25x Red Papaya Maradol Seeds Mexican Variety
Papaya trees, also known as “paw-paws”, are fast-growing with a short life span, reaching 15 feet or higher in optimal conditions. The fruit can be either of the Hawaiian or Mexican variety. Fruit "berries" can be one pound and sweet (Hawaiian) or up to 10 pounds and milder (Mexican). This listing is for the Maradol Mexican variety. Red Maradol papayas come from Mexico and range from 2 to 8 pounds with edible seeds. The trees are easily grown in containers, but require lots of watering and fertilizer to produce the heavy fruits.
NOTE: Container-grown trees dry out very quickly and the tree requires a lot of water for fruit establishment. Papayas do not need pruning due to their short life span.
All our garden seeds are hand-selected and packaged in resealable bags (each bag is individually labeled), and for the current growing season. The seeds are from organically grown plants grown in Ojai, California.
All our papaya seeds are naturally grown. All seeds are shipped in recycled paper envelopes.
PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS
1) LOCATION: Choose a sunny spot for planting the red maradol papaya or placing its container. Provide well-drained soil and a consistent temperature of 70 to 90 degrees in a wind-buffered area. Placing the papaya next to a building offers heat reflection it enjoys, but the tree's eventual size could be a detriment to the building.
2) PLANTING: Plant the seeds after soil temperatures have warmed in the spring. Containers can be placed outside after the last frost date, but soil temperatures should remain above 60 degrees for non-container trees. You can anchor black plastic over the soil several weeks before planting to raise the soil temperature or place a plastic bag over a container. Once the seed has sprouted in 2-3 weeks, continue to place plastic around the base of the plant to ensure warm soil temperatures.
3) WATERING: Water your papaya tree thoroughly, but do not over saturate the soil to the point of the roots sitting in a puddle of water, which can lead to root rot. Water the soil deeply and keep it moist as the tree establishes.
4) MULCH: As your tree gets larger, 8-16 inches, mulch around the base of the tree to retain moisture, suppress weeds and even out soil temperatures so that the tree is not subjected to sudden change. Keep the mulch about 8 inches away from the trunk of the tree if it is planted in the ground. Mulching container trees is also beneficial, but depending on the size of the container, mulch may need to be closer to the trunk. Use an organic mulch, such as tree bark or compost.
5) FERTILIZER: While not needed, you will only get the large fruits that’s you are familiar with if you fertilize. Apply fertilizer to papaya trees every 2 weeks. By 8 months, scale back to once a month. Fertilizing is especially important for container trees, as they are unable to pull any nutrients in from the surrounding soil. Use a either an organic or commercial granular fertilizer that is high in nitrogen and can be diluted in water; follow the manufacturer's directions to properly mix and apply. Apply it to the soil, not to the tree trunk or leaves, to prevent burning the plant.
6) ENJOY: Enjoy the experience of raising a plant you've only ever seen in grocery stores from seed! Nothing will teach you or your children to appreciate the hard work that farmer's and their teams put in to create the produce you enjoy. And of course, enjoy the fruit of your labors! I like mine with lime and salt.SHIPPING INFO
NOTE: Requires delicate packing in order to not be crushed while shipping!
Ready to ship in 1-3 business days.