Papaya Trees Starting to Bear Fruit!

It's been over a year since I propagated papaya seeds. I used seeds from store bought papaya. I like eating papaya since they are good for digestion and I read it's quite nutritious. I've been curious on what I can grow from store bought fruits and since papaya has a lot of seeds I figured I could probably succeed. 

I dried the seeds first and then planted it in soil. I neglected it for awhile, but managed to plant a few that survived. Again neglected it, but when I added compost two months ago they suddenly grew taller. Two weeks ago two trees started to grow something unfamiliar to me. I immediately consulted a friend and he jokingly told me they were caterpillars (hahaha).

He eventually said they were the flowers and should eventually become papaya fruit. Woohoo! I added some compost early this week and hope it would really eventually bear fruit. My friend advised me not to transfer the tree anymore since it's in a small pot. Sweetie checked it and he said that the roots have gone beyond the pot already. Yasss! 

I should take care of the other smaller plants and re-pot them to bigger ones so they can grow properly. For the two trees growing flowers, I hope the rain won't affect it. My friend said if all goes well, I'll have a bunch of papaya fruits in two to three months. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Two Months After Propagating Solo Papaya Seeds

I've grown fond of eating papaya since my confinement in November. I usually order solo papaya together with my groceries since it's just enough for me. Last March I experimented on propagating papaya seeds. I washed off the goo and the let it dry for a few days. Then I placed it on a paper towel in a container. I sprayed it with water and left it on the bottom shelf beside the sink. 

It took three weeks before it started sprouting. I would check it weekly and I think I sprayed more water once or twice. I was worried it would just dry up since it was really hot in April. I wasn't sure when to plant it in soil. To be honest, I forgot about the seedlings. They had grown quite long before I remembered to plant them in soil. 

I transferred the seedlings to a propagation tray. I decided to do that so it could have water all the time. Good thing I did because I got sick right after planting the seedlings in soil. It survived for two weeks while I was unable to do any gardening. 

I was surprised to see the seedlings grow more leaves when I was well enough to go to the garden. It was the perfect time to transfer them to bigger pots so they could grow bigger. I mixed loam soil, compost and rice hull a day before I transferred the seedlings. I re-used some smaller pots which I disinfected first before I used them. I selected the bigger seedlings first and they seem to be adjusting well. 

Now I have to research whether I could grow the papaya in a pot. I don't think it will survive if I plant them on the ground since we have very curious cats. There are currently 15 seedlings and I hope a good percentage of them would grow and bear fruit. 

#BeKind #StaySafe