Papaya seedlings keep on shriveling and dying ?

[8ofGac]

I have been growing different types of papaya seeds and they grow up to 2 inches and then the leaves start to shrivel then the stem starts to dye off ? have the near a window where they at least get 7 hours of sun and the window is open so the get air circulation.

[sildanani]

Are they in their original pot? Did you recently repot them? Lack of humidity was the culprit when I had papaya seedlings growing, until they got over 6 in in height. You could put a half of a soda bottle over the pot as a bootleg humidity dome. You'd have to slowly introduce them to the environment over time, which can be a bit tricky.  I do this for my smallest seedlings and keep them on a heat mat in indirect sun. Works like a charm for me. Gives consistent growth rates almost year round.

[8ofGac]

I'll try that. they have been in the same container since they sprouted.

[Tropicdude]

Don't over water them.  well drained soil is best.

[JeffDM]

I've had good success starting my papaya seedlings in 1 gal. nursery pots using potting soil amended with perlite and/or cactus mix.  I put 5 seeds per pot and set them out on my shaded patio after the temps reach 70°F during the day.  They do take a long time to sprout and some die off (over watering maybe), but most do OK.
When they are a little over 1' tall I carefully plant the entire pot full in ground amended with cactus mix.
Things were going great in my new papaya grove until the gopher showed up.

[greenman62]

the number 1 reason for papaya seedlings to fail is overwatering.

I never water the directly. Either bottom watering
or, off to the side of the container, trying not to get the roots directly wet.

the love silica. Diatomaceous earth
 or even just add sand to the mix.
You will see a difference.

when they get larger epsom salt and a bit of iron help too.

[BajaJohn]

Asked a friend who planted seeds from store-bought papayas. He said they didn't germinate well in shade but did fine in full sun. The plants also seem to do better in the sun. One seedling he gave me was planted in an area that is partially shaded, especially in the morning. It is dwarf compared with those planted in full sun.....

The one in shade



The others were younger seedlings planted in full sun a few weeks after the first. The same ruler is leaning against the trunk of the second tree. There is even a small fruit growing on the first tree.