Papaya - One of the Easiest Fruit Trees to Grow

[@roberts4708]

Perfect timing! I live in a colder climate but I have a dwarf “hovey” papaya and it’s doing amazing actually. It’s one of the fastest growing trees I own and it fruits at just 3 feet tall! I really want an Inga tree too!

[@TropicalCentralValley]

That’s awesome. Yeah, they do grow very quick. Same with the Inga too. If you’re able to get some Inga seeds, they germinate very easily.

[@karenhitchens3563]

😂you just ousted yourself! You’re an amazing grower! Thank you for sharing your helpful tips! Keep on growing and stay safe! 😅

[@truthlove1114]

Great video and thank you for sharing your vast knowledge of papaya!

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Thank you.

[@easein]

Thank you so much! I am trying to find out what can grow in our area, as a newby, and LOVE this. Papaya is the best tasting thing on earth. Thanks for your channel and thanks for your in-depth explanations! Now I have to do binge-watching of your channel. Hope you keep more coming. Peace

[@TropicalCentralValley]

You’re very welcome. If you like the tastes of papaya, cherimoya, atemoya, sugar apple, sapote and sapodilla will not disappoint.

[@easein]

@@TropicalCentralValley Thanks! Haven't heard of half these. Just watched your sapote vids and looked up some other fruit/taste vids. Now I have to buy a bigger yard! You should really consider doing a 'fruit cutting, tasting' at the ends of yours. Thanks for expanding our world......New subscriber and will be sharing

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Thanks. The thing with taste videos is the fact that taste subjective.

[@easein]

@@TropicalCentralValley Yeah, but the thing is you are growing something that a LOT of us haven't tasted before or even know existed. A couple of years ago I tasted my first fresh Mulberry, another fruit you can't buy in the store. I was amazed. People may not like certain things, but you are growing things 80% of us don't even know exist. So give us a quick slice. OK. I'll stop there. LOL Peace

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Thanks for the feedback. I think the closest I have may be my Hawaii video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hWLcl4lrncmJg5Y In conversing with other viewers, the vast majority of viewers appear to be familiar with many of the tropical fruit trees grown in my yard. I don’t know if I’ll have much of an audience.

[@Alesoflo]

Watching from Florida, Thanks for Sharing. I do backyard gardening as well . Mostly in containers

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Thank you. They should thrive in your sandy soil, though you may need to provide them with some structural support as they become top heavy when loaded with fruits.

[@mauriciodiaz1310]

Great and i mean great!!! Content my friend amazing trully amazing!!!

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Thank you. They’re surprisingly easy to grow and maintain. It’s one of those trees that everybody knows and catches people’s second glances.

[@avtars530]

Beautiful ❤ I have small papaya plant

[@TropicalCentralValley]

That’s awesome. The trees grow at an insane pace, and produces fruits within the year.

[@foreverandaday8185]

I'll happily help you clear some space for other future tropical's via taking a couple red lady papaya's :)) But I'm in LA. Your fruit garden is filling in nicely. Thank you sharing your videos and tips!

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Thank you. I may take up your offer down the line. :)

[@foreverandaday8185]

@@TropicalCentralValley Awesome

[@lucyudy]

Thanks for the info. How often do you feed the plants and what do you do for pest control? Some of my leaves turn yellow .

[@TropicalCentralValley]

I feed them 3 times a year. Birds and other wild life helps with inspect pests. Assuming the leaves are located near the bottom of the tree, this is completely normal. If yellowing elsewhere, there are a number of reasons, including nutrient deficiency, environmental issues, etc.

[@lucyudy]

@@TropicalCentralValley Thanks, good to know

[@TropicalCentralValley]

You’re very welcome.

[@mosthated8190]

Can you airlayer those other branches on the papaya tree ?

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Although you can air layer papaya fruit trees, given the relatively short lifespan of a papaya tree, many simply opt to grow them from seeds, unless the papaya tree was superior in some way.

