Flowers on female papaya trees grow in small clusters or as solitary blooms that are larger than male flowers, but on shorter stalks. First of 80 planned farm academies now open. And the worst part, the resulting fruits are also not up to the mark. Grow several plants so there is enough possibility for to have both male or female plants if you are lucky you might get a few hermaphrodite varieties. The best way to distinguish between a male and a female papaya plant is by their flowers. LIST: 6 ways 5G elevates modern smartphone experience, Get as much as 300 Shopee coins when you pay PLDT Home bills via ShopeePay, No to holiday blues! They do not possess stamens and can produce fruit if pollinated. The flowers are bulbous at the base and pointed at the tip. The fruit is elongated, somewhat football-shaped, compared to the rounder fruit the female trees produce. The male plants have long stems and small fragrant male flowers. Philstar Global Corp. All Rights Reserved, How to determine the sex of a papaya seedling. The green-skinned melon-type fruit is typically 6 to 8 inches long with yellow or orange flesh and black seeds. It is also possible for trees to produce male flowers on short stalks at times, or for the papaya to change to female after the top of the plant is cut off, or "beheaded.". Male papaya trees can be identified by clusters of thin tubular flowers that grow at the end of branching stalks 5 to 6 feet long. They are small, tubular, and large in numbers. They do not have any ovary and so they do not produce any fruit. The tree may change gender temporarily if temperatures rise, typically at the height of summer. Care & Conditions for an Osage Orange Tree, GFruit Tropical Fruit Global Information System: Papaya Biology, Purdue Horticulture and Landscape Architecture: Papaya. This site uses cookies. Many papaya growers fertilize female flowers by hand rather than leaving it up to nature. Flowers on female papaya trees grow in small clusters or as solitary blooms that are larger than male flowers, but on shorter stalks. Additionally, a papaya tree’s gender may change depending on the temperature. But one of the very common problems associated with growing papayas is the identification of the plant. Papaya trees require little care once established – as long as they have moist, well-drained soil, rich in humus, and protection from frost. In this case, the tree can now be pollinated and produce fruit. What Months Are Papaya Trees Ready for Picking? See, there are 3 types of papaya plants and not all of them will bear fruits.