Author Topic: How to increase cold-hardy-ness... and some papaya tricks  (Read 5809 times)

greenman62

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How to increase cold-hardy-ness... and some papaya tricks
« on: December 02, 2014, 06:49:54 AM »
OK
so forgive the name of the post
maybe " frost protection ideas for sensitive and subtropical plants" ?

Anyway,
i grow and LOVE papaya , and, in New Orleans, they often get killed by freezes
before i can get fruit.
in milder winters they pull through with just leaf loss.

i came up with a couple of tricks though.
perhaps some of you know these
but it was a learning experience for me.

First, i started planting the ones i really wanted on the South facing wall of my house
since i had to be a few feet away from the wall, i decided to start watering
ONLY on that side of the plant.
NOT watering near the trunk, and NOT watering on the side away from the house.

This made the roots grow toward the house where it is warmer.
I also have a hibiscus on one side,, and a evergreen boxwood on the other
they provide a lot of protection from the wind.
Wind is something i didnt realize was so important.
it not only dries out the plant, increasing water stress,
but, it takes away the heat around the plant.
minimizing ANY air movement around the plant is essential.
---

27F degrees a week before the photo.
---

---

Next, i added mulch.
Im sure most of you know this, but i underestimated how important it is.
The area between the plant and the house now has 2ft of mulch
and i am working on more !!
since the house keeps the ground warm for a few feet around it
adding 2ft of mulch makes a world of difference.
With the plants on each side, it creates a micro-environment which is quite warm.
---



---

i have several other papaya
on this one, i had built up an area of the yard a few inches.
this part of my yard is low, and not really the best area for papaya
but, i am limited on higher ground that gets sun.
i should have built up the soil level a bit more
 - project for next time, when i have to re-plant.

a neighbor was throwing away a banana tree he had chopped down.
i added other yard waste and mulch on top
of a plastic tarp.
When i know the weather will be warm for a week
i stick a hose under the tarp and water it.
but, now, it seems fairly moist, and it hasnt got water in a month.
--

--

---------
chopping the top off makes the plant grow shorter
(ive got dwarf seedlings growing now)
which reduces the heat loss from the wind.

I was torn  to do this on the other plant near the house
i didnt want to loose all my fruit.

questions ?
Ideas ?

« Last Edit: December 02, 2014, 06:58:10 AM by greenman62 »

gunnar429

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Re: How to increase cold-hardy-ness... and some papaya tricks
« Reply #1 on: December 02, 2014, 09:29:40 AM »
When you top the papaya, does it grow right back vertically and fruit on new shoot, or does it fruit on the existing trunk?
~Jeff

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MangoFang

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Re: How to increase cold-hardy-ness... and some papaya tricks
« Reply #2 on: December 02, 2014, 01:36:44 PM »
Tough growing location Louisiana Greenman!    But you are right and accurate to try to plant
in mounds close to those south-facing house walls.  I think that's the best you can do.  Right on, on
the mulching front too....

You know, there was a time when I had the idea that when winter arrived I would bend a frost sensitive plant down to the ground and cover it for protection and then pop it back upright (with support of course) after all danger of frost had passed.  I'm not sure how this would work with papaya as they are so weak-leafed and heavy.  I mean if one was to plant something really high on a  mound, then scoop away the dirt and expose the  highest roots would they then bend enough to bring the trunk down to the ground without breaking or damaging them severely?  I don't know....

Well, then of course I moved to a warm climate so never got to test the idea...

Gary

Just a thought

JeffDM

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Re: How to increase cold-hardy-ness... and some papaya tricks
« Reply #3 on: December 02, 2014, 05:58:16 PM »
I've got papayas planted all over my yard also and like you wintered some next to a south facing wall when they were in fabric pots. 
Looks like you're getting a good amount of fruit, but I'd be cautious about putting too much mulch or plants that close to the house.  The ants and other bugs in my area just love the mulch and the warmth of a south facing wall.   

