Pawpaw leaves yellowing (forum)

Lissa starts with ...
Hi all.
My once healthy and productive pawpaw is now semi naked with yellowing leaves.

I've tried searching for possible causes without success. Any suggestions?

I've given it some potash (potassium), epsom salts (magnesium) and dolomite (calcium).
Pictures - Click to enlarge

Picture: 1

Time: 24th September 2011 4:35pm

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About the Author Lissa
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ken says...
Might be the cold.

Time: 24th September 2011 5:46pm

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John Mc says...
Yes mine's the same, I'm putting it down to a long cold (no frosts) wet winter here just north of Sydney, not exactly desirable for pawpaws. It's heavily loaded up with nice sized fruit, if only it'd pick up.

Time: 24th September 2011 5:51pm

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About the Author JohnMc1
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Lissa says...
I'm in Brisbane John - we've had a pretty dry winter this year.

A friend sent on ominous link to the DPI website about some nasty ringspot disease with some similarities, but I don't think it's that (or I just don't want to think it's that!).
http://www2.dpi.qld.gov.au/horticulture/5333.html

Don't forget green pawpaw is almost nicer to eat than ripe pawpaw (I found the winter fruit not as nice as the summer fruit though). You can grate it for a salad, roast chunks of it with your meat, or put it in stews/casseroles. One of my fav "veg" now.

Time: 25th September 2011 7:24am

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About the Author Lissa
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amanda says...
It's not that paw paw crinkly virus is it? I'll see if I can find an image to compare...

Time: 25th September 2011 12:17pm

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About the Author amanda19
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amanda says...
Had a quick look and found these mentions:

http://www.abc.net.au/rural/content/2006/s1548920.htm

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:NHpXMg3OwEcJ www.ogtr.gov.au/internet/ogtr/publishing.nsf/content/papaya-4/%24FILE/papaya.rtf+paw+paw+crinkly+virus+images&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=au

But you may need to troll thru leaf images using the Image search function...(I am on satellite broadband - so it costs me too much to download all the images - sorry..)

Might be worth sending the image to your Agriculture dept or equivalent...it doesn't look very nice to me..?

Time: 25th September 2011 12:29pm

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About the Author amanda19
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Gregory MacCarthy says...
Hello Lissa!
I hope this finds you well.
I have had many problems with leaves on my papaya trees turning yellow and dropping off.

When it is very dry here and the town water is not running, my trees suffer, lose their flowers and leaves. The leaves turn yellow and fall off, leaving only a few large leaves at the top of the tree.

They love water but the soil needs to be well drained.
They definitely don't like to get their feet wet.

We are now at the end of the rainy season and I have lost a lot of trees to root rot because of a heavy clay soil and a high water table.

The leaves turn yellow, fall off, a few little scraggly leaves are left at the top of the tree, then the whole mess shrivels up a dies.

Good luck.



Time: 28th September 2011 3:19am

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About the Author Gregory MacCarthy
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Lissa says...
Hi Amanda and Greg
Amanda, the first link you posted sure sounds like my leaves, but no pic to judge by.
The second link is for this forum discussion and the third link no longer works, unfortunately.
Greg - I am indeed well! Thank you.

I have added pics of the three main trees. They don't appear to be dying and two look to be improving with some unaffected leaves. Curious.

Apart from the Red which I paid for, the others were all freebies from seed dropped by the birds, so I suppose not a huge loss. There are more babies coming up around the yard if these do die off.
Pictures - Click to enlarge

Picture: 1
Picture: 2
Picture: 3

Time: 12th October 2011 6:46pm

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amanda says...
Wow...too hard for me Lissa! Pic 1 is really interesting as it looks like the plant is coming good...? pic 3 still looks sad tho..?
I saw a pic, very much like your very first one you posted, in the Gardening Australia mag (sometime in the last yr maybe..)- which is just what made me think of it...

The only time I have had really deformed leaves like that is when thrips or aphids get stuck into the baby leaves - and they grow out all deformed - or - a viral infection.

I am very curious now Lissa! :)

Time: 12th October 2011 7:23pm

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About the Author amanda19
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amanda says...
PS Lissa - here is a pic of pysllid damage (different type of tree tho..) but my other guess would be herbicide drift....? (neighbours.?)

Looks like it might be transient anyway (viruses almost never are..) so that's a positive!
Pictures - Click to enlarge

Picture: 1

Time: 12th October 2011 7:42pm

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Brendan says...
Hi Lissa,
Pic 1 & 3 looks like 'bunchy-top', no real cure but, try chopping both them off 600mm (2feet) above the ground and put a tin/can on top. Leave 2 to 3 shoots on each trunk.
Feed it some dolomite, sulphate of potash, cow manure & mulch.

Pic 2, I think I'd lose it.

