Growing a papaya tree from a stem cutting

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This has been 4 months in the making - it didn't die, and it put out a few new leaves ...but I couldn't be certain that it was going to keep on growing...

This has been 4 months in the making – it didn’t die, and it did grow a few new leaves – but I couldn’t be certain that it was going to continue growing…

Well, another Curious experiment has come to a happy conclusion. The new stem that I broke off from our re-sprouting papaya tree has finally given me the proof that I needed to know that it will keep living…

We have ROOTS, ladies and gentlemen! Roots growing from the papaya cutting that I took 4 months ago. 'Tis time to plant this in a bigger container before it goes to a permanent spot in the garden.

We have ROOTS, ladies and gentlemen! Roots growing from the papaya cutting that I took 4 months ago. ‘Tis time to plant this in a bigger container before it goes to a permanent spot in the garden.

And it’s a good thing, because the tree stump that the stem had grown from is now unable to support any more stems – I guess, because it has rotted right down its middle.

On top of that, our remaining Red Lady papaya tree is too tall – at least eight metres (a rough estimation) – for us to comfortably reach the fruits. Yes, we could use a very long pole to harvest the fruits, but they’re terribly infested with mealybugs and black mould, and I can’t do a thing from ground level to get rid of them. Only the birds are benefitting from the papaya tree.

Can you see how infested the green fruits are? They're thoroughly coated with mealybugs!

Can you see how infested the green fruits are? They’re thoroughly coated with mealybugs!

So, since we now have a new hermaphroditic Red Lady papaya tree growing, I think I’m ready to chop down this tree. Besides, it ought to give us a few more sprouts to attempt to propagate new plants from. Out of all the other stems that I attempted to propagate, only one looks like a possible contender. Until I see signs of roots showing, however, I am not going to hold my breath in anticipation.

Oh well, I’m happy to have a definite hermaphroditic tree growing, especially since this is from a plant I was told that will not grow similar plants from seeds harvested from it. Oh wait… the fruits were all seedless, anyway!

In case you want to know more about our journey growing these Red Lady papaya trees, you can start reading about it HERE and follow the thread from there. It sure had its ups and downs…

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Harvests on the horizon

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This is one of my favourite times – the anticipation of harvesting our fruits and veggies…

The frilly edges of winged beans look so delicate; however, the central part of the bean is very sturdy.

The frilly edges of winged beans look so delicate; however, the central part of the bean is very sturdy.

The winged beans have been doing very well, thanks to my remembering to fertilize and water them regularly. They’ve been doing so well, in fact, that we’ve already missed a couple of beans, which are now remaining on the plants so we can harvest seeds for the next generation of plants. My mum and I have a daily game of spot-the-winged-bean, but the plants are more wily than we are! You literally have to lift the leaves to look underneath all the foliage, and look over the top of the plants as well. I may need to leave a step-ladder nearby for this purpose…

I love this sight - mulberries ripening on the right, with younger fruits developing on an adjacent branch in the background. There are a few such clusters on the plant at the moment. :D

I love this sight – mulberries ripening on the right, with younger fruits developing on an adjacent branch in the background. There are a few such clusters on the plant at the moment. :D

Novice Gardener‘s mulberry plant is starting to fruit with a vengeance. Now I understand what she meant when she told me that the plants would grow more and more fruits as they matured. This, unfortunately, did not happen with the smaller mulberry variety that I started off with. However, this plant has restored my faith in the fruits, and I hope the cuttings I’ve kept will start rooting so I can get more plants out in the garden soon!

One of the pumpkins on a stem that's dying off. It looks perfectly happy seated on its raised mat that's resting on a brick to lift it off the compost heap.

One of the pumpkins on a stem that’s dying off. It looks perfectly happy seated on its raised mat that’s resting on a brick to lift it off the compost heap.

Parts of the pumpkin vine are beginning to die off, and we’ve pruned away those dying vine branches that lead nowhere. However, some of the vines with pumpkins on them are also dying off. Since I harvested a couple early, I’m leaving these on a little longer to see what happens. The fruits have been doing much better after I got them off the ground with some anti-stray cat mats from Daiso. It’s great to get good tips from fellow gardeners ;)

Slow but steady grows this watermelon...

