Growing Papaya Problem

[finewine]

Help! We have been trying to grow papaya in the garden. Once the plants start flowering, the growing tip gradually bends over and the plant slowly dies (photos).

Anything else we grow seems OK. Only the papaya trees die. Is it a virus or something lacking in our very poor soil?

Thanks

[gotlost]

VIAGRA

[billd766]

You can have most of mine as they keep growing and the papaya falls off as we can't use them quick enough.

There is one outside the house nearly 6 metres tall and I am going to have to cut it back to the verandah level before it falls over.

I live near Klong Lan which is about half way between Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

[jaideeguy]

How is the drainage at this time of year?? most problems with papayas have to do with poor drainage. They like water, but not sitting in it. The next time one dies on you. pull it out and check out the roots for rot and/or nematodes that will apear as nodules on smaller roots.

happened to mine that I planted in poor draining clay soils.

[Harcourt]

Do you make compost with you kitchen and garden waste? Try enriching the place you intend the papaya to grow. By your description, that the soil is poor and that this wilting takes place after flowering, I would guess that the flowering creates a demand on the resources that low nutrient levels can not address.

Also, try putting a crumbled up aspirin tablet in the soil at the drip line. Salicylic acid (the active ingredient of aspirin) is a naturally occuring compound in most plants that activates the plant's defence systems when the plant is stressed: by applying when the plant is not stressed, you trick the plant into defence mode and it grows stronger. It's like adrenalin for plants.

This old aspirin trick is now a commercial enterprise: Salicylic acid products. Aspirin is cheaper.

[finewine]

Thanks for the information.

Will try the aspirin

This soil is very well drained, ,and the roots look very good. We are near the top of a hill in Pattaya.

Other plants including tomatoes and peppers grow quite well.

What about lack of boron?

Final photo of tree attached, before it is removed

[mixed]

I think this is a virus. Remove all plants and bury them a long way from where you will grow the next bunch.

[Samuian]

Ever asked any of your Thai neighbors?

They usually know what it is, at least how to deal with it - it looks like a disease.

Papaya are like weeds under normal circumstances I had some growing on SAND!

In some sort of old garbage dump hole... and around, they grew like mad, only

the fruits didn't get very large, but nevertheless nice Papaya and the raw featurd

beautifully as SomTam

[Maizefarmer]

Help! We have been trying to grow papaya in the garden. Once the plants start flowering, the growing tip gradually bends over and the plant slowly dies (photos).

Anything else we grow seems OK. Only the papaya trees die. Is it a virus or something lacking in our very poor soil?

Thanks

Heres my 2cents worth ...... my suspicions are that this has nothing to do with what is going on above ground level - pull up one of the dead/dying plants - some description of the soil type you have in the garden will help - but in the meantime a couple digital pic's illustrating any of the following on the roots will confirm or eliminate what I suspect to be the likely culprit(s):

- mold infection: a dirty white fury/spider like mass or web structure surrounding the shallow roots - it reminds one of old dusty dried out spider web: it is a mold type infection, specific to papaya - and I'll save you the boredom of long detail regards mold type ect ..... till you come back with a digital pic illustrating infection or not.

- nematode formation: again on the roots - nematodes take on many forms/shapes and sizes - they are parasitic growths, like cancer tumours (i.e. they feed off the host plant): you are looking for evidence of a nematode type which forms a distinct elongated shape (something like a peanut sized rugby ball/tear drop shape which will be larger at its far, or unattached end)) and which quite likely has a shallow split down its length (depending on its stage of growth) - squeeze it and you will get a brownish translucent semi viscous liquid. If brave do the "tonque tip" test - it'll be disntinctly bitter/oily taste (quite safe but unpleasent). There won't be one of these nematodes, there could be dozens of them, all over the roots in various stages of growth.

The mold type (if it is what I think it could be) is exclusive to the papaya plant - but the nematode type I have in mind is not exclusive to the papaya - it can spread and infect just about anything else, so exercise caution when removing the plant: don;t carry it across the garden in your bare hands - you will drop spores which will infect and destroy other plants in due course. Put it in a plastic bag with all/any loose soil attached to the roots, and carry it out of the garden area. Leave it in the plastic bag, throw some diesel over it and burn - plant, roots and all.

In both cases soil treatment is the only solution - but its easily done. In any event, if the above 2 are not present take 2 digital pic's: one as the roots are when you dig them up - just shake gently to remove excess soil but otherwise leave them dirty, and a 2nd pic of the roots washed off - then post up on the forum - and if I don't know for sure, then I know a man who will - either way I'm pretty sure this is a nematode or mold type issue, as opposed to a bug or soil nutrition problem.

Edited October 10, 2009 by Lite Beer
E Mail Removed as per forum rules.

[drtreelove]

Help! We have been trying to grow papaya in the garden. Once the plants start flowering, the growing tip gradually bends over and the plant slowly dies (photos).

Anything else we grow seems OK. Only the papaya trees die. Is it a virus or something lacking in our very poor soil?

Thanks

FYI Here is another current thread from the organic sub-forum.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Papaya-Problems-t276556.html

[finewine]

To Maizefarmer

I am sorry that I have only seen this reply now. I have just dug up the 2 plants and they have been collected by the garbage truck. As every papaya has died in gthe garden (others in village seem OK), I will just have to wait for some of the younger ones to start bending.

However the roots look healthy to me. If you can direct me to a reference photo of nematode infection or fungus that would be useful in the meantime

Thanks

[peterallard]

These critters are a bit pricey, and I'm not sure if they are available in LOS, but they work as advertised if nematodes are the problem. I cleaned up a dying orange orchard with them here is Southern California - the trees started to recover about a month after treatment. The website has lots of good stuff.

http://www.naturescontrol.com/predatornematodes.html