[@realemonful]

One thing I have researched high and low and nowhere can I get this answer. What are old papaya trees used for? Are they structurally sound to build something with or can you burn it or do you simply just throw it away?

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Being a hollow tree and relatively weak, I don’t imagine it being much useful as a constructing material. In my case, I simply chop and drop the tree to feed the soil organisms.

[@realemonful]

@@TropicalCentralValley Thanks for that reply but I am still curious. Could you use it to build a temporary shelter, for example, (You know, a tent like structure, for a season or so) and or could you lean a ladder up against it to pick the fruits, when it gets too high? I wish I could see a video of that, I find that plant/tree very interesting!

[@realemonful]

I guess another way to ask that same question... or is it like a corn stalk?

[@TropicalCentralValley]

The tree itself is quite brittle and breaks apart easily. It’s in the same league as a banana plant, though, slightly harder.

[@rockers7889]

10:15 pm tonight 7/7 my wife chased off an opossum on the patio , eating some cherry tomatoes . Lol . I saw a mocking bird make a pass on them on his daily morning travels for food . Oh well , even in suburban Cerritos "all kinda people at the dance" 🇯🇲❤💛💚

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Nothing like a happy garden that ties the ecosystem together.

[@rockers7889]

@@TropicalCentralValley yes generations of the local wildlife were here before I was . So as long as they don't get out of hand , I actually enjoy their visits

[@Maatson_]

What’s the taste difference between sunrise and sunset papaya I know they are sweet but does one test better then the other or similar.

[@TropicalCentralValley]

I don’t have much experience with the Sunset variety papaya. From what I’m told, they’re slightly smaller than the Sunrise variety. Not sure about the taste though, however, both are reported to be two of the world’s sweetest varieties.

[@f1346m]

I have a beutifull white fleshed guava fruit tree.Last strong winds we had here in the central valley broke the stake/support that was holding my tree secure. The morning after I stepped out to see my 10' foot tall fruit tree warped almost touching the ground. I immediately corrected the situation and nourish it back to life. However it did not produce flowering this season? Before the wind incident I relocated a peach tree that was about 6 feet from the guava tree. I wonder if the problem not producing this year was product of damage due to winds or the removal of the peach tree?

[@TropicalCentralValley]

I would agree that the tree is probably in recovery mode. It may take it another year before deciding to flower and produce fruits again.

[@erickangelcastro]

This is awesome! What part of central California? I’m in Bakersfield… not sure if that constitutes central California….. it’s zone 9b where I’m at…. I’ve been planting fruit trees in my yard last two years. Ive had avocados 🥑 and guavas fail on me out here…. Maybe specific drought tolerant varieties? Keep Posting videos!

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Thank you. I’m in Visalia, about 80 miles north of you. To my knowledge, the Central Valley, which consists of the northern Sacramento Valley and the southern San Joaquin Valley goes between Redding and Bakersfield. The cool thing about the various cities in the Central Valley is our similar climate. I too have had a number of tropical fruit trees died on me for various reasons, however, I have since (slowly) learned from my mistakes and now have a relatively high success rate with growing them here in the Valley.

[@DovieRuthAuthor]

Hello! I also live in Bako. I bought a red guava tree from Lowe’s and it is amazing. The avocado tree, not so much. I’m really curious about the papaya trees.

[@TropicalCentralValley]

All of my papaya trees have performed admirably. Although they are frost sensitive, none of mine has had any serious issues with winter.

[@rishabh2892]

How much water is daily required in a papaya plant?

[@TropicalCentralValley]

I don’t break it down just for my trees, but here’s a video touching the topic: How Much Water Is Used on 200+ Tropical Fruit Trees in California's Central Valley kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5i2aK2fhNikfrc

[@cactuscannon]

I am growing papaya trees that I started from a grocery store fruit. Is there a way to tell which variety it is? Also, can some trees turn out to be male non-fruit-bearing trees?

