Papaya trees (Carica papaya) are native to Central America and are grown commercially throughout the world in tropical and subtropical climates. If you’re interested in growing a new fruit tree in your yard, a papaya tree might be a great choice for you due to its rapid growth and fruit production.
Papaya trees will start producing fruit in about 6 months after the seed is planted!
While papaya trees will grow and produce fruit quickly, fruit production only lasts a few years. Most farmers replace trees every 3 to 4 years, so it’s a good thing papaya trees are easily grown from seed!
Even though production decreases, a mature and healthy papaya tree can live for over 40 years.
In this article, we’re going to cover the growth timeline and provide details about what you can expect from each stage of your papaya tree’s life cycle. If you want to grow your own papaya tree, this article will teach you everything you need to know about papaya trees and how to grow them.
What Does A Papaya Tree Look Like?
You probably recognize the large, yellow, pear-shaped fruit of the papaya tree you’ve seen at the grocery store, but what does the tree look like?
Papaya trees are tropical plants that can grow up to 30 feet tall. Generally, it has a single main trunk but can develop secondary shoots if the main trunk is damaged at the top or as it ages.
The leaves are palmately lobed with leaf blades growing between 18 to 23 inches long. The petiole of a leaf can be 1 to 4 feet long and grows directly from the trunk.
Papaya Flowers: Male, Female, Or Both!
Papaya trees can either be male, female, or bisexual. Bisexual papaya trees have both male and female flowers on a single tree.
Male flowers are small, yellowish to white, and grow in groups along a 10 to 40-inch-long shoot called a cyme. The stamens in the center of the flower are yellow due to the pollen they produce.
Female flowers are yellowish to white, much larger than the male flowers, and grow directly from leaf axils at the trunk.
Papaya leaves can also be both male and female at the same time. This leaf looks very similar to female flowers, grows from the leaf axils, and has a yellow stamen.
Papaya Tree Pollination: The Birds And The Bees Of Producing Papaya Fruit
As we mentioned above, papaya trees have both male and female flowers. How does that impact your papaya tree growing efforts?
Well, if you aren’t worried about getting fruit from your papaya tree then the flowers don’t really matter. But we’re guessing you’d like to reap the fruits of your labor while growing your papaya tree!
In order for the female flowers to produce an edible fruit, you have to have a male flower present to fertilize the female flower. Unfortunately, you can’t tell by the seeds if your tree is female or male.
That is why we recommend you plant at least 3 or 4 trees to ensure you end up with both male and female flowers so you can get fruit from your papaya trees.
Where Can I Grow A Papaya Tree?
Papaya trees are native to Central America and therefore grow best in tropical to subtropical regions. In North America, papaya trees grow best in hardiness zones 9b through 11.
If you’re not sure what hardiness zone you live in, you can plug your address into the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map to find out!
Don’t live in zones 9b through 11 but have your heart set on growing a papaya tree? You can try your hand at growing one indoors if you plant a dwarf variety, or grow your papaya tree in a greenhouse like the Ohuhu Greenhouse. This greenhouse is easy to set up and move if needed.
For more information about where you should grow your papaya tree – head on over to our article about where papaya trees grow! Mainly, you need a spot with a lot of sunlight – and a spot away from other trees!
What Time Of Year Should You Start Growing A Papaya Tree?
The best time to start growing your papaya tree from seed depends on where you live.
Your papaya tree will need 6 to 8 hours of full sunlight per day and soil temperatures should be at least 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
The two most important factors that will affect the time of year you start growing your tree are sunlight and soil temperature.
If you’re wondering how long your papaya tree will last, head on over to our article about how long papaya trees last to find out more information! Surprisingly, it’s less time than you think!
Growing Papaya Trees Outside
If you live in the right hardiness zone, you should have the right growing conditions for most of the year and can start planting your papaya trees at almost any time.
Since papaya trees produce fruit during the first year, you can treat them like an annual plant if you don’t live in the right hardiness zone for them to survive winter.
Growing Papaya Trees Inside (Or In A Greenhouse)
If you don’t live in the correct hardiness zone, you will want to consider growing your papaya tree indoors or in a greenhouse. We discuss dwarf varieties which are best suited for this below.
When you’re growing your trees indoors, you can control your temperatures and sunlight. The temperature will be controlled by the thermostat in your house, or by the heat produced by solar radiation in your greenhouse.
If you live in hardiness zones 1 through 6, a greenhouse may not collect enough solar radiation to heat your greenhouse to the required temperatures. While most commercial growers will install a heating system, this may not be cost-effective for you. Don’t worry, there are some other options to heat the greenhouse.
If you need to generate more light indoors or in your greenhouse, you can use grow lights.
We like this FRENAN Grow Light since it comes with an adjustable stand, 3 light modes, 10 brightness settings, and a timer.
How Long Does It Take To Grow A Papaya Tree From Seed? (Full Timeline)
Now that you know where and when to plant your papaya tree, here’s what you can expect from your papaya tree growing journey!
Unlike most other fruit trees, you won’t have to wait too long until you have some delicious papayas you can enjoy from your very own tree!