TRI433

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Re: How to increase cold-hardy-ness... and some papaya tricks
« Reply #4 on: December 02, 2014, 08:41:15 PM »
One method that people have successfully used on Gulf coast is to cut the papaya stem to ground level right before frost  and then cover the cut stem with a garbage can filled with straw.   The first year you will not get many ripe papayas, but the second year and later the papayas ripen from September until frost time.

shaneatwell

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Re: How to increase cold-hardy-ness... and some papaya tricks
« Reply #5 on: December 02, 2014, 08:51:54 PM »
When you top the papaya, does it grow right back vertically and fruit on new shoot, or does it fruit on the existing trunk?
The former.
Shane

greenman62

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Re: How to increase cold-hardy-ness... and some papaya tricks
« Reply #6 on: December 03, 2014, 04:33:12 AM »
One method that people have successfully used on Gulf coast is to cut the papaya stem to ground level right before frost  and then cover the cut stem with a garbage can filled with straw.   The first year you will not get many ripe papayas, but the second year and later the papayas ripen from September until frost time.

thanks
i rarely talk to anyone about papaya unless they live in Fla or Calif.

i have cut them down to 2 ft or so (usually about 3ft) , never all the way to ground level.
i did it once and it died (that could have been due to the freeze though)

is that for all  cultivars ?
I have had plants that grew to 15ft tall or more
hard to believe cutting them to ground level wont kill them ??

most years my papaya make it through with just leaf loss.
this last winter, we had 3 cold snaps down to the mid 20s
One of them lasted for several days.
It killed ALL of my plants (about 10 mature plants)
pulling them up,, i noticed the roots looked good on most, but, the top of the trunks
had frozen so solid, they just turned to mush.

greenman62

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Re: How to increase cold-hardy-ness... and some papaya tricks
« Reply #7 on: December 03, 2014, 04:43:29 AM »
You know, there was a time when I had the idea that when winter arrived I would bend a frost sensitive plant down to the ground and cover it for protection and then pop it back upright (with support of course) after all danger of frost had passed.  I'm not sure how this would work with papaya as they are so weak-leafed and heavy.  I mean if one was to plant something really high on a  mound, then scoop away the dirt and expose the  highest roots would they then bend enough to bring the trunk down to the ground without breaking or damaging them severely?  I don't know....
it would snap the trunk.
papaya often carry a huge weight load, with 2 dozen or more fruit
weighing several pounds each...
in high winds, the trunks have been known to snap
and when the ground is wet,, it can rip the roots out of the ground.
ive even used 2x4s nailed to the trunk to support them.
 - good idea though, but it wont workt for papaya...

TRI433

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Re: How to increase cold-hardy-ness... and some papaya tricks
« Reply #8 on: December 05, 2014, 07:48:20 PM »
One method that people have successfully used on Gulf coast is to cut the papaya stem to ground level right before frost  and then cover the cut stem with a garbage can filled with straw.   The first year you will not get many ripe papayas, but the second year and later the papayas ripen from September until frost time.

thanks
i rarely talk to anyone about papaya unless they live in Fla or Calif.

i have cut them down to 2 ft or so (usually about 3ft) , never all the way to ground level.
i did it once and it died (that could have been due to the freeze though)

is that for all  cultivars ?
I have had plants that grew to 15ft tall or more
hard to believe cutting them to ground level wont kill them ??

most years my papaya make it through with just leaf loss.
this last winter, we had 3 cold snaps down to the mid 20s
One of them lasted for several days.
It killed ALL of my plants (about 10 mature plants)
pulling them up,, i noticed the roots looked good on most, but, the top of the trunks
had frozen so solid, they just turned to mush.


I should have said cut the stem to about two feet above  ground level.  If your plant stems survive the winter,  there is no need to cover or cut the stem.   New Orleans  probably has the mildest winter climate near the north Gulf Coast.  If other places on north Gulf Coast can grow papaya, you most certainly can too. 
« Last Edit: December 05, 2014, 07:57:40 PM by TRI433 »

phantomcrab

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Re: How to increase cold-hardy-ness... and some papaya tricks
« Reply #9 on: December 06, 2014, 08:14:40 AM »
I grew papaya (and grapefruit too) on Dauphin Island, AL many years ago. I do not remember the variety but the seed was purchased in Hawaii and the plants never exceeded 8 feet tall. They were grown 2 feet from the south wall of a house. For winterizing I would cut off the top of the plants leaving ~2.5 feet of stem. If a very strong cold spell was coming, the plants would be covered by a trash can. This seems to protect plants down to about 26o or so. The plants were well protected from north and west winds. They were never watered during the winter season. I also never had a plant survive beyond 3 years.
« Last Edit: December 06, 2014, 08:32:40 AM by phantomcrab »
Richard