further out from the trunk an... read mored female flowers are directly on the trunk. Pollination is usually by sphinx moths. You can protect ripening fruit from birds by placing a nylon over the fruit.

Easily germinated from seed. In north and central florida to be sure of fruit by next fall, germinate seeds indoors in fall or winter and plant papayas outdoors in early spring. Powdery mildew can be a problem in cool, wet conditions but is easily controlled by organic and inorganic fungicides.

Fertilize monthly with 10-10-10. They are heavy feeders like bananas.

On Sep 29, 2003, anomina from Bradenton, FL (Zone 9b) wrote:

Papaya is an enthusiastic grower in Bradenton, Florida (U.S.) where we have sandy soil, so a bit of fertilizer is a help.

I don't care for the fruit and give it to those who do, but I keep the tree for its fragrance which is delightful. This year (2003) I had 50 or so good size fruits which over-filled 5 grocery sacks.

We get an occasional freeze, but not long lasting. I find that the tree freezes back and then starts out anew from the trunk stub left after the freeze, where it will branch out and form an umbrella. If it gets too tall, cut it back and it will branch.

Take the fruit off the tree before it ripens fully, or you have falling fruit which can be very messy as it splatters and bursts on contact the ground.

On Sep 24, 2003, suncatcheracres from Old Town, FL wrote:

I grew a very large and sweet red fruit variety from Hawaii in my yard in St. Petersburg, Florida, zone 9b, for many years. They were in a bed with Dwarf Brazilian Bananas, cannas, datura, zebra plant, copper leaf and other tropical looking plants, and we really enjoyed the fruit year after year. After winters with no frost, the plants would get really tall, but we never went more than two years without frost, and then they would die down, and I would start over from seed the next spring.

I recently discovered how people around here in northcentral Florida (Zone 8b) grow papayas. They start their seed in the fall, overwinter the seedlings in a cool greenhouse, and plant them out in mid- to late-spring, after all danger of frost is over, and have papayas to eat by the end ... read moreof summer. They are treated like annuals, and they start fresh seed all over again in the fall.

On Jul 1, 2003, skrsmsb from New Orleans, LA wrote:

I have grown this plant off and on for years in my 9A garden zone. It grows like topsy here in New Orleans, Louisiana (U.S.), with a watery trunk and little density. It flowers and fruits easily, and although it needs a mate, it seems to find one in the neighborhood to send the bees and moths to.

As soon as frost comes the tree dies outright and becomes a soggy mess. It may disappear from the garden for a year or two, only to pop up in another bed and grow to ten or fifteen feet in a season. The foliage is pretty and tropical, and if you can stand it where it pops up, it is enjoyable.

The fruit is okay but not great. The plant is so frost-tender in this zone that it does not become invasive.