Time: 13th October 2011 7:27am

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About the Author Brendan
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BJ says...
We've lots of papaya viuses around Brisbane at the moment. Here is the fact sheet from GA from last year, when mosaic virus hit hard:
http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s3043838.htm


Time: 13th October 2011 9:49am

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About the Author Theposterformerlyknownas
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amanda says...
But the plant in pic 1 looks like it's fine now..? Viruses don't go away like that..?


Time: 13th October 2011 11:33am

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snottiegobble says...
My papaya was just like that with yellow mosiac leaves all bunched at the top! I didnt have the heart to cut the top off & just removed all top growths except one.
Heaps of sulphate of potash, chicken pellets,& seasol saw the last growth take off & now a year later there are baby fruit & flowers. Its still well protected in a plastic tent every night!

Time: 13th October 2011 9:35pm

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About the Author snottiegobble
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MaryT says...
Umm is this an epidemic? Thanks for offering a cure, snottiegobble. My pawpaw (and my neighbours) are looking decidedly sick, especially when they've been powering away before. I will try to nurse it; first moving it from the relatively exposed position then feeding it and see what happens.

Time: 14th October 2011 8:59am

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About the Author MaryT
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amanda says...
I wonder which bug is spreading the virus then? Is worth seed saving from an infected plant?
That's good info SG...and Lissa gave hers lots of goodies and it's looking good to (No.1) ...interesting!?

Time: 14th October 2011 10:55am

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john says...
I've always thought viral plant diseases are not curable. Would it be possible an insect is attacking leaves in the bud?

Time: 14th October 2011 12:49pm

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snottiegobble says...
I believe there is something about sulphate of potash that helps plants overcome this problem. I also have a black passionfruit seedling that also had yellowing deformed leaves/ tendrils & it was certainly on death row! This spring it has healthy shiny leaves, plenty of tendrils up the trellis,flower buds & already 2 flowers! Again I trimmed back all growth to just one tendril, & fed plenty of S of P, seasol, chook pellets & also B & B.

Time: 15th October 2011 2:38pm

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About the Author snottiegobble
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Brendan says...
Spon on SG, Sulphate of Potash not only 'hardens up the plant tissue', but is also 'essential for water regulation in plant tissues and contributes to self-defence against pests and DISEASES, also improves colour & flavour in flowers and fruit'.

Time: 16th October 2011 7:54am

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MaryT says...
I'm going to try SG's method of fighting the virus; there is new growth despite the deterioration of the mature leaves...
Pictures - Click to enlarge

Picture: 1
Picture: 2

Time: 16th October 2011 2:47pm

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About the Author MaryT
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Brendan says...
Hi Lissa,
I sent a copy of your original photo (top of page) to the guru up here, and he said 'it was a severe Magnesium deficiency, spread Dolomite around the root zone at 2 handfuls/sq metre.'

I'd give it a go.

Time: 17th October 2011 9:16am

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Wazza McG says...
Lissa,
Did you do anything different to the paw paw in picture 1 than those in pictures 2 & 3. Picture 1 looks like it's on the rebound after being in a bad way and I was curious on how you treated it.

Brendan thanks for asking your guru swami ;-)




Time: 17th October 2011 8:00pm

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About the Author wazzamcg
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Lissa says...
Morning all. Thank you for the wonderful productive feedback.

I sent the pics to the DPI and a nice fella called Peter called back. Ultimatly, they have no idea what the problem is.

Wazza, I don't THINK I did anything different to the plant in pic 1, but it's possible. Thought I gave them all the same thing. I should have kept a diary in my blog.

Brendan, isn't Epsom Salts for magnesium? Dolomite for calcium? Have dosed with both for good measure and watered in.
I thought Bunchy Top was something that affected bananas only - no? The banana plant near plant pic 3 (worse affected) is fine with no signs of disease.

Pawpaw are only shortlived anyway and the two worse affected have cropped well once or twice already. The plant in pic 1 is the youngest (red bisexual) and healthiest.

Time: 22nd October 2011 8:54am

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About the Author Lissa
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Brendan says...
Hi Lissa, yes, Epsom Salts does contain magnesium, but pawpaws love Dolomite because of the calcium AND magnesium.

Please cut them off Lissa, you'll be pleasantly surpized! Don't forget the can on top :-)

Time: 22nd October 2011 12:29pm

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Joey from Perth says...
Hi there,

My mom's papaya seems to have the same condition as Lissa. Can I take it that the Dolomite solution worked for her. Do I need to lop the top off the plant?

Regards,
Joey from Perth

Time: 26th January 2015 11:13pm

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About the Author Joey from Perth
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Lissa says...
Out of those three photos of plants, two are now dead and gone.

Pic 2 - This plant was a very old self sown bisexual yellow. I replanted seed - four plants now about 1 to 1.5m tall.

Pic 1 - bought Red fruiting plant. I have no luck with red pawpaw plants - they all die.

Pic 3 - is thriving. The warm months brought back a crop of healthy leaves.

Time: 4th March 2015 5:07pm

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