Slow but steady grows this watermelon…

The lone watermelon is still growing, albeit slowly. It is currently the size of a grapefruit, and I have absolutely no idea how much longer it is going to grow for. Compared to our other fruiting vines, this is really taking its time to grow! I am, however, aware that this is a water-dense fruit, and that these last few weeks have been very dry ones – which has not been good for a plant growing from a container. As such, I’ve been watering it heavily almost daily – and when I say “heavily”, I mean almost 2 litres of water to completely wet the soil in the big pot that the plant is growing from. Just to compare this, I’ll grow another watermelon plant that is rooted in the garden, to see if it really affects the rate of growth…

With these plants coming to harvest, I suddenly realize I have to start sowing anew once more. It’s time to get the seed collection out and start planning again!

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The red spinach volunteer

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How did this get into our garden?

The plant in question – red spinach, I believe – growing in a natural mulch of fruit and leaf debris from the belimbing tree.

I’ve heard other gardeners talk about “volunteer” plants in their gardens, and we’ve had a few ourselves. You know, plants that just start growing without your help – and I don’t mean weeds. Weeds are weeds. Volunteer plants are those that don’t vie for dominance, and more importantly, are (to me) unique, happy “accidents”.

In today’s case, we’re talking about the red spinach plant. It somehow started growing under the belimbing tree, and escaped our radar long enough to grow to the size you see in the picture above.

A closer look at the leaves

A closer look at the leaves

Given the “natural” state our garden can be in, it’s no wonder it has grown this happily. The spot is mostly shaded, and the layer of fallen belimbing leaves and fruits is probably aiding in keeping moisture available for the spinach plant.

I don’t know how many of you have noticed, but the weather in January has wreaked quite a bit of havoc on our plants. Not only have the monsoons finally changed, but the strong winds that have been blowing are sucking the moisture out of the air and soil, even affecting big, deeply-rooted trees. (I shall complain in a separate post…) So I am quite intrigued that this plant managed to grow with no help from us in the aspect of providing water.

If you look more closely at the leaves, however, you will notice that they aren’t in the best condition, with dry spots scattered around them. The stems, though, are thick and waxy.

I’m so very curious as to how this plant started growing here. Did a bird ingest and disperse the seed, or did it get caught in the wind and land here by chance? After all, spinach seeds are quite small. All I can do is wonder…

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The marrow plant rides again!

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What I was left with after pruning the old stems in December.

What I was left with after pruning the old stems in December.

Well… I didn’t mean that quite literally, but after the plant produced the two marrows, I expected it to die off. In fact, a large portion of it did die off, and when I started cutting those sections away, I expected to be left with nothing. However, it was a pleasant surprise to find new vines branching out from the main stem, and the optimist in me decided to see if the plant wanted to go for another round.

Since I had the opportunity, I also decided to make a stronger trellis.

Not much thought went into this structure - basically, the long, tough poles were put atop the metal flower stands. You can't get any simpler than that!

Not much thought went into this structure – basically, the long, tough poles were put atop the metal flower stands. You can’t get any simpler than that!

A couple of months ago, I had started thinning down a palm tree clump that was getting too large for my liking. It was not easy to do because the taller stems are very tough and fibrous to cut through. As such, I had only cut two of the taller stems before resorting to working on the younger ones. I also had the idea to recycle these stems as building materials for my trellises. Alas, the younger stems eventually rotted and had to be discarded. The two long stems, however, were just what I needed for the marrow trellis – after letting them dry in the sun for several weeks.

The metal flower stands were once again called into service. All I did was slip the ends of the palm stems through or over the tops of the stands and then drape the marrow vines over them. It seemed safe to assume that they will provide more than enough support should any more monster marrows decide to grow.

Speaking of…

This marrow is in the rapid stage of growth. It's only over a week old, and is almost a foot long! We have to try to make sure it gets sufficient water, though, seeing that the dry monsoons are blowing now.

This marrow is in the rapid stage of growth. It’s only over a week old, and is almost a foot long! We have to try to make sure it gets sufficient water, though, seeing that the dry monsoons are blowing now.

I’d like to introduce our latest marrow. Marrow III came into existence just last week, and we can’t wait to see if it will follow in the footsteps of its predecessors – and whether more fruits will grow!

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