Phoenix Tropicals Gardening

[MKIVRYAN]

I have 2 mexican and 1 hawaiian that seem to be losing leaves. They seem pretty dry but I'm afraid to water them. They are in pots under my patio with little sun, but protected from the cold a bit. Any input would be great.

[phoenixtropicals]

If the leaves get droopy then they do need a little water. Also, it is going to get very cold this week. You might want to bring them in the house those nights.

[MKIVRYAN]

OK, I will water them a bit. I have a shed that is very well insulated that they will be sleeping in on Thursday and Friday night. Thanks!!

[phoenixtropicals]

Well, we have had an extremely rough winter here with two major cold snaps. One in early January which got to 28°F and one early February which got to 27°F. My neighborhood is generally 3°F less than the official Phoenix temperature recorded at Sky Harbor airport, so its relatively warm compared to the outlying areas.

Anyways, the trees took a beating but they all survived.

I did not protect the banana but since it is so close to the house it survives almost anything. A green leaf can be seen emerging.

The papayas were sheltered from the cold in a frost cloth tent with a 75 watt light bulb. The center one, the tallest was touching the frost cloth so its top got very damaged but it appears to be leafing out from lower down. The other two papayas still have leaves as can be seen. The papaya that was growing the most slowly is now the one in best shape, which is interesting.

The guavas hanging over the wall can be seen to have been frozen back but are recovering from their larger branches. The fig naturally goes dormant in winter.

I have a new plant to the left of the banana behind the papayas. It is a blackberry but I relocated from a hotter place in the yard where it struggled.

The starfruit was covered with the guavas and it still doing well.

The fig loses its leaves every winter.

The little papayas are actually flowering, even in the state they are in. I'm hoping for some fruit in the next couple of months!

[mullenium]

wow that river rock ground cover must be a PITA to rake back when planting.... thats the kind I wanted initially because when you walk it doesn't have much of a crunch crunch sound..

[phoenixtropicals]

It's not hard to rake actually. I just use a garden hoe to pull it out of the way before digging.

[phoenixtropicals]

Well, all of my papayas lived. The frost damage this winter of course slowed them down this spring, but they are starting to really grow again. The one in the middle was without leaves for months, but now it has several heads which might even mean more fruit. The furthest papaya is already flowering so maybe this year I'll get some fruit.

Its been almost exactly one year since I planted the papayas!

[MKIVRYAN]

Looking good!

[phoenixtropicals]

Okay. Well, unfortunately the damage the papayas took last winter really seemed to slow down their progress this spring. I expected a good 5 feet of growth in the spring but I'd say I got just a couple of inches. Furthermore, when the really hot summer heat hit, the papayas could not seem to shake it off. I am down to one papaya plant now, the one that took the least frost damage, and its not looking too great. See photo. I am using the trash can to give it a little bit of emergency shade.

I was at Home Depot today and they were selling Mexican papayas for $10. I figure at that price its hard to go wrong. Also, this papaya seems to have very very low surface area leaves. I have added a photo of the Tainung papayas leaf and a photo of the new Mexican one for comparison. The leaves on the Mexican look more to me like the kind of leaves you see on desert plants, so we'll see how it fars.

Growing papayas here is really difficult. However as Bob showed us you can have some really dramatic success. I think some luck with the weather really helps out though.

[phoenixtropicals]

Here is the Tainung papaya leaf. A bit scorched but you see the general shape.

[phoenixtropicals]

These have to be the thinnest papayas leafs I have seen. Maybe good for dry weather and heat?

[MKIVRYAN]

I got 4 of those thin leafed ones from Lowes last summer. I brought them in over the winter but planted them this spring. So far 3 out of the 4 are doing good and growing good. My one hawaiian one is struggling a bit but hoping with the promise of cooler temps it will pull thru.

Your bananas sure look good! I have such a hard time with those, I dont know why!

[phoenixtropicals]

Good to hear your papayas are doing well. They key to bananas seems to be getting a good variety, for example Rajapuri, and planting them where they will get afternoon shade. Oh, and of course lots of water.

[MKIVRYAN]

Do you have any extras for sale or know any place that carries that type?

[phoenixtropicals]

I don't currently have any extras. These guys have them.

http://www.willisorchards.com/product/Raja+Puri+Banana+Plant