Growing Dwarf Papaya Indoors

Add a tropical flare to your patio and indoor garden with a papaya plant.

Purchase a dwarf papaya from a garden center or online nursery. Or start your own from a few of the black seeds in a papaya you purchased at the grocery store. Plants started from these seeds can grow into very large plants.

Simply scoop the seeds out of the fruit and spread them out on a paper towel to dry.  After a week remove the dried husks and store in a cool dry place or plant them in a seed starting mix.

Grow your plant in a sunny location. Move your papaya indoors when nighttime temperatures start dropping to the low 50’s.

Place it in a sunny window and supplement with artificial light if needed. Water thoroughly when the top few inches of soil begin to dry. Place the pot on a saucer filled with pebbles to collect excess water and increase the humidity around the plant.

A bit more information:  You need a male and female papaya or self-fertile cultivar for your plant to develop fruit. The male plant provides the pollen for the female, which once pollinated, develops the fruit. You will need to transfer pollen from the male to female flowers with a small paintbrush. Or grow a self-fertile cultivar that does not need two plants to develop fruit. It takes a few years for your papaya to reach maturity and begin flowering. And if it never flowers you can still enjoy the tropical foliage this plant provides.

Tags

fruit houseplants

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