Day 0: Choosing The Seeds And The Planting Site
Before you can start growing your papaya tree, there are two important decisions you will need to make: what seeds are you going to plant, and where are you going to plant them?
If you’re lucky enough to live in the right hardiness zone, 9b through 11, you can simply purchase a papaya fruit from your grocery store and use its seeds to start growing a tree.
Papaya trees cannot survive freezing temperatures
If you live in colder hardiness zones, you’ll need to consider either growing your papaya tree indoors or in a greenhouse.
However, some papaya trees can grow up to 30 feet tall, which isn’t going to work for you in this situation (unless you have really high ceilings in your house), so you may need to plant a dwarf variety.
According to the Colorado State University dwarf papayas only grew to a maximum of 6.5 feet tall.
Whether you decide to grow your papaya tree outside, from seeds you collect from papaya fruit, or indoors, from seeds you purchase online, we will discuss the full growth timeline for both methods below.
Day 1: Preparing Your Papaya Seeds
If you’re growing your papaya tree outside and collecting seeds from a fruit you purchase, you will need to prep the seeds before planting. After removing the seeds from the center of the papaya fruit, place them in a colander.
There will be a gelatinous sac around the seed (the sarcotesta) that needs to be removed before you plant it.
Press the seed against the side of the colander and it should pop out of the surrounding sac. After removing all of the sacs, rinse the seeds thoroughly and let them air dry on a paper towel that is not in direct sunlight.
If you’re growing your papaya tree indoors, the dwarf papaya seeds you purchased online should be ready to go without any further preparation needed.
Day 1: Planting Your Papaya Seeds
Whether you’re growing your papaya tree outside or indoors, you’ll want to start the seeds in 1-gallon pots.
Fill the pots with a sterile, well-draining potting mix and add 4 seeds, evenly spread out, in each pot. Cover the seeds with ½ inch of potting mix and water thoroughly.
We recommend planting at least 32 seeds, in 8 different 1-gallon pots. This ensures you get enough germination, and healthy seedlings, to end up with 3-4 seedlings to transplant.
Remember, you should plant 3-4 papaya trees to ensure you have both male and female flowers for fruit production.
Where To Place Them
Place your 1-gallon pots in the location where you will be planting them so they won’t have to acclimate when you transplant your seedlings. This should be a place that gets plenty of direct sunlight to ensure optimal growth and fruit production.
Make sure you keep the soil moist but not too wet to give your seedlings the best chance of emerging.
Now you just have to wait for your seedlings to emerge! This can take anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks.
Day 1 (Seedling Emergence) To Day 45: Growing Healthy Papaya Seedlings
Since there is such a large range of when your seedling will emerge, whenever you spot that first bit of green peeking out of the soil, consider that your emergence day (Day 1).
Papaya trees grow quickly so you’ll have to keep them well-fed with fertilizer for the best results. Once your seedling is 1-2 inches tall, start adding fertilizer to the water you water your papaya tree with every time you water.
Use a mixture of ¼ teaspoon of a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer to 1 gallon of water.
We like this Miracle Gro All Purpose Plant Food which comes in various sizes and can be used on a wide variety of plants you may be growing.
Remove Any Weaker Seedlings
Once your seedlings start reaching 3 to 4 inches tall, you will notice some growing more quickly and looking healthier than others. You will want to start removing the weaker smaller seedlings from each pot at this stage by cutting them off at the soil line.
Make sure to cut these seedlings and not pull them up by the roots, because papaya trees don’t handle root disruptions well.
The goal here is to end up with one healthy seedling in each pot by the time the seedlings reach 8 to 12 inches tall.
Day 45 To 4 Months: Transplanting Your Papaya Tree And Watching It Grow
Your papaya trees are now 8 to 12 inches tall and hopefully, you have at least 3 to 4 healthy seedlings. Now it’s time to transplant them!
You can transplant as many seedlings as you’d like but remember, we recommend you have at least 3-4 to ensure both male and female flowers are present for fruit production.
Preparing The Area For Transplanting Your Papaya Tree
If you’re growing your papaya tree outside, you’ll need to prepare your planting site. You’ll want to plant your seedlings 7 to 12 feet apart so they have enough space to grow.
Papayas grow best in well-drained soil with a good amount of organic matter.
If you live in an area with high clay content, you’ll want to dig a hole with a 3-foot diameter and 1-foot deep. Then, fill the hole with well-draining garden soil. Don’t use potting soil as it may retain too much moisture.
A 50:50 mix of regular potting soil and cactus potting soil works well.
If you’re growing your papaya tree indoors or in a greenhouse, you’ll want to transplant it into a 20-gallon container filled with well-draining potting soil like the 50:50 mix mentioned above.
How To Transplant Your Papaya Tree
The most important part of transplanting your papaya tree seedling is to cause as little root disruption as possible.
Dig a hole in the center of the planting area (either the soil you prepared in your yard or the 20-gallon pot if you’re growing indoors) that is slightly bigger than the pot your seedling is in. Gently remove your seedling from its current pot and place it in the hole.
