laidbackdood
mine would wilt in the summer heat, especially in direct sun
i would spray the leaves with a hose. that perks them right up.

I read a paper recently that said plants stop growing over a certain temp.
i forgot the exact number, but, it was in the upper 90s i think.
and the test was on several species,, including papaya.

They said to do whatever it takes to cool the plant off...
water, shade etc...

"some of the lower leaves are going yellow"
They do that normally.
The life of a leaf is 4 to 6 months.
They pull what nutrients they can, back into the plant, before they rid themselves of the leaf.
As long as its only the bottom OLDER leaves, i wouldnt worry about yellowing.

---
Iron deficiency causes yellowing of the newest foliage. The leaf veins remain green while the tissue between the veins turns a pale yellow
Though iron deficiency is the most common problem, manganese and zinc deficiencies may occur as well and mimic the symptoms of iron deficiency.
https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/bp/bp-27.html
---

They dont like consistently wet soil. that is the #1 killer of papaya in my experience.
and from talking to other people.

"when should i sprinkle some food around the drip line please"
if you do use organics, i would do it right away.
organics are not readily available to the plant.
they have to be broken down by microbes etc... first
They respond really well to chicken poo, worm castings + worm tea, urine, and fish emulsion.
also to well rotted coffee grounds.

i dont like using chemicals either, but, mangofang is correct,
they are heavy feeders. So, they do need  a lot of nitrogen.

Urine is very high in nitrogen, its lower in P and K
but, they are still present in usable quantities.
a ratio of NPK of about 11:1:2

http://www.inspirationgreen.com/index.php?q=four-times-the-size-of-an-unfertilized-tomato.html&start=20

http://growlighting.blogspot.com/2011/02/human-urine-for-fertilizer-is-top-notch.html

Make sure you dilute urine 1 part pee/10 parts water.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/09/090918-urine-ash-fertilizer.html

Epsom Salts also a great addition for papaya ferts.
i sprinkle 1 or 2 tablespoons around the base of the plant.
ive noticed excellent results from this.
i think magnesium uptake is one of the limiting factors of the fast growth of papaya.
(at least in MY soil)
it seemed to make the leaves a darker green also.

Just curious
are you using these ?
Do you find they work ?

i grow lots of stuff,, often from seed
including papaya which is actually an herb
i know these stimulants are big in the marijuana growing community
but, they also spend tons of $ on that stuff
i have to be much more frugal.

What i would like is  a stimulant for small growing plants and roots.
Stronger plants when small are critical for papaya.

Also, something to induce, or speed flowering would be nice as well.

i am looking at Atonic and IBA-K (water soluble)

http://massspectrumbotanicals.com/category/horticulture-aids/plant-growth-regulators/

any ideas ?

if you have a magnifying lens, look real close at those specs
and try to brush them off.
if it is latex, they will come off.

i just realized you are in Reykjavík...
WOW !!
No wonder you have a hard time finding fresh fruit !
i guess i would want to grow my own as well.

and i thought it was a pain for me, because New Orleans is too cold in the winter
to grow some of the tropicals... LOL

good luck

im interested in the inga

will it work in 9a/9b ?
I am in New Orleans
most of the winter is very mild, but we get 2-3 cold snaps
this morning was 27 (coldest since last winter)
some years it barely breaks 32 though.

im wondering if this wold work as easy
or, perhaps even easier, with 2 similar species ?

It would be nice to have a cold-hardy papaya.

lots of people have tried cross pollination with papaya relatives
there was some work at a few universities, but, the papaya ringspot virus took center stage
when it comes to genetic manipulation.

i had 2 papaya growing out of the same hole once.
they were entangled pretty good.
i thought for sure they would grow together
but after they got 3ft tall, i just killed one
to  give the other a chance to produce fruit.

i might have to throw some seeds together to see what happens

grumichama, surinam cherry...
i would think of cacti also, besides dragonfruit.
opuntia is very trouble-free.
3 types of guava ? you can add to that easily.
i have a ton of seeds from my Mexican Cream.

if yu want a short papaya tree, you can cut the top off.
it wont fruit any lower, but it will certainly limit the height.
i top mine twice a year
just 1 or 2 inches is all they need.

i have a few varieties, one fruits about 20-24 inches off the ground

i did order papaya seeds off ebay a few time
once was from a small seller, who said it was an heirloom tree
the seeds were sent in a envelope and were crushed completely.
(they did refund me the $3)

at least 2 other times i got seeds from ebay
no problems.

in warm climates papaya is consistently fruiting
and has a lot of fruit per tree.



i have a mulberry which puts out a ton of fruit
but, only for 2 weeks.

as far as calories, i would think a sweet fruit would be more calorie dense than a nut
though the nut might be healthier.

We had one day in early November it got down to 28F
but, only for a few hours
it was 45 when i wen to bed, and by 11am it was back in the over 40F

the weatherman missed it by like 8 degrees, and i lost some plants.
only in containers though, the ones in the ground were OK
since ground temps didnt get a chance to really drop...

since then it hasnt dipped below 40-42
its still early in the year though. Sometimes we get a freeze in Feb,
 or even early March.
i have Papaya, Carob, Cherimoya, mulberry and Lychee putting out new growth in the unheated greenhouse.
Jackfruit and the more sensitive stuff seem dormant, but OK and still have leaves.

Gary,
dont let those papaya roots get wet.

In New Orleans Zone 9b
also very interested.

You can plant as many Mango trees here as you like,
and i will be happy to taste test them for you

Hi all
i am in New Orleans (zone 9b),
and am a bit worried about spending lots of $ for a mango tree, when there is a possibility of it
either freezing, or , never bearing fruit, because the flowers fall off
or the fruiting is interrupted due to freezes here.
i have heard of people growing mango in 9b however.
I do plan on buying  a couple of 3 gallon plants in spring
but, want to grow some from seed as well.

So, this brings me to growing some from seed
which costs me nothing really, since i love to eat mango from the store.
i do get good tasting Ataulfos here, and have been growing the seeds out
i have at least 5 seedlings, and a few more seeds in hand.

I have a Florigon in a container, but, only room in the greenhouse
for 1 mango, and this will be it.
So, i want to end up, with 3-5 in my yard as well.

So, the question is, how would an Ataulfo taste grown from seed ?

Also...
any help in determining what variety would grow best here.
Obviously, my first problem is cold weather
the second (i think) is humidity, and high rainfall
(New Orleans has high rainfall all year long)

Would maybe a variety that flowers in the spring be best
 to hedge against frost hurting the small fruit ?

all responses appreciated.
Brad

You wanted pods to make tea with ?
i had a ton of them before the freeze.
my first attempt at drying them out resulted in fungus
2nd time i threw them in the freezer.

i have some seeds.
my plants took a hit 2 weeks ago at 27F
so everything died except the trunk of 1 plant.
saw a couple of flowers last week, but , its pretty much done.

i love papaya too,
and am growing mountain papaya to graft too.
for some reason i havent had much success in grafting though.
but, after a few years of growing papaya, i just learned to create a mound
on a high spot in the yard to stop the root-rot.
also, mychorizal fungi helps.

ive heard people successfully graft to Babacco,, so,, good luck.