Papaya isn’t a typical houseplant—which is precisely why you would possibly consider growing one. Plus the seeds are so plentiful and straightforward to sprout. one supermarket papaya will yield several hundred black seeds. Simply dry them out on a towel , and you’ll have enough seeds to sprout papayas for the remainder of your life.

Papaya isn’t a real tree, but rather a semi-woody herb that grows with a thick central stem. The plants themselves are beautiful with a highly tropical appearance, with wide, deeply lobed leaves that opened up atop a thick stem resembling a trunk. The flowers sprout directly from this stem, along side the next fruits.

Papaya may be a very fast-growing plant, and in nature, it quickly assumes its adult size and bears fruit. Indoors, it generally won’t be practical to grow plants to the 15-foot stature necessary for them to supply fruit. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t grow these fantastic plants—it just means you won’t be eating fruit from them.

Plants grown from seeds will sprout in about fortnight and grow to flowering maturity in only 5 to six months. Unless pruned, many sorts will reach the ceiling before a year has passed.

Papaya Care

Papaya plants grow in similar conditions as bananas, requiring bright light, humidity, heat, and many of fertilizer and water. Also, just like the banana, it’s a particularly fast-growing semi-woody plant with large leaves that are the very essence of the tropics. because the plant grows, the lower leaves will yellow and fall off, leaving half-moon shaped leaf scars on the trunk-like stem.

It’s unlikely an inside papaya plant will flower, but if it does, you’ll determine if your plant is male or female. Female plants have fragrant white flowers that emerge from the axis between the stem and leaf. Male plants have smaller yellow or white flowers that grow on pendant stalks.

These are very fast-growing plants, and most varieties will outgrow their space unless pruned regularly. There are few pests and diseases to stress about, though a number of the quality indoor houseplant pests—aphids, mealybugs, and mites—may also affect papaya plants. Rot problems may occur if the potting soil is just too dense and lacking in drainage.

Light

Give this plant full sun, or conditions as bright as you’ll provide. Papayas also are an excellent sunny patio plant for summer climates.

Soil

When grown indoors, use a loose, well-drained, very rich potting mix. within the outdoor garden, the plant needs very well-drained soil.

Water

These plants need a prodigious amount of water. because the plant grows, expect to water it daily.

Temperature and Humidity

Papaya plants need quite warm conditions, up to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. If you retain the plant during winter, attempt to keep the temperature as warm as possible, with high ambient humidity. this is often not a plant that will tolerate a location near a drafty window.

In warm-weather climates, potted papayas are sometimes grown on a patio. But they’re going to not react well to any temperatures below 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

Fertilizer

Feed your papaya plant abundantly. Papayas are very rapidly growing plants that require nutrients to support that growth. Feed it every fortnight with a balanced fertilizer.

Is Papaya Toxic?

The milky papaya sap (latex) is often slightly caustic to the skin, so it’s best to avoid the sticky white sap whenever possible.

Symptoms of Toxicity

The sap within the leaves, stems, and unripe fruit can cause irritation and rash to the skin—a reaction which will be painful in individuals who are sensitive . This rarely needs medical attention, aside from washing it off and treating the skin with an ointment designed to appease dermatitis reactions.

Papaya Varieties

It’s impossible to understand precisely what sort of papaya you’re buying when selecting fruits at the grocery, nor does it really make any difference, since you’re growing it as a houseplant instead of for fruit. But if you’re buying seeds from a billboard source, there are several varieties you’ll choose between, including some dwarf cultivars which will not require pruning to stay them small.

‘Waimanolo’: this is often a compact plant that will bear fruit when it’s only 4 feet tall. it’s the simplest choice if you would like to truly plan to grow fruit from your indoor plant. it’s Pieris rapae flowers and produces an orange-yellow fruit about 2 lb. in size.
‘Sunset’: This variety has especially attractive leaves. It grows to about 15 feet tall at maturity and has fruit about 1 pound in size with a pinkish flesh. As a houseplant, though, it’s grown for its foliage and doesn’t produce fruit until it’s quite tall.

Pruning

Papaya plants grown indoors grow so fast that they’ll reach the ceiling in a matter of months. For this reason, they’re often pruned off at the highest to stay them in restraint. stop the most stem to a few feet tall. The plant will send up several new shoots from the bottom of the plant. When these shoots are a foot or two tall, select the simplest one and trim off the others, including the first central stem.

If you’ve got moved a potted papaya plant outdoors for the summer, prune it back heavily before bringing it indoors for the cooler months.

How to Grow Papaya from Seeds

Papaya plants sprout readily from seeds, even the seeds harvested from grocery papaya fruit. to organize the seeds, scoop them from papaya, spread them out on one sheet of towel , and skip to dry for every week . At the top of the week, roll the seeds around to get rid of the dried seed-covering husks, then store them during a cool, dry place.

To sprout papaya seeds, place them in seed-starting soil and keep moist and warm (75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit). Seeds sprout quickly, and therefore the plants will begin the rapid climb. When the seedlings are a couple of inches tall, transplant into larger containers to grow onward as houseplants.

Potting and Repotting Papaya

Papaya plants grown from seeds should be repotted only once: from the seed-starting container into a bigger permanent container. Unless you reside in USDA Zone 9 or higher, your papaya may be a single-season novelty plant. It’s best to grow them in fairly large containers (at least three gallons) as a part of a mixed container. At the top of the season, cut the papaya off at the soil level and let the opposite shoots fill in.

Harvesting

Indoor papaya plants rarely flower and produce fruit, especially when grown from seeds harvested from the grocery fruit. However, if you’ve got a dwarf variety and have given it enough heat and lightweight , it’s possible it’ll produce fruits within six to 12 months of planting. Pick them from the tree just after the fruits have turned fully yellow. It’s best to store them within the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days before eating papaya fruits.