T R Hovey papaya update - pix
This one is looking up into the plant, which is now shaded except for the top. It is 10 ft tall.
jeff
The following thread was started by Jeff - Modesto, Ca on October 02, 2005 at 9:14 am PST
Now about double the size of a Hawaiian solo papaya. Hope they hurry a ripen as we only have 4 weeks of warm weather left.
Jeff
The above followup was added by Jeff on October 02, 2005 at 9:16 am PST.
Jeff, this sure seems to be nothing as described with all the hype about this plant. I pictured them being small enough at mature size to keep them in a 5 gallon bucket with fruit on them.
What do you think is going to happen when the first frost hits? Also, how do you propogate it to keep it going next season?
Mike
The above followup was added by Mike on October 02, 2005 at 10:32 am PST.
Please keep the updates coming. Ive been following this with much interest to see if it does ripen for you. Here is my papaya report:
Babaco is doing fine in 15 gallon container.
Have Thai and Mexican papayas started and in containers to put out early next year. Im going to plant them in soil heavily amended with perlite and pumice and then mulch on top.
The above followup was added by benp on October 02, 2005 at 10:48 am PST.
Mike,
Yes and no.
The plant might peform more like its description had it be planted in the full sun.
I have others that are now flowering but only 7 ft tall.
I would say that you need at least a 15 gal container to bring to fruit.
Other than that this tree is amazing. By far the best papaya for our area.
I have never gotten fruit this large so soon on a papaya.
Jeff
The above followup was added by Jeff on October 02, 2005 at 10:52 am PST.
I have mine in 5 gallon pots and it seemed they needed to be in a 15 gallon, they seem to stop their fast growth at 4 feet of height, at which point they were beginning to set blooms. They then they dropped them and kept on growing, now 5 feet tall, mine get at least a few hours off sun at mid day. I did this, as they were stressing too much in the pots.
I guess next season, I better try some in the ground, and switch some to 15 gallon pots to see how they respond.
Reading the data on this plant online, it leads one to think it is a dwarf and sets fruit when short; nothing said about growing so tall.
My Moi's which did so well a few yeas ago, and grew like weeds, only made it to 6 feet by winter.
I guess Jeff has done one another fantastic thing again.
Could it of been our hotter summer? I have banana trees which grew 3 feet taller then ever before.
Most of mine have suckers as well, I need to cut them off and try and root them or try air layer, so I can produce more of them, just incase I loose the larger ones.
This papaya seems to at least up hold its description as far as growth, very robust fast growth.
David
The above followup was added by DavidLJ48, Waterford CA, zone9 on October 02, 2005 at 11:42 am PST.
Jeff,
Please do keep posting photographs and reports on how the plant and its fruit are doing -- I sure want to see whether you'll get ripe fruit before November comes. (And if you don't, green papaya salad can be quite good too!)
If the plant has grown taller than advertised, I think that (as others have suggested) is probably because of the location it is planted in: sited in a narrow breezeway between two walls, it is reaching up for the light.
Also, I'll echo Mike's question: how would a home gardener propagate this plant for future years?
Anyway, it is great to see how well it's grown. I was at your place in late June, and it was only a few feet tall at that time! It really does seem to be growing like a weed.
The above followup was added by Ashok on October 02, 2005 at 12:28 am PST.
I don't think that they are seedless so, hopefully they'll ripen before Dec. so I'll get some seeds.
Jeff
The above followup was added by Jeff on October 02, 2005 at 12:58 am PST.
What is so big about a 10 foot papaya? the things grow to like 4-5 meters tall normaly, You should be able to get cuttings easy just like a babaco
The above followup was added by Jason on October 02, 2005 at 10:18 pm PST.
I have seen tall ones too, and 10 feet is not anything at all. But a lot of the new hybrids are dwarf, setting fruit at 2 feet or shorter sometimes, and never really reaching very tall over time, compared to the standards.
The draw back is, they also generally produce smaller fruits and sometimes a lower quality fruit.
David
The above followup was added by DavidLJ48, Waterford CA, zone9 on October 03, 2005 at 0:31 am PST.
The spacing looks like 4 to 6 inches between papayas from the photos.
Tree habit doesn't look like the agristarts photo.
The above followup was added by Tom on October 03, 2005 at 9:02 am PST.
I have serveral King palms in my garden.
Every single one varies between the the spacing in the leaf bases.... This spacing is definitly a cultural variation.... Some are grown in the full sun, while others in the full shade.... others are planted away from my lime leaching walkways... others far enough away wehere they aren't efffected.
So " Rings " on the trunks are spaced as far as 10 inches apart while others only one inch.
This said , I believe that this is a TR Hovey papaya.... no doubt. ...just that the growing conditions make it seem different then the agristarts photo.....
I have never seen another Papaya behave this way...as the Agristarts desc suggests.. With the culturing diffrences...Mine does.
Jeff
The above followup was added by Jeff on October 03, 2005 at 6:25 pm PST.