Knowledge from Olle Garden Bed: The Reason for Papaya Falling Flowers
Papaya is a fruit tree with a long history of cultivation in West Asia and Europe. Papaya fruits can be cooked and consumed for making jelly and preserves, or fermented into alcoholic beverages. A few varieties can be eaten fresh. Papaya fruit is yellow and almost pear shaped at maturity. In fact, papaya is closely related to apples and pears: all three are members of the family Rosaceae and Rosaceae. You can plant them at home like apples. But what happens when they lose their flowers and are unable to bear fruit? The following content also has some reference value for raised garden beds.
Why doesn't my papaya bloom?
The quince tree (Cydonia oblongata), which blooms with white and pink flowers in spring, is a beautiful scenery. When these flowers fall off (called flower shedding) before they bear fruit, it will definitely be disappointing. The decline in papaya flowering may be caused by various factors.
Some flowers in papaya are normal. The flowers near the tip of the branch are most likely to bear fruit. Flowers located on branches often fall, but you may still have a good harvest. In addition, trees under the age of five or six are unlikely to produce complete crops, so their flowers may fall more parts.
Lack of pollination is another common cause. This may be due to the scarcity of pollinating insects such as bees. In addition, although most quince varieties are self pollinated, having a second tree of different varieties may help increase fruit setting rate and prevent flower shedding. If you have a variety that cannot self pollinate, you will need a second tree to pollinate.
Adverse weather can also damage flowers or interfere with pollination. Any factor that weakens the papaya tree, such as disease, drought, lack of sunlight, or poor soil, may increase the level of papaya flowering.
What to do with papaya tree falling flowers
Consider planting a second quince tree of different varieties to assist in pollination. This is not necessary for self bred varieties, but it usually leads to better fruit setting rate.
Look for any signs of poor health or environmental condition and try to correct them. Water scarcity, flooded soil, severe pest infestation, low sunlight, and other adverse conditions will reduce the yield of almost all fruit trees.
Papaya trees are susceptible to various diseases. Leaf spot disease caused by fungi (Diplocarpon mespili) manifests as brown spots on leaves and any fruit produced. This may lead to low fruit setting rate. The best way to control this disease is through hygiene measures: remove and dispose of all fallen leaves in autumn to prevent fungi from overwintering in the deciduous layer. Additionally, avoid watering the leaves as it helps promote fungal growth.