If you know how to plant papaya seeds, you can enjoy a fruitful outcome. Wouldn’t it be cool if you could have your own papaya trees in your backyard, able to enjoy it whenever you want? When you open a papaya up, you will see tons of black little seeds there. Instead of tossing them out, why don’t you plant those seeds and watch your own trees grow?

Knowing the Papaya Trees More

Papaya trees love hot areas. Can you grow them indoors? If you happen to live in cooler areas, you may need to know how to plant papaya seeds at home in pots. People would use greenhouses to keep the papayas. But if you don’t have any greenhouse and you live in a cool area, you can grow papaya indoors as a houseplant – not a tree anymore. When grown indoors, they may not produce any fruit, but they can still produce impressive leaves, which can be a part of your indoor decoration.

Full size trees can grow up to 20 feet in height, which would be impossible when you have them indoor. When you grow papayas indoors, you will have to prune them quite often so they will stay within their compact and small shape.

collect papaya seeds

The Preparation to Grow the Papaya

So, how to plant papaya seeds? Just like persimmons, dragon fruit, and lemons, you can buy the seeds and then plant them. But if you happen to consume a papaya, open it up and collect the seeds. Just follow these simple steps so you can deal with fuss-free stages to ensure a successful outcome.

  • Collect the seeds.Choose a completely ripe papaya. It should have greenish yellow or golden yellow skin with a little soft texture when you touch and slightly press it. After you open the papaya, scoop the seeds out.
  • When you hold the seeds in your hand, you will feel a little jelly-like and clear substance covering them. This substance is called a seed coat. The function is to prevent premature germination, but the coat can also prevent the seeds not sprouting. You need to remove the coat before you plant the seeds.
  • Prepare a container with water in it. Soak those seeds and leave it overnight. By using a fine (mesh) strainer, you need to pour the seeds and rub them gently so the coat can be brushed off. You need to rinse those seeds so any remaining pulp can be removed.
  • When you want to plant those seeds immediately, you won’t have to dry them off. But if you want to plant them later, you need to dry them first. By using a paper towel, spread those seeds and then store them in a dark and warm place for around a week or two. You can then seal them in an envelope from paper. Don’t forget to label them with the dates. Make sure to choose a cool spot (preferably dark too) for the storage. When it’s stored correctly, the seeds are still good for up to 16 months.

Planting the Seeds

When you are ready to plant the fresh (or dried) seeds, fill the containers or pots with a pre-moistened mix. You can also use the seed starting trays, if you prefer them. Place the seeds around ¼ inch within the soil. It would be best to plant around 3 seeds for each planting cell because not all seeds would germinate.

Afterwards, move the pots to a sunny and warm area. Keep watering them with just enough moisture so that the soil mix will remain moist. If you do this right, the seeds should germinate within around 2 weeks.

If you live in a warm location, consider yourself lucky because you can plant the seeds directly in the garden. But you need to prepare the soil first with compost because papaya trees are heavy feeders.

Check the seedlings. After they are several inches tall and they produce one (or even two) leaves, remove the weakest seedlings. You should end up with the remaining seedling having its own cell or pot. If you want to have the trees for the fruits, keep 5 seedlings at least. Go with the healthy ones. Having several seedlings will increase your chances of getting a tree that can produce fruits.

You need to transplant the seedlings after they reach 4 inches in height. Remove them to bigger pots or even the garden. Make sure that you are being careful with the roots.

How to plant papaya seeds in pots? Go with the ones that have good drainage holes. The pots should be enough to accommodate the growth. If you do everything right, you should be able to see the satisfying result immediately. Knowing the right methods of how to plant papaya seeds will ensure your success and the desired results.