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Apart from the size and potentially shape of the papaya fruit, it’s hard to tell. Some papaya varieties produce smaller, sweeter fruits such as the Hawaiian Solo, Sunrise while others produce larger, milder fruits such as the Mexican papaya. The height of the tree too can be indication of the variety. You’re very likely going to get a female or bisexual variety from a store bought fruit. If a male tree, there’s always the chance that it’ll turn into a bisexual tree under the right heat and conditions.

[@unpopuIaropinion]

What websites do you recommend for papya seeds? I am in Greece so they must ship

[@TropicalCentralValley]

None, as the seeds need to remain super fresh. If possible, I’d stop by your local ethnic grocery store and see what types of papaya fruits are available. You’re bound to get hundreds of seeds from a single papaya fruit and from that, dozens of seedlings.

[@unpopuIaropinion]

@@TropicalCentralValley All my papaya plants come from seeds that have been shipped from overseas. But the problem is they do not have many different varieties.. I found some nice seeds from ETSY hopefully the seller was honest.

[@TropicalCentralValley]

We have somewhat the same issue, though, our options for papaya varieties appear to be slightly better.

[@aaronmorita8735]

I just found your channel, it’s very interesting. I live in Selma and would like to start trying to grow some of those different fruits. Do you sell those starts, or can you let me know where I can maybe buy some? I’m always looking looking for different fruits and vegetables to grow.

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Thank you. Unfortunately, I do not sell any of my tropicals. If you’re taking a trip down to the Los Angeles region, there’s actually a good number of tropical fruit tree nurseries there.

[@metalsplash310]

100 degrees? HOW are you outside? I would inevitably iie after 30 minutes.

[@TropicalCentralValley]

I’m acclimated to the Central Valley’s summer. In fact, we were getting 113°F to 117°F earlier this week.

[@melbournesubtropicfruits9474]

I planted a Red Papaya on a mound and doing great thru our Winter - no watering - can you do a video on your Starfruit such as when it flowers and when it sets fruit - I have flowers on Kembangan & Kary still from late summer to mid winter and no set - Thanks

[@TropicalCentralValley]

That’s awesome. They’re surprisingly hardy. I’ve done a number of videos covering the growing of starfruit trees, however, did not go into great details concerning their flowering and fruiting stages. I know your season is slightly different than mine, but all of my starfruit trees (mostly Kari varieties) generally fruits twice a year - winter and summer crops. This year, my main Kari appears to be taking a break and has not flowered, but my other ones are flowering and setting fruits.

[@melbournesubtropicfruits9474]

@@TropicalCentralValley Yes ive seen a video of one near your frint door - mine is in similar location - would be grear for you to do an in depth on flowering / fruiting and if tbey need another close for pollinating? Everyone here in Melbourne Australia can't get any set - flowers dont fully open in mid Autumn nor do they flower in spring - more late Summer as it cools but not had a frost yet.

[@TropicalCentralValley]

That’s interesting. Starfruit trees are generally not fussy. Assuming your trees are of fruit producing age, there’s nothing special about my climate or the microclimate provided to the starfruit trees. As with all of my trees, I do eliminate any nitrogen fertilizer to the trees when they’re blooming/fruiting and increase phosphorus, potassium and watering.

[@melbournesubtropicfruits9474]

@@TropicalCentralValley grafted Kembangan has been flowering for over 4y - 2.7mt tall and seedling Kari flowering last 2 years - both have flowers now thru mid winter but arnt opening aa days max about 13c lately - yes also mainly using K & some P as slow release bat Guano

[@cactuscannon]

I, too, have a Sri Kembangan star fruit tree. It's about 4 years old. Its been flowering in winter and spring (zone 9B) however, this spring was the first time we got 2 fruits. I was told this variety is self-pollinating. Is there a reason why it's not fruiting?

