Growing California Papaya is Easy, Use This Fertilizer to Get More Fruitful

Since 10 years ago, the California Papaya has become known to the Indonesian. Many think that this beneficial fruit comes from the United States because its name is exactly the same as one of the states in Uncle Sam’s country.

In fact, this type of papaya is a superior seed produced by the PKHT Team or Center for Tropical Horticulture Studies from the IPB University which is named Calina or the Latin name as Carica Papaya L. 

Why is it called California Papaya? it is just an idea of attraction by traders, so that the Indonesian Papaya with a sweet taste and less seeds are a little easier to recognize. Indeed, the California Papaya is not only popular because of its name, but also it tastes sweeter than other types and its shape and weight are not too big to make this fruit a favorite of fruit lovers. 

Farmers in various regions in Indonesia, not only in Java but also in Sumatra, such as on the outskirts of Palembang have been cultivating papaya California since 2012. The fruit is dense and the yield also regularly makes farmers like to grow this papaya plant. 

“Taking care of these plants is very easy as long as it is ensured that the soil is moist and given adequate fertilizer, the fruit will be produced continuously,” said Andi, one of California Papaya farmers in Talang Jambe, Palembang, who has 150 trees. 

He said that every week at least 200 kilograms of papaya from his garden were sold to buyers who came directly to the garden not far from his residence.

Buyers of fruit that are rich in vitamins A, B and C and other substances that are good for the body are fruit traders, who will sell the fruit back. In the garden, the price of a California Papaya is IDR 4,000 per kilogram, when it is sold in the market it usually reaches IDR 7,000 per kilogram. 

The popularity of the California Papaya has defeated the Bangkok Papaya, which previously had become popular towards papaya fans and farmer.

How to Grow California Papaya at Home

Growing California Papaya can be done in the yard, because these plants can grow easily in lowland to moderate plains with an altitude of 0-700 meters above sea level, the planting medium used is a mixture of soil with a little sand.

Papaya will grow optimally even in the yards of urban communities as long as their needs are met with adequate watering, optimal sun exposure and good care. 

The paranet99.com site explains how to make California Papaya flourish and produce abundant fruit. The temperature in the land greatly influences the growth process of the California Papaya, so it needs to be paid special attention, the temperature suitable for plant growth ranges from 25-30 degrees Celsius with rainfall of 1,000-2,000 mm per year. For air humidity, the California Papaya plant is suitable for humidity ranging from 40% with soil acidity levels around 6-7 pH. Following are the stages of planting it. For air humidity, it is suitable for humidity ranging from 40% with soil acidity levels around 6-7 pH. Following are the stages of growing:

Seedling Nurseries

Selection of seeds is very important to get the best of them and resistant to pests, the selection is done by choosing from California Papaya fruit that is ripe on the tree, healthy and free from pests. Here are the steps for California Papaya seeding. 

Soaking is carried out on California Papaya seeds in water for a period of one night, so that the next day you get the seeds that sink and remove the floating seeds. Then grind them using newsprint or damp cloth for about a week, always keeping the newspaper or cloth damp. 

After one week of ripening, California Papaya seeds can be sown in poly bags. Seeding can be done in poly bags or pots, with a medium for planting a mixture of fine soil and compost or manure with a ratio of 2:1. 

Then the planting medium is ready for use, put the seeds into the soil and cover it and then water it with enough water. Seedlings can be placed in a place that is exposed to sunlight until they are 1-1.5 months old, after that they are ready to be planted on larger land. 

Land Preparation

Land preparation is done by loosening the soil through plowing or hoeing to neutralize nutrients in the soil and clear the land from weeds. Making beds is done so that there is no standing water around the plants, making planting holes about 50 cm in size with a distance of about 2.5 x 2.5 meters per hole. Then the hole can be given a mixture of soil and manure or compost, but do not cover the entire surface of the planting hole and water it with enough water until the soil looks moist. 

Planting

California Papaya seeds can be planted directly in pre-made holes, with the amount of one seed per each. Planting can be done in the afternoon, because the afternoon is the best time to plant California Papaya seeds so as not to interfere with the plant’s photosynthesis process. 

Plant Care

1. Watering

Penyiraman sangat penting untuk tanaman pepaya California, namun penyiraman jangan dilakukan secara berlebih sampai membuat genangan air di sekitar media tanam. Hal tersebut dapat berpengaruh pada tanaman karena batang pohon bisa menjadi mudah busuk jika terlalu banyak mendapatkan penyiraman dan hal ini juga mempengaruhi buah tanaman. Oleh karena itu penyiraman tanaman pepaya California dilakukan secara rutin sampai tanah terlihat lembab namun jangan sampai berlebihan.

Watering is very important for California Papaya plants, but don’t overwater it to create stagnant water around the growing medium. This can have an effect on the plant as tree trunks can rot easily if they are watered too much and this also affects the fruit of the plant. Therefore, watering the California papaya plant is done regularly until the soil looks moist but don’t overdo it. 

2. Fertilization

Fertilization is done regularly to maintain soil fertility as well as the California Papaya plant. Use NPK Pelangi fertilizer for each tree weighing 500 grams for a papaya. When California Papaya plants begin to bear fruit, KCL fertilizer can be added. 

3. Pruning

Pruning can be done on dry or dead shoots or branches so that plant growth can be more optimal. This process can be adapted to the conditions of the California Papaya plant.

Hervesting

Harvesting can begin when the California Papaya plant is about 8-9 months after planting, with the characteristics of the ripe fruit, the fruit skin starts turning yellow by cutting the fruit stalks and storing it in a place that has straw so that the fruit does not hit. California Papaya fruit harvesting can usually be 4 times a month. 

What are you waiting for, let’s plant the California Papaya in the yard and feel the fruit of the plant itself after the time comes.