Growing an exotic plant at home is not new. Among these crops is papaya - a tree with wide long leaves resembling lobes, resembling a palm tree. The plant is capable of reaching a height of 10 meters in nature. At home, grows up to 6 meters. Variegated plants unusual in our region continue to delight the eye with unusual tropical greenery, and which fruits from a melon tree are a paradise pleasure.
How to grow an exotic plant at home
Papaya is also called a melon tree because of the similarity of fruits with this fruit. Dwarf papaya grown as a houseplant on a terrace, balcony, veranda, indoors - a living decoration that complements the interior.
This melon tree (pictured) is capricious and sensitive to any stimuli. Therefore, when growing papaya, try to adhere to the sequence in caring for the fruit "flowerpot".
Subtleties of selection of material for planting
When planning to grow a tree from seed, select seeds from fresh fruits only. For reliability, you can drop several copies. During the cultivation, not all seedlings take root due to a sensitive attitude to the microclimate.
To get the bones:
- the fetus is cut in half;
- take out the seeds;
- washed under clean running water at room temperature (to avoid overheating or overcooling of planting material);
- dried for 24 hours;
- reject damaged seeds.
Preliminary preparation of planting material
This stage can be carried out in two ways:
- By placing the planting material in a humid environment (moss or sand) and leaving it for 12 hours under the film.
- Soaking in a special solution that stimulates growth at the same time.
When to plant seeds
The optimal time for planting, according to reviews of the melon tree and the intricacies of papaya cultivation, is considered March. With the onset of the second month of spring, daylight increases, so the plant receives the required amount of light per day. When choosing other dates for sowing, get ready to organize additional lighting for the papaya sprout.
Important! With insufficient sunlight, the sprout is too extended, not developing properly. At the tree, the stems begin to turn yellow, the leaves curl.
The choice of soil and capacity for planting
Before planting the seeds of a melon tree into the ground, specially prepare the soil mixture, consisting of:
- sheet land;
- peat;
- sand;
- turf land.
All components for creating a garden mixture are taken in equal parts and mixed. If you can’t prepare the soil mixture yourself, you can take the purchase option by choosing soil for ficus with the addition of sand.
As a container for planting papaya seeds, take a long container, the bottom of which is lined with drainage - fine expanded clay or pebbles. At home, you can try to grow such exotic plants:
- lychee;
- jujube;
- a pineapple;
- lemon cucumber;
- kumquat;
- medlar.
Sowing seeds in a container
For planting, a large number of seeds are taken in order to select the strongest seedlings in the future. Seeds are planted according to the scheme: retreating 1 cm between the grains and deepening them into the soil by no more than 2 cm. After processing the planting material, the germination rate increases, because the first sprouts hatch after 12-15 days.
How to germinate seeds
Papaya is a typical inhabitant of the tropics, therefore, to grow a tree from seeds, it is enough to provide the sprouts with heat, light and moisture. The optimal growing conditions for melon tree sprouts can be arranged by covering the container with glass. When picking up papaya, do not forget to ventilate the container daily, opening it for about an hour. Further, it is recommended to select strong sprouted trees and plant them in separate flower pots.
How to care for young plants
Sprouts of melon tree are regularly watered, limiting the dose of moisture supplied in order to prevent root rot, which develops in conditions of high humidity. Drying of the soil is also unacceptable. A young plant should receive an adequate level of light and heat. If there is not enough natural light, arrange artificial lighting for a young melon tree.
How to ensure proper care for the tree
The birthplace of papaya is southern Mexico. Distribution region - America. In a harsh climate, in the northern latitudes, this fruit tree does not survive on open ground, because the practice of growing a tree in garden pots is common here.
Lighting
The more light growing for a melon tree at home, the better. It is desirable that the power source is natural. If this is not possible, use artificial lighting (fluorescent lamps).
Important! Place the light at a distance of at least 30 cm, otherwise papaya leaves will get burned. A tree always reaches for light, so from time to time turn the plant so that it does not grow one-sided. In winter, the plants are kept in a closed, warm room, in the summer they are put on the balcony for hardening.