[@damehinojosa334]

Great Video. What was the plant in between the papaya's? The one that looks like elephant ears. Is it full sun?

[@TropicalCentralValley]

They are taro plants. Very easy to grow in the Central Valley and take our climate. I occasionally use them to shade my smaller trees.

[@19potato19]

Anyone else notice the guy just sitting in the black car behind him? Lol😂

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Yup, that would be the neighbor.

[@user-pn8tm5eq3u]

How close together in the ground do you plant them?

[@TropicalCentralValley]

About 3-6 inches, in some cases.

[@user-pn8tm5eq3u]

@@TropicalCentralValley And they’re kept permanently that far (fusing) or you space out later?

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Yes. They’re in the ground.

[@user-pn8tm5eq3u]

@@TropicalCentralValley Thank you

[@TropicalCentralValley]

You’re very welcome.

[@asondareyes5482]

I don’t know I killed 2-3 papaya tree already. Good thing it was free! I had it in my pot.. it’s either burning leaves or rotten. I almost bought another one at HD and decided to put it back cause i don’t wanna kill it again. I don’t wanna loose $23 lol.

[@TropicalCentralValley]

That’s a bummer. For papaya, I would not recommend buying already grown trees, and instead, just grow them from seeds. There’s literally hundreds of seeds, giving that many chances.

[@ultraculture1]

Yeah, I learned the hard way about watering in the winter, I lost all of them. I'll try to better next winter.

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Trial and error. I too was in the same boat as you were in the beginning.

[@vtran1978]

Have you try growing Hawaiian papaya? Is it too cold sensitive?

[@TropicalCentralValley]

I had a 4 year old Hawaiian Solo that I have since taken out to make room for other tropicals. As with other varieties, they do fine in the Central Valley.

[@BadWeatherfreak]

How do you plant the on the ground? Like size of the hole and mixture of soil. I am in florida so here is very sandy.

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Specific to your situation, I’m not sure if you even need to amend your soil when planting it in the ground, as your sandy soil is preferred. One of the downside may be the tree’s inability to anchor itself in your sandy soil, if so, it may not be a bad idea to add some perlite and other non-organic soil amendments when planting. As for the size of the hole, a good general rule of thumb is to dig the hole twice the size of the container. Don’t worry about the depth of the hole as the papaya tree’s roots are shallow.

[@AMAOG78191]

When will you know if your seedling is male or female? Is it best to just plant a group of seeds in an area and remove the males down the road??

[@TropicalCentralValley]

The majority of the seeds from your store bought papaya will likely be female or hermaphrodites. Under certain conditions, a hermaphrodite papaya tree will transition into a female fruit producing tree. To date, all of my store bought papaya seeds have turned out to be either female or hermaphrodite trees. I would recommend you put any many seeds in the ground as you can then pluck out the underperforming ones as they grow, while leaving either 3 or 2 final trees.

[@rebeccaledesma4912]

I really want to like papaya. I bought a mexican variety from the store in hopes of planting the seeds, but it smelled so much like vomit i didnt even save the seeds! Is there a variety that you have experience with that is LEAST likely to have that smell/taste? I have o ky seen mexican varieties in the stores. Im also in visalia.

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Can’t say I have had any ripen papaya fruits that smell bad. Specific to your question, try the Hawaiian Solo, as they are easily found in our local ethnic grocery stores. I’ve seen them in Vallarta and R-N Market at times. If nearing the Fresno area, the SF Supermarket sometimes carries them.

[@rebeccaledesma4912]

@@TropicalCentralValley i complety forgot about RN market, thank you.

[@TropicalCentralValley]

You’re very welcome.

[@annieoneill3876]

Hello, I am in Southern California and wanted to start planting papayas. Which varieties would you recommend?

[@TropicalCentralValley]

In your region, practically all varieties will thrive without issues. The Mexican varieties are quite tall. The Hawaiian Solo, Sunrise, Sunset and Red Lady varieties are very sweet and compact.