Don’t dig the hole too deep. The base of the seedling should not get covered by more than a ½ inch of soil when you fill in the hole after transplanting. Papaya trees have shallow roots and if you bury them too deep your tree will struggle.
Fill in the hole with dirt, gently press down the soil around your seedling, and water thoroughly. Add a layer of mulch 3-4 inches deep to help with moisture retention and weed suppression, but keep the mulch away from the trunk.
Continue keeping your papaya tree watered regularly, every 3 to 4 days, and add a ¼ pound of complete (10-10-10 or 14-14-14) fertilizer every 4 weeks.
4 Months To 6 Months: Papaya Tree Flowering And Pollination
If your papaya tree is healthy and happy, it should start producing flowers in 4 to 6 months.
You’ll finally be able to determine if your tree is male, female, or both at this point using our flower description at the beginning of this article.
Male/Female papaya trees will self-pollinate. Female flowers have to be cross-pollinated by male flowers either by insects or manually using hand pollination.
How Indoor Or Outdoor Papaya Trees Are Pollinated
If you’re growing your papaya tree outside, the flowers will be pollinated by a variety of insects. You can still hand pollinate them, to ensure pollination occurs, if your tree isn’t too tall.
If you’re growing your papaya tree indoors, you’ll need to hand-pollinate your female plants using the male flowers.
How Do You Hand-Pollinate Your Papaya Tree?
To hand pollinate your papaya flowers, gently remove several opened male flowers from a male plant. Remove the petals from the male flower by gently pulling them straight down.
The petals will detach just below the yellow anthers which are covered in pollen.
Now, gently press the yellow anther of the male flowers into the white stigmas of the female flower which are sticking up from the middle of the open female flower. Make sure to thoroughly cover all of the stigmas with the anthers to fully pollinate.
6 Months To 11 Months: Papaya Tree Fruit Production And Harvesting
If pollination of the female flowers was successful, you should start having fruit on your papaya tree at this point! Your tree will be several feet tall, depending on the variety you planted, and can produce up to 80 pounds of fruit each year.
If insects become an issue on your ripening fruits, you can place a paper bag over the developing fruit and secure it with a rubber band to keep insects away.
You can harvest your papayas while they are green, and use them as a vegetable, or wait until they begin to turn yellow. The more yellow that develops on the skin, while the fruit is on the tree, the more sugars the fruit will contain.
Papayas are typically harvested once 1/10th to 1/3rd of the skin is yellow, then placed in a cool dry place to fully ripen indoors. You can allow your papayas to fully ripen on the tree, however, insects may become more of a problem as they become fully ripened.
1 Year To 3 Years: Maintaining A Healthy, Productive Papaya Tree
Your papaya tree will grow 6 to 10 feet in the first year. If you planted a dwarf variety, the height at this point will depend on which variety you planted. Most varieties will reach their maximum height by the end of year 2 or 3 depending on how healthy the tree is.
Remember to keep watering and fertilizing your papaya tree regularly to keep it healthy and growing. You can increase your fertilizer rate to ½ pound per month.
Some Papaya Tree Pests
There are also several insects and diseases that can impact your papaya tree as it ages.
Insects of concern include papaya fruit flies, papaya whitefly, papaya webworm, nematodes, and two-spotted spider mites. Diseases include powdery mildew, anthracnose, papaya ringspot, phythoptera, and leaf spot.
Since papaya trees are short-lived and easy to grow, we recommend you remove any infested trees and replace them with new healthy trees, however, if you want to learn about some ways to use plants to get rid of whiteflies – head on over to our article!
Year 3 And Beyond: Papaya Fruit Production Decreases
After 3 to 4 years, papaya tree fruit production will significantly decrease or stop altogether. You can still enjoy the beauty of your full-grown papaya tree or you can replace it with a new tree to keep producing fruit. Your mature papaya tree will live for about 20 years!
Papaya trees grown in perfect conditions have lived for as many as 40 years. However, most trees will either succumb to diseases such as root rot or be toppled over by the wind well before they reach 40 years old.
Make sure you keep your papaya tree watered and fertilized to keep it healthy and happy! And, if you are unsure how to properly care for your papaya tree, we recommend checking in with a professional!
That’s A Wrap!
With this timeline, you now know how long it takes to grow a papaya tree and what to expect from each phase of the papaya tree’s life.
Papaya trees can be one of the most rewarding fruit trees to grow due to their ability to produce fruit in the first year!
Whether you grow your papaya tree outside or inside, we’re sure you’ll have plenty of delicious papayas for yourself and probably your neighbors too!
References
Nishina, M., Zee, F., Ebesu, R., Arakaki, A., Hamasaki, R., Fukuda, S., Nagata, N., Chia, C.L., Nishijima, W., Mau, R. and Uchida, R., 2000. Papaya production in Hawaii.
Salinas, I., Hueso, J.J. and Cuevas, J., 2021. Active Control of Greenhouse Climate Enhances Papaya Growth and Yield at an Affordable Cost. Agronomy 2021, 11, 378.
Storey, W.B., 1972. Why papaya trees fail to fruit.
