Author Topic: Papayas without the vomit taste  (Read 1596 times)

TonyinCC

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Papayas without the vomit taste
« on: November 20, 2021, 07:39:23 AM »
I Finally found one, it was sold labeled as Red Lady. Since Papayas are grown from seed there can be variations even if they generally are true to type. Got lucky with this one.
I planted it at my Uncle's place in Cape Coral and it is loading up with fruit that are larger than the descriptions I have seen for that variety. Relatively low seed number, but it is an isolated plant. Very pleasant and sweet with less musk than a cantaloupe.  Some are a pound and a half and are seedless, others over 5 lbs with seeds. They must be very low in Papain. I am going to plant some seeds. Red Lady is supposed to be virus tolerant.
Any other varieties that are low in Papain? Does Tainung have funky flavor?

johnb51

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Re: Papayas without the vomit taste
« Reply #1 on: November 20, 2021, 09:31:37 AM »
I grew Red Lady several years back and found the flavor to be non-offensive, sweet, and good.  But it's an F1 hybrid so you can't use the seeds of your fruit to grow another plant with identical fruit.  Aloha Seed of El Centro, CA, sells the seeds.
John

Plantinyum

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Re: Papayas without the vomit taste
« Reply #2 on: November 20, 2021, 10:33:58 AM »
Ive also bought from the store a papaya tipe with guite small fruit, labeled as solo. I think i did the sirch some time ago and the variety behind the label was further identified by me as solo sunrise.
They are my fave papaya, very sweet, very enjoiable, no musky taste ever, i have been buing from them whenever i see them available.

TonyinCC

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Re: Papayas without the vomit taste
« Reply #3 on: November 20, 2021, 02:36:45 PM »
Thanks for the tip, John
Ordered my seeds today,also got several others including Solo Sunrise.Seeds were very cheap, I think they ship internationally as well....
I bet you could grow some in a pit greenhouse in temperate zones if you really like papayas. Papayas eventually get tall, BUT if you top them at about 1-2 feet they will regrow with multiple trunks. A neighbor of mine cut one down to kill it and it started to grow 3 trunks.
I think I will also grow out a few seeds from the Red Lady anyway to see what I get from a selfed F2. 

RodneyS

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Re: Papayas without the vomit taste
« Reply #4 on: November 20, 2021, 06:02:37 PM »
I grow Sunrise.  Doesn't have the musk smell, and is very sweet.  Highly recommend.


pineislander

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Re: Papayas without the vomit taste
« Reply #5 on: November 21, 2021, 10:01:56 AM »
Alohaseeds was sold out of Red lady 2 years ago and I bought Improved Red Maradol. Fruit seemed equivalent and very good flavor. One plant had non-typical very small fruit though, but only one out of 50 seeds. The method they use to prevent including male plants. By doing that, you can grow vigorous seedlings to the ideal size of 12" tall and transplant to ground very easily and be assured of a productive plant. The F1 hybrids do load up with an enormous crop of 100 pounds or more. Because of that they are subject to toppling and breaking over in wind. Plant them in full sun away from other plants so they don't begin to lean when they are more vulnerable to wind breakage. If they get leaned over be sure to straighten them if possible. I left some leaning just a little and the load eventually broke them, losing 500 pounds of green fruit.

The fruit load problem continues if you coppice the plants and the sprouts start out growing horizontal "arms". If those load up they frequently break off under the load.

Mike T

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Re: Papayas without the vomit taste
« Reply #6 on: November 22, 2021, 02:58:42 PM »
The quality to which you refer is called nasturtium and it is a feature of many yellow fleshed papaya grown in cooler areas but not confined to cooler areas. It is the reason why many people will not eat this fruit. Tropical grown reds are far less likely to exhibit this characteristic. The cure for it is an axe so its family tree is a stump and genes of such lines are removed from the pool.

Owen H

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Re: Papayas without the vomit taste
« Reply #7 on: November 22, 2021, 09:17:54 PM »
Does anyone have first hand knowledge of the height of red lady papaya? I'm wondering if it might work well in the greenhouse. I see some sites describe it as dwarf.

pineislander

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Re: Papayas without the vomit taste
« Reply #8 on: November 23, 2021, 02:19:52 PM »
Red Lady can grow 20 feet in 2-3 years in full sun south Florida. Under less than full sun they grow taller faster.
One interesting thing you could do in greenhouse is if it gets too large, dig it up partially or lay the pot over and it will turn upwards again with fruiting stem nearly horizontal. May be troube for watering but perhaps a repot after laying over would work.

This doesn't work so well for me in-ground it puts fruit down low for vermin but in a greenhouse that would be an option.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GVITQBS8Q0

I've seen some cruel looking bonsai style mutilations which actually heal over where the trunk is intentionally split into fourths vertically to allow laying over. I had one by the roadside get crushed and it healed and is regrowing upwards. Might be a fun option.

K-Rimes

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Re: Papayas without the vomit taste
« Reply #9 on: November 24, 2021, 11:08:14 AM »
I top my papayas around the height I want them to stay and they build a canopy low. I have this one carica that I topped too early and it's got a full canopy at only 4' tall and has a few fruit sets right now in the greenhouse.

Owen H

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Re: Papayas without the vomit taste
« Reply #10 on: November 24, 2021, 11:36:47 AM »
Thanks for the ideas. I'll buy some red lady seeds and give it a try since they are inexpensive anyway.