[@annieoneill3876]

@@TropicalCentralValley Thank you!

[@TropicalCentralValley]

You’re very welcome. The nice thing about papaya trees in the fact that they produce fruits within the first year.

[@annieoneill3876]

@@TropicalCentralValley Do you have some seeds to share?

[@annieoneill3876]

@@TropicalCentralValley Super market sell Hawaii papayas, but I wouldn’t know which verity. How do you check?

[@marycampbell4160]

Thanks for sharing

[@TropicalCentralValley]

You’re very welcome.

[@sachinprasad223]

I have my papaya in a pot. Im in sac. U think i can plant in ground right now?? Winter time needs coverage right?? Or leave in pot as is?? Thanks bro and any fertilizer u recomend

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Now is the perfect time to put them in the ground. I’ve never had to frost protect mine. Any organic fertilizer would do. They are somewhat of a heavy feeder.

[@genejaytre]

Is the strawberry a dwarf size?

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Mine is not, though I do prune it heavily to give it a tree shape, and less bushy.

[@genejaytre]

@@TropicalCentralValley ok thanks. I read it only get to about 10ft

[@TropicalCentralValley]

They grow to normal guava tree size, at about 25 feet if not kept pruned.

[@genejaytre]

@@TropicalCentralValley I am referring to the papaya

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Got it, sorry for the confusion. My strawberry guava and strawberry papaya are next to each other. Specific to the strawberry papaya, in my region, the tree gets to about 12 feet tall, not as tall as the Mexican variety. If seeking more compact papaya, I would recommend the Red Lady.

[@vcyn333]

Which kind of papaya is used for thai papaya salad?

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Generally, any green, unripen papaya will do.

[@JHall-dl1sb]

Yes, l had papaya die because of cold (or the tree just didn’t like the owner/me). And l live in central Florida.

[@TropicalCentralValley]

That’s a bummer. I do know Florida rains often, but I would keep trying. The neat thing is the fact that they are extremely easy to germinate from seeds.

[@Darklightflash-z8j]

I feel so bad. Al my papaya seedlings are dying after 3 weeks or so ..

[@TropicalCentralValley]

That’s a bummer. Try mixing half peat moss and half sand as your growing medium for containers; I have had great success with this formula.

[@samuelford9384]

Iam a Papaya grower. And Iam not a big fan of red lady papaya. Holica is for me so far the best veraity. Easy to harvest, good shelf life, best tasting, and medium size fruit

[@TropicalCentralValley]

I’ve been unable to locate any information regarding the Holica variety papaya. Regardless, I don’t think I’ve ever had any bad tasting ripen papaya.

[@damehinojosa334]

Let me know if you want to sell your red lady papaya seedlings. I live in Delano. 😄

[@TropicalCentralValley]

I don’t sell any of my tropical trees. However, if you’re able to obtain a fresh Red Lady papaya (or any other varieties from various ethnic grocery stores in Fresno), they germinate very easily from seed.

[@Maatson_]

Red lady papaya is every where down here in Fl , not a fan of them from the market it has a musk after taste that gets to me. The ones my neighbors grow taste a little better only because it has a water like taste

[@TropicalCentralValley]

When visiting Robert Is Here, I did see a number of yards with papaya trees, among other tropical fruit trees. Personally, I believe everything you grow does taste better than store bought ones.

[@samuelford9384]

Red Lady Papaya are hybrid papayas. Growing them from seed collected from a fruit is then not really a red lady papaya.

[@TropicalCentralValley]

This is true. As with all papaya varieties, they are not true to seed.

[@karenhitchens3563]

😂you just ousted yourself! You’re an amazing grower! Thank you for sharing your helpful tips! Keep on growing and stay safe! 😅

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Thank you. Luckily virtually no one watches my KZbin videos, so I’m feeling relatively safe.