pawpaw/papaya

The photo of one of our pawpaw  trees (apologies to any US readers who call this papaya) shows a nice crop developing. However, compared to Nicola's the fruit are much smaller and the leaves indicate a disease called black  spot. According to Annette Macfarlane this results from plants stressed by a shortage of Potassium, Phosphorus and Magnesium with resulting susceptability to fungal infections.

Accordingly I have given all my pawpaw trees a good dose of potash and  eco88 ( a chicken manure based pelletised fertiliser) today. I had run out of epsom salts  so will get some tomorrow and will mix some of that up as well and water it in.

It will be interesting to look back in one month to see any effects. It certainly worked wonders for my citrus tree deficiencies.

The fruit we have been harvesting tastes ok. However, I need to pick them as soon as they turn yellow, if I leave them too long, the possums and fruit bats start to eat them.

Here's the  link to Annette MacFarlane's site:

http://www.annettemcfarlane.com/diseaseID.htm


In the foreground is lots of dock (rumex crispus) present that we use as a green vegetable in place of spinach or silverbeet 


This plant can also be grown in aquaponics systems -not that I have done this.