Author Topic: Papayas don't thrive  (Read 772 times)

eez0

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Papayas don't thrive
« on: June 13, 2022, 03:11:52 PM »
This is the second attempt at planting papayas, and it's going down the path of my previous one.

Leaves start to shrink, to become yellow/white, and eventually, they all fall.





Weather should not be a problem. It's not ideal, but it's ok. There are other papaya trees around.
Drainage is good. Puddles drain quickly.

What else could be wrong?
 

pineislander

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Re: Papayas don't thrive
« Reply #1 on: June 14, 2022, 12:26:34 PM »
Looks like lots of rice hulls. Is there horse manure or compost containing hay residues involved? I see grass weeds in your photo but absolutely no dicot weeds. Not sure where you are located but here in the USA we are seeing frequent problems especially with horses being fed hay contaminated with Aminopyralid herbicide. It passes the gut and persists in the manure. For a simple test plant some beans and see if they shrivel up and die.
More info:
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/AG416

eez0

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Re: Papayas don't thrive
« Reply #2 on: June 14, 2022, 06:11:22 PM »
I spoke with a local nursery today, and they told me that it's sunburn.

pineislander

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Re: Papayas don't thrive
« Reply #3 on: June 15, 2022, 12:04:17 PM »
Did the nursery explain why these have sunburned but other papaya trees around are not affected?

K-Rimes

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Re: Papayas don't thrive
« Reply #4 on: June 15, 2022, 01:37:57 PM »
They look kind of normal to me if this is a new planting. Papaya leaves fall off at a rapid pace as the tree grows at least for me. They do not like being soaked that much so careful about overwatering. They are very expressive and will start to wilt a bit when it's time to water so I wait for that to be just barely happening then give them a good soak and let it dry before watering again.

roblack

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Re: Papayas don't thrive
« Reply #5 on: June 15, 2022, 01:47:40 PM »
Papaya can be tough to repot and plant; roots tend to be sensitive. Might just need some time to recover, or not. Best papaya plants for me tend to be from seeds that sprouted out of the ground.

slopat

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Re: Papayas don't thrive
« Reply #6 on: June 15, 2022, 03:45:32 PM »
My sister in Hawaii just buries the seeds in a corner of the yard and a few months later, papayas magically appear. They get chopped down when the fruits get picked or grow too tall and the cycle repeats. No real effort as they seem to grow like weeds there  So nice to pick some papayas and a lemon or two at the same time.  Served chilled and splashed with lemon juice,  good stuff! 


Papaya can be tough to repot and plant; roots tend to be sensitive. Might just need some time to recover, or not. Best papaya plants for me tend to be from seeds that sprouted out of the ground.