Author Topic: How far apart should papaya be planted?  (Read 2418 times)

savemejebus

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How far apart should papaya be planted?
« on: October 07, 2017, 07:03:17 PM »
Have some Hawaiian seedlings growing in 1 gallon pots. Plan is to put 2-3 in one area and 2-3 somewhere else. Any general guidance in spacing them? Space is getting scarce in my yard.

Daintree

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Re: How far apart should papaya be planted?
« Reply #1 on: October 08, 2017, 10:02:53 AM »
I don't know about in the ground, but I have two Wainmanalo dwarf papaya growing/fruiting in the same 25 gallon pot, so I don't think they are too picky.

Carolyn

greenman62

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Re: How far apart should papaya be planted?
« Reply #2 on: October 08, 2017, 10:10:58 AM »
it really kind of depends on where you got the seed
most new seed, especially , Hawaiin, has mostly bi-sex (%66 or more) plants.
%33 male and %33 F.
and i beleive a bi-sex can polinate a Female, but im not positive
because the stamens are set kind of deep in the flower.

The older way of planting papaya was to put 3 plants in a hole,
and kill (cut at ground) the ones that produced male flowers.
but leaving 1 plant per hole max. and 1 to 2 males every 100 plants or so.

Now since the percent of bi-sex is much higher, you dont have to do that.

if you are going to have 2 of more plants the % chance of both being male is low
3 plants -all male - is very very low.
(out of the last 10 seeds, i think ive seen 1 male)

so it depends on how many plants you want, and how much room you have.
they can get pretty wide from leaf-tip to leaf-tip.
and i dont suggest a lot of intermingling of leaves.

so if you  plant them 6 to 8ft apart, the leaves will intermingle a bit
if thats in direct sun with a lot of hours, its probably not a problem.
they want a lot of direct sun.

some people will "top" their plants, cutting the top inch or 2 off when its about 4 to 6ft tall.
this will make it brach, producing 2 (or more) trunks the leaves come from
this can also make the plants take up more room
it helps keep the plant shorter, and will also produce more fruit.
(when i do this, i thin the flowers/fruit about %30.)


BajaJohn

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Re: How far apart should papaya be planted?
« Reply #3 on: October 08, 2017, 01:23:16 PM »
I have a similar problem with space. These are 4 seedlings from a store-bought maradol transplanted to 1 meter apart about a year ago. The idea was to cut down the least productive but so far I haven't had the heart. Recommended separation is about 2 meters between plants.

The tree at the left side of the row is doing way better than the others although it is only about 6 feet from a grapefruit tree. One other is producing a lot of fruit but is way behind in terms of maturity. Not sure if this is because of close planting or not. Another tree planted earlier and alone but with some hours of shade each day is doing the poorest of all.
t



Topping to induce branching is advised against in culture recommendations. It is reported to reduce fruit production and also requires that you support branches with heavy fruit load.

A local helper suggested that it is commonly thought that damage will induce a male tree to become female or mixed. He stuck a vertically oriented knife blade right through the trunk about 6" from the ground and made a second cut at right angles to it. He did this at maybe 6 months when the trees had started flowering. Sure enough, the trees with only male flowers started to produce both male and female flowers. Not a controlled experiment but possibly something to try if your plants produce only male flowers.
« Last Edit: October 08, 2017, 01:26:04 PM by BajaJohn »

Vernmented

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Re: How far apart should papaya be planted?
« Reply #4 on: October 08, 2017, 02:01:56 PM »
I feel like I was at a commercial planting with space between rows but plants were maybe 3 feet apart within the row.
-Josh

lebmung

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Re: How far apart should papaya be planted?
« Reply #5 on: October 08, 2017, 03:00:08 PM »
The papaya root is predominately composed of one or two 0.5–1.0 m (1 1/3 - 3 1/4 ft) long tap roots. Secondary roots emerge from the upper sections and branch profusely, an they reach up to 3m (9ft) from the tap root.
You should space them minimum 2m (6ft).
Hawaii papayas are very sensitive to cold weather under 15C (60F) compared to other bisexual varieties, their roots will root rot under cold and rain.

greenman62

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Re: How far apart should papaya be planted?
« Reply #6 on: October 08, 2017, 04:08:48 PM »
The papaya root is predominately composed of one or two 0.5–1.0 m (1 1/3 - 3 1/4 ft) long tap roots. Secondary roots emerge from the upper sections and branch profusely, an they reach up to 3m (9ft) from the tap root.
You should space them minimum 2m (6ft).
Hawaii papayas are very sensitive to cold weather under 15C (60F) compared to other bisexual varieties, their roots will root rot under cold and rain.

ive looked at a LOT of papaya roots from large plants
and have come to the conclusion that they seek water... period.

looking at male, female, bi-sex ... different varieties etc...

ive noticed it depends highly on the type of soil
(how loose it is)
how often it gets water, and how long that soil holds water.

ive seen plants with deep tap roots,
and plants with no tap, but 25ft long root 1/2 in below the soil line.
so it depends on the structure of the soil (loose sand, clay etc...)
and how often and deeply it get water.
« Last Edit: October 08, 2017, 04:28:53 PM by greenman62 »

lebmung

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Re: How far apart should papaya be planted?
« Reply #7 on: October 08, 2017, 04:59:54 PM »
Yes they all look for water. Soil is important indeed. But don't forget papaya plants are dependent on mycorrhizas for their nutrition. A very colonized plant will have a lot of roots. Also a cutting will develop a smaller root system.

luc

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Re: How far apart should papaya be planted?
« Reply #8 on: October 08, 2017, 06:35:49 PM »
How tall do those Hawaiian Solo's get and how many years are they productive ?
 
Luc Vleeracker
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Lory

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Re: How far apart should papaya be planted?
« Reply #9 on: October 09, 2017, 04:28:28 AM »
For my experience 2x2 meters is good enough. If you wanna give them more "comfort 2.5x2.5 meters
Lorenzo