The water is rather cold coming out. Probably not good for any of my plants but that seems to be the only ones suffering. I haven't fed them much lately. Aside from running hot water and all that into the greenhouse, any easy way of heating up the water? I suppose I could get a big trash can and fill it up and let it come to the room temp of the greenhouse...65 min.

Gee this is going to sound dumb, but do seeds really need sunlight to germinate? Can I just keep them moist in a warm room until they actually begin to sprout? Will a light bulb be helpful not for heat but for light?
Karl

Ohio Jay, at this time of year hose water tends to be 45 - 47 F. Much to cold for Papayas. Before I had hot water installed in my greenhouse I did exactly as you stated above. I filled black 55-gallon drums with water and let the greenhouse heat and the sun's rays heat the water before I used it. Now I just hook the hose up to the hot water -- it's great.

Karl, I don't think Papaya seeds require light to germinate, at least I've never heard that before your thread. I plant my seed like I do most all other seeds. I plant them directly in a sterile germinating medium. I use 50/50 peatmoss and perlite. I plant them 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep, and keep the "soil" around 85-90F. Never had a problem. - Millet

Thanks Millet
I can control an 80 degree temp in my shop office a lot easier than trying to do this outside. Most days I could leave them out in the sun but there is some cold weather coming next week. I am going to start today and just hang a light bulb over them anyway. When it warms up, outside they go.
Thanks again.
Karl

hi Karl, 2 ways I do seeds are: covered with plastic on a sunny window sill - only for the heat from sun. It's like a mini greenhouse.
And, a few inches above a heat register. I put 2 phone books on either side of register & seed tray on top - covered with plastic. Seeds really don't need light, just heat.

Thanks Patty
Like a dummy I forgot about the bathroom where I have a very large sink with a side shelf. I put a heater in there and in a very short time the temperature was above 90 degrees. I have a 16”x24” plastic container that I drilled holes for drainage. It sits nicely on the shelf and overhangs the sink just a little. I am using a florescent light clear plastic diffuser cover for the top. This should work until after Thursday when the temps rise again. I believe the all clear plastic container with the top diffuser cover should do well in our mostly 70-degree weather.
Looks like you guys are in for some really nasty weather that makes my little problem seem insignificant, but I do appreciate the help.
Karl

Oh boy, these things are popping up like popcorn and a few days ahead of schedule.
Millet, could you please recommend a diluted fertilizer rate? Would you recommend miracle grow diluted?
I picked up a couple of shop florescent lights today, since the weather here is just not cooperating. Constant cloud cover for the last three weeks with daily rain. Highs in the low sixties and lows around forty degrees. Keep them inside under the lights right?
Thanks Karl

Karl, first you need to transplant each seedling into its own container if not already done. Papaya's must be transplanted VERY CAREFULLY, as they will not survive having their roots damaged. I would transplant all of the seedlings, then later select the best and strongest ones to grow on. You can fertilize them at 1/2 the recommended rate on the package label to start with. I would add a slow release fertilizer to the container or the ground, depending where you are going to plant the papayas, at a rate of 250 grams Osmocote type slow release fertilizer, and 25 grams STEM (if the fertilizer you choose does not already contain trace minerals) per each one cubic foot of potting medium. After the plants establish and get a little height to them you can also use a water soluble fertilizer. NEVER EVER water a papaya when the soil is cold. I always water with warm water. Keep a constant eye out for spider mites. I spray my plants with the hose (I have warm hose water available) every now and then to keep spider mites at bay. - Millet

Does anyone have any updates or pictures of this variety of papaya. I'm thinking of replacing my papaya trees that are dying off (described in another thread).

Due to space limitations, I must keep them in pots and since these fruit at 4-5 feet, this looks like an ideal tree.

Is now a good time of year to start from seed?

I'd love to hear everyone's updates.

Hilltop, the fruit of a mature Tainung #1 F-1 Hybrid Papaya is about the same size and weight of a large over grown Zucchini. I don't know about a container grown tree, but the ones I grow in the ground produce about 100 + golden fleshed fruit. - Millet (1,225-)

Hilltop
Take a look at my avatar. It is a Tainung #1 F-1 from last year. I tried growing a couple in 16-gallon containers and they did not do nearly as well as those in the ground. Their roots tend to grow through the drainage holes into the ground below. Of course this hinders drainage. I will not try them in containers again unless it’s a much larger 30-40 gallon container.
Karl

I think I'll give them a try. Karpes, did the ones you grew in containers ever produce fruit? The two Babaco's I have that are dying are in a 10 gallon tub. I'm thinking of maybe planting only one tree in a tub, maybe in the same 10 gallon tub, or maybe an 18 gallon tub.

Is now a good time to plant a seed or would it be better to wait until next spring? What would be the best soil/media to use? Thanks.

Hilltop
They did not do well in the 16-Gallon containers. As I recall they only produced 5 or 6 fruit and I was only able to pick maybe one fruit from each plant before the first frost. I highly recommend that if you are going to plant in containers that you go much larger than the 16-gallon containers that I used. I am not a container gardener expert but I did fertilize heavily. In the fall when I removed the plants there was a massive root system inside the container protruding through the container drainage holes into the soil below. I fertilized at a rate of 2 tbs 13-13-13 + micronutrients per week. You may succeed beyond my attempt by pushing the fertilizer past what I did.
Good Luck
Karl

I ordered my seeds yesterday and should get them in a few days.

Since I have no yard whatsoever to plant them in, they must go into pots on my deck. We don't get any frost here in LA so no need for me to worry about that. I've used 18 gallon tubs with the rope handles for my avocado and other trees. I'm wondering if that may be too small based on what you are saying. Maybe I'll get a heavy duty plastic trash can which are much taller and can provide more root space.

I hate to say it but I am very negligent when it comes to fertilizing my trees. I should try to remedy that but I have not done much research into fertilizing so I am a little uninformed about that.

Can anyone suggest a good soil medium to use?

I planted this two months ago on 9/19/09. It seems to me that it should be bigger for a two month old seedling so I put this soda bottle on it yesterday to help conserve heat. We've been getting temps in the low 50's. I guess autumn wasn't the best time to plant these. Should they be bigger at this point?