How to Identify Male and Female Papaya Seedlings

I once heard of a Kenyan farmer who, after planting hundreds of papaya trees, discovered that every single one was male. Unfortunately, by the time he realized, it was too late. I had a similar experience in the past.

For the longest time, I could only distinguish between male and female papaya plants once they started flowering. I’ve made videos and written articles about how to tell them apart at that stage, and it’s common knowledge for many.

To recap: Male papaya trees produce flowers on long stalks that can extend as far as the leaf stems, while female trees have shorter buds that eventually turn into fruit.

However, waiting for the plants to flower is impractical, especially for commercial farmers like our Kenyan friend.

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So, what’s the solution?

Many nurseries sell papaya seedlings without knowing whether they’re male or female, often giving extra plants just in case some turn out male. However, some nurseries have figured out how to tell the difference early on, but they keep it as a well-guarded secret. I can’t blame them, but I believe in sharing knowledge.

After extensive research, I discovered the key to identifying male and female papaya seedlings early. It’s actually quite simple:

Male seedlings typically have a single long root, while female seedlings have multiple roots that branch out sideways. The best time to sort them is when the seedlings are around two weeks old; waiting any longer makes it harder to tell them apart.

As a general tip, when planting papaya, consider trimming the long central root.

Now that you know how to differentiate between them, take a look at the image below and see if you can identify which seedling is female: A or B?