How Long The Pappaya Tree Needs To Grow Up?

[Sandman77]

Hello!

We beginn on our farm with the pappaya around in September last year!

Around 3000 plants!

Put the sprinkle water inside every day and I was hoping the pappaya finish in songkran!

But fruit comes but very small at the moment!

What is the regular time for the grow up of the papaya tree?

Is it every year not same because of changing weather condition?

How it looks at moment we must wait until July for sale..

[lipupfatty]

wow! 3000 trees, thats a lot of pappaya!

we don't grow them here to sell ourselves,but have about 8 in our back garden,they just sprung up!

asked the wife how long to grow before fruiting to a decent size,and she did'nt really know.

she guessed from a seed about 18 months to 2 years,but not forgetting that we don't water them,feed them,etc,just leave them to nature,so might not be of any use to you.

here in the south there really is no season for fruiting ,we get large fruits on the tree all year round.

good luck with your trees anyway,hope all goes to plan.

[shaggy1969]

That's a lot of papaya indeed !!!! figure on 6-12 months before you can harvest them....and make sure you don't have too many males because they are only good for pollinating the females.

[IsaanAussie]

Input equals output. What soil amendment did you do prior to or at planting? I used some to demo my compost to the wife and neighbours. Asked them to show me how to plant some seeds, then planted one in my garden bed. The 4 they put in where still struggling when mine was over 3 metres high, had a eight inch trunk and was covered in fruit.

BeingThais, I then got accused of using a special seed. So I transplanted one of their "sticks" and a month later it was well on its way to catching the first one. Then being Isaan Thais, they said it was some farang magic, "yes", I said, "compost!"

[David48]

^^ You white devil you ... 'farang magic' ...

[cdmtdm]

in good soil ..9 months is the normal from seed to harvest ... they require a lot of water, never had succes with trickle tape or dripper systems , small surface micro sprinklers are the go .....but as IA mentioned ..the soil is the key before the water ....

[IsaanAussie]

The wife was picking fruit in less than 6 months. Note I didnt say "ripe" fruit. God Bless her, could never ask her to wait that long.....she would not be able to sleep for fear of the midnight shoppers, or worse the FAMILY.

[cdmtdm]

The wife was picking fruit in less than 6 months. Note I didnt say "ripe" fruit. God Bless her, could never ask her to wait that long.....she would not be able to sleep for fear of the midnight shoppers, or worse the FAMILY.

55555 gotchyaa... yes i was talking ripe , but green 6 months for sure ...i used to produce 3 ton per week every week of the year ....

[cycloneJ]

^^ You white devil you ... 'farang magic' ...

It's not just farang magic . . . .trying to change years of handed-down beliefs; wife's brother-in-law is a horticulture advisor, employed to educate farmers, better land usage, improve their crop yields, soil preparation, fertiliser, irrigation etc.

I think 'despair' would sum it up at times, as his science-meets-tradition is scoffed at, ignored.

'but we've always done it this way'

Some come to look over the 180 rai he manages. He must be cheating.

[Gary A]

In our area, they grow like weeds. Our house sits on 2.5 rai. The trees are scattered all over the property. Family and friends take all they want and when there are lot of dead ripe fruit, my wife takes them to the fish pond on the farm, smashes them and feeds them to the fish. Most of the ones that are actually picked are picked green and used for som tom.

In our area, I doubt that a papaya crop would be worth picking for sale at the market. If the tree is too tall to pick the fruit, they cut down the tree. A few slices with a machete easily drops the tree.

[kickstart]

Compost is the stuff, we use a lot cow manure the land is not good built up from sub soil and stone,again 9 months for a crop, no fertilizer and plenty of water,our local som tam seller buys them ,at 4 bart / Kg thay phone up ask for 15 Kg we deliver that works out at 60 bart hardly covers fuel, but it keeps the misses happy, we give very few away as nearly every one around grows them ,except the family who always go home with a few, strange that.

The ripe one we feed to cattle thay can never eat enough.

[cooked]

^^ You white devil you ... 'farang magic' ...

It's not just farang magic . . . .trying to change years of handed-down beliefs; wife's brother-in-law is a horticulture advisor, employed to educate farmers, better land usage, improve their crop yields, soil preparation, fertiliser, irrigation etc.

I think 'despair' would sum it up at times, as his science-meets-tradition is scoffed at, ignored.