Organization of temperature conditions in the room
A tropical plant species needs warmth. The optimum temperature for growing at home is + 19 ... + 25 ° C. Indices above the norm do not adversely affect the tree; even if the leaves have faded a little, regular watering will return the papaya to a healthy look.
Watering system and microclimate humidity
Provide the plant with normal moisture circulation will help systematic watering. Due to the large evaporation of moisture from large leaves, the melon tree has to be watered daily.
In the cool season, watering is carried out less often - every other day. High air humidity is maintained by spraying, the so-called cold shower for the plant. At the same time, overmoistening is undesirable, therefore there should be good drainage and a drain pan to drain excess water.
Fertilizers for exotic fruit
Feeding is carried out 14 days after the first transplant. A complex of mineral fertilizers is applied at intervals of once for 14 days, in the volume (proportion) described in the instructions for the mixture.
Papaya shows positive reactions to fertilizing with organic mixtures: humus and manure. With the onset of the flowering period, phosphate-potassium fertilizers are used. Growth is stimulated by nitrogen drugs.
Do not forget about the mulch. The ideal option is shredded grass simulating flooring in a rainforest.
Tree transplant
Young specimens are developing rapidly. The root system is actively growing, filling the entire capacity. Papaya is transplanted annually, following the growth and development of the tree.
Important! When growing a plant in a tight pot, its growth slows down, flowering becomes sparse, and fruiting may stop.
When moving a decorative tree to another vessel, do not forget that even slight damage to the roots of the papaya leads to death. When choosing a pot for a transplant, consider the following factors: each next should be 10-12 cm larger than the previous one.
Important! Do not buy a large pot immediately. The roots do not have time to cover the earthen lump located in the container, as a result of which there is a danger of the development of root death and tree disease. Large markets are suitable only for mature, with a developed root system of cuttings.
Papaya propagation rules by cuttings
To grow a young papaya (melon tree) at home, you need to make efforts and follow the sequence of actions, as in the instructions.
- For propagation by cuttings, annual or biennial plants are selected. Preference is given to planting material with a stalk thickness of 1.5 cm.
- Cut into pieces of 10 cm, peeling from the leaves.
- Dry for three days, so that the cut is tightened with a thin skin that protects against bacteria.
- For rooting, planting material is placed in a container filled with wet sand or peat mixture, deepening the stems by 3 cm.
- Top cuttings covered with a slice of a plastic bottle to simulate a greenhouse. If you omit this step, rooting may not occur.
- The first transplant is carried out in a container 2-3 cm larger than the previous pot.
- Further care of the plant is no different from caring for an adult tree.
Protecting papaya from pests and diseases
Ornamental plants, especially those grown in pots, are susceptible to diseases and pests. The tree shows high resistance to fungi and invasions, but suffers from spider mites, powdery mildew, which can seriously damage the ornamental plant or lead to its death.
To remove spider mites, special means are used:
- Acaricides: Actellic, Anticlesch,
- biological: “Akarin”, “Fitoverm”,
- folk: soap solution (for spraying), a decoction of yarrow or garlic (for spraying).
Powdery mildew will help to cope:
- fungicide preparation: “Hom”; "Kuprozan"; Vitaros
- folk remedies: soap-soda solution; ash solution; weak pink solution of potassium permanganate; broth of onions or garlic.
Papaya is adored for its beneficial properties and taste. The fruit is used as a dietary product, it is used to make "vitamin bombs" - cocktails with a high content of vitamins and minerals, as a prophylaxis for certain diseases (colds, flu).
The fragrant fruits of the melon tree and juice are used in cosmetology, for home-made creams and masks for face, body, hands, neck, hair care. This nutritious fruit is appreciated by gardeners and flower lovers for its decorative appearance and beneficial properties. Therefore, growing and receiving the fruits of a melon tree at home is such an interesting and interesting process for gardeners.