Overseas curiosity, the exotic fruit of papaya in our diet appeared relatively recently, but firmly gained sympathy, as it contains a large number of trace elements and vitamins. Available in the papaya pulp lipid-destroying substance burns fats, accelerates the breakdown of protein and carbohydrates.
Papaya description
Externally, the papaya tree looks like a coconut palm tree, reaches 6-8 meters in height, an outlet from leaves is formed in the upper part, flowers appear in their axils, then fruits are formed from them. Useful properties of papaya fruit are numerous, the orange pulp speaks of the high content of beta-carotene in it. In terms of chemical composition, papaya includes almost half of Mendeleyev's table, fruits contain many vitamins, flavonoids, magnesium, potassium, iron, pantothenic acid, protein, fiber.
The fruit of papaya is used in folk medicine for better digestion, to eliminate pain from burns and insect bites. It is recommended to use this tropical fruit to people suffering from bronchial asthma, peptic ulcer. Extracts made from the fetus help the liver function properly, stabilize the sugar in the blood. With the help of hard flesh clean the stomach, neutralize the stomach acid, which is very useful for gastritis, hernia and heartburn. This fruit is the source of vigor and strength.
How to grow a papaya at home?
Lovers of exotics grow papayas at home, using for this as a room, and a balcony, a greenhouse, a winter garden. To do this, take the bones extracted from the ripe fruit or buy cuttings, and with some agrotechnical measures it is possible to grow a tree that has developed, blossoms for the second year and gives the first harvest, the fruits in the home can have a mass of up to 2 kg. The conditions created for papaya must be close to tropical.
To imagine what a papaya fruit looks like, remember the melon. These fruits are so similar in appearance, chemical composition, internal orange-yellow, juicy pulp and thick skin, that the second name of papaya is a "melon tree". Individual specimens of papaya fruits can reach 9 kg, on average they weigh 7-8 kg, in length they grow to 30-45 cm, in the middle of the fruit there are seeds of black color. To obtain a crop, you must have two plants - male and female, pollinating each other.
Planting papaya seeds
Having decided to start growing papaya at home from seeds, get a ripe fruit, from which you can extract five to six hundred small pits. Got the seeds, they need to be washed under a stream of warm, running water, free from the pulp. Then select from a large number of 8-10 pieces, place in wet sand or moss, cover with plastic wrap and leave overnight, you can use growth biostimulators .
Seeds should be deepened into the soil for 2-3 cm, covered with film or transparent glass on top, to create a mini-greenhouse with a warm microclimate, which is aired daily at least 1-1.5 hours during the day. The papaya fruit possesses 100% germination of seeds, after 15-30 days, sprouts seedlings one by one into separate containers, choosing the strongest seedlings for this.
Grow papaya from the bones at home - planting
Plant papaya seeds best in early March, at this time a light day increases, and the plant will receive the required amount of daylight. In the autumn or winter, additional lighting is required. Planting is carried out in a mixture prepared in advance by yourself or into a ready-made special soil, the sowing tank must be at least 7-9 cm in diameter.
Experienced gardeners on the question of beginning lovers of growing an exotic house: whether it is possible to grow a papaya tree at home, respond positively, should only provide the required for this, comfortable microclimate and perform the recommended agrotechnical measures. Seedlings of fruit, being representatives of the tropics, are warm and hygrophilous, require careful treatment, regular and competent care.
Papaya - cultivation
Having become acquainted with how to grow papaya at home, it is not difficult to understand that this process is not complicated, it is important only to comply with all the recommendations for planting and nursing. Having provided a temperature regime in the range of + 24-28 ° C in the summer and at least + 18-20 ° C in winter, humid air, regular, moderate watering and a long light day (using artificial light sources if necessary), success can be achieved and even get a harvest.
Soil for papaya
For the cultivation of papaya fruit at home, it is necessary to prepare a weakly acidic substrate, the pH of which is in the range of 6-6.5 units. To get the desired composition, take one part of the fertile soil, peat, sand, deciduous and turf humus, or get the ready soil mixture in the store. Choose a universal substrate or for ficus, keep it in a water bath to disinfect and add 30% of sand from the total volume. For the free flow of excess moisture during irrigation, provide the plant with good drainage .
Pot for papaya
The papaya tree grows rapidly, requires periodic and timely transplantation into pots, which each time are taken large in volume. Transplant plants with caution, if you accidentally damage the roots, it can adversely affect the subsequent growth and even lead the tree to death. A very practical and convenient solution is to plant the seeds in peat pots, after the rootlets appear through the walls, the papaya can be safely planted in a large container without disturbing the root system.
For growing papaya at home, it is better to use pots of natural materials with drainage holes. Pots choose heavy in weight, so that the plant does not overturn, wide, but not deep, because papaya has a superficial root system. An adult half or two-meter plant requires a capacity of at least 50 liters in volume.
How to care for papaya at home?
Having decided to try your luck and grow papayas at home, provide care that matches its tropical origin:
- transfer. In the first year of life, the plant will need to change pots two or three times, then the transplant can be done once a year;
- application of fertilizers. After a lapse of two weeks, after the first dive, apply a complex mineral fertilizer, then once a month;
- temperature regime. A tropical plant is thermophilic, a lower temperature is unacceptable;
- humidity. The humidity level should be high, non-fulfillment of this condition will lead to the drying of the leaves and the death of the seedling;
- lighting. It is best to place the papaya on a window facing south or south-west, it needs bright lighting;
- watering. Do not allow the soil to dry out, but excess moisture is also harmful.
It is not difficult to plant papayas at home, the main thing is to provide timely and competent care. Observing a number of conditions listed above, you will grow a well-developed, strong and healthy tree. Stems and leaves of plants need frequent spraying not only in summer, but also in winter. A large amount of light, moisture, a warm microclimate, timely introduced fertilizers - this is the main list of activities that provide a comfortable environment for this exotic tree.
How to grow papaya - watering
When caring for papaya, pay special attention to watering the fruit, overmoistening will create a number of problems that can lead to the death of the plant. This exotic fruit tree reacts painfully to root rot, which is caused by excessive moisture and poor drainage, especially if it grows at an insufficiently high temperature. To water a plant it is necessary soft water of a room temperature, in a heat - well humidify a crown, for watering and spraying use stop water. Watering should be done regularly, every 3-4 days, in small doses.
Exotic fruit of papaya - top dressing
The rules for growing and caring for papaya require not only the creation of the necessary conditions, but also regular feeding, this plant is rapidly developing, always "hungry". For this, balanced complexes of mineral fertilizers or organics are used, and for a blooming plant, the amount of phosphorus and potassium additives is increased. For a year, apply twice a month.
In spring, the period of active growth and development of the plant comes, it needs nitrogen, which is contained in ammonium nitrate. In the summer, support the fruit of papaya with the help of superphosphate added and nitroammophosco, use them once every two weeks. Vermiculite is a top dressing that should be used to care for an adult plant. The papaya tree perfectly perceives various kinds of fertilizers and fertilizing.
Exotic fruit of papaya - diseases and pests
Having learned what the papaya fruit is, how many useful qualities it contains, exotic lovers start growing it at home. One of the dangerous pests for papaya fruit are aphids and spider mites. Get rid of them can be with the help of broths from onions, garlic, yarrow, some other insecticidal herbal cultures or aqueous solution of the actophyte. Appearing white powdery "powdery mildew", which has a fungal origin, can be removed with a weak solution of copper sulfate or colloidal sulfur.