'but we've always done it this way'

Some come to look over the 180 rai he manages. He must be cheating.

I saw three generations of farmers in my 40 years in Switzerland. I can remember oldies muttering about their sons using weed killer and pesticides.This generation applied the stuff like they do in Thailand now - the more the better, no protective clothing (I know personally TWO farmers that had their legs amputated! They spilled undiluted gunk over their legs and carried on working).

Since about 10 years now the guys are realising what is going on, they actually measure the stuff, and the use of more and more products is being restricted/taken off the market (to be sold in Thailand). I see that Neonicotoids have been withdrawn in Europe generally because of the suspected link with bees dying.

Anyway, the 'we've always done it that way' mentality isn't just a Thai thing, Europe is just a bit further forward.

I have written before about the surprise that shop keepers express when you ask for a measuring cylinder ...'Farang fussy'.

[cdmtdm]

Compost is the stuff, we use a lot cow manure the land is not good built up from sub soil and stone,again 9 months for a crop, no fertilizer and plenty of water,our local som tam seller buys them ,at 4 bart / Kg thay phone up ask for 15 Kg we deliver that works out at 60 bart hardly covers fuel, but it keeps the misses happy, we give very few away as nearly every one around grows them ,except the family who always go home with a few, strange that.

The ripe one we feed to cattle thay can never eat enough.

if u want to make a few extra baht , ripen the fruit to a point where it begins to break down on the outside skin , slice it . sun dry it or use a dryer stack and sell it... has a very long shelf life , is excellent to eat and extremely good for u ....

[kickstart]

cdmtdm

Thank you for the advice will try and get TW to give it a go, she has just said ,I have never herd of dryed Pappaya before ,so I will probable do it myself

[Sandman77]

Thx for information!

This year the green papaya price is very low last year 20 bath , this year only 3!

For the yellow one in the past, sometime near 40 , now only 25, every year not same!

[cooked]

Hang on, do you have hermaphrodite or mostly female trees? I have been informed that male trees can be forced into a sex change by wounding them. I expect your wife knows all about this...

[David48]

Hang on, do you have hermaphrodite or mostly female trees? I have been informed that male trees can be forced into a sex change by wounding them. I expect your wife knows all about this...

Maybe the LadyBoys had the same early childhood experience.

I'll get my coat ...

[Sandman77]

Thx for information !

Don't know the different tree types!

One question about yearly papaya price

This year for green one only 1-2 bath

Yellow one 25 minimum 20

Last year was sometime double!

Are the prices everywhere on the farms similar this year?

[cooked]

Nobody buys pappaya here, you just walk over to the next treee...

[nevets]

B50 in Big C retail price .

[doggie888888]

There are different varieties of papaya, I believe with different yield times. I also think some Thais prefer to eat the Holland variety ripe but would prefer to use another variety for somtam, although not always the case. I am not a farmer, just relating what the neighbour tells me after inspecting my backyard crop.

Edited March 18, 2013 by doggie888888

[Dancealot]

Input equals output. What soil amendment did you do prior to or at planting? I used some to demo my compost to the wife and neighbours. Asked them to show me how to plant some seeds, then planted one in my garden bed. The 4 they put in where still struggling when mine was over 3 metres high, had a eight inch trunk and was covered in fruit.

BeingThais, I then got accused of using a special seed. So I transplanted one of their "sticks" and a month later it was well on its way to catching the first one. Then being Isaan Thais, they said it was some farang magic, "yes", I said, "compost!"

I want to see you magic tree, Isaanaussie.

I want to compare trunks. I have relatively small hands ;-)

[kickstart]

Doggie 888888 said

Posted 2013-03-18 13:45:59

There are different varieties of papaya, I believe with different yield times. I also think some Thais prefer to eat the Holland variety ripe but would prefer to use another variety for somtam, although not always the case. I am not a farmer, just relating what the neighbour tells me after inspecting my backyard crop.

Talking to TW, and a farmer, thay both said the best varietie is, in Thai ,Kek-dum lots papaya for your money,less seed ,and of course ,Aroy.

What Kek-dum varietie is in english I do not know, I suspect it is a local name ,could be a Holland?

At this time papaya is only 5 bart /kg that is low, my farmer friend said thay is still a lot about ,but at this time of year we find it is to hot for them,we only have next years crop growing slowly,but looking well.

yours Reg

KS