I think it's called Tansy. In fact, I'm sure of it.....

myamberdog

A couple of mine have fallen over in high wind before.
it has nothing to do with ants.
the fruit at the top makes papaya trees heavy,
and the root system is often not that strong.
In my area, when the soil is saturated with high rains, it becomes mud and very loose as well.

This is a known problem for Papaya trees, and one reason dwarf trees are becoming popular with commercial and private growers both.

i have even used 2x4 wood hammered into the ground
and fastened to the tree with rope to secure them.

or, use rope to tie to a light pole, fence, or whatever.
i have even used rope to tie them to each other.
just use some kind of cloth or plastic to cushion around the trunk so it doesnt get damaged.

Thank you both! We do have some papaya trees that are shorter and I suggested to the Garden Manager we save seeds from them and plant those. The are half the height and still bearing lots of fruit. I have also heard of tansy. Will have to look into that.

They cross pollinate too readily. You're not likely to get identical plants to the parents from seed, especially if you've got a mix of different types.

university of Hawaii papaya seeds

$1 pack
(i got like 35+ seeds in a pack)

Waimanalo Papaya (X-77) is a yellow flesh solo papaya, which bears low to the ground initially. It is larger than Sunrise weighing 22-32 ounces.

Here is a link that might be useful: university of Hawaii papaya seeds

Greenman62. Thank you!! I passed that on to my friend that has the not for profit for Gray Mockingbird Community Garden in Lake Worth, FL. I am just the chief slave/volunteer that is helping him turn this place into an awesome adventure! We are one of the few community gardens that can demonstrate Aeroponics, Hydroponics, raised bed growing, container growing, in ground farming, and permaculture! We are in a very URBAN setting as well. Having the time of my life. And I do have a full time job!

Wow
that must be very kewl to do.
I will have to come by and say hi if i ever do get down there.
I used to go to Hollywood area to visit freinds every year
but, its been several years now.
Now, i want to go just to see all the gardens like Fairchilds. etc...
I LOVE fresh mango and papaya

I am semi-retired and spend a lot of time in my backyard
(in the suburbs) ,
which i used a lot of permaculture ideas from.
enjoy ! :)

Are they Argentinean ants? are they on the leaves too, or just only on the ground? In S. California Argentinean ants nested under my mango mulch layer and tending the milly bugs on the leaves. With lot of patience I keep watering the soil for the ant to call 911 and started carry their white color babies out in a hurry. I wasn't looking for those tender soft babies but I look for the twice as big fat queens, yes, plural queens. Those bastards have over 20 queens in one colony. I killed the queens. Sorry no queens under my mango.

Sapote

They could be. They are small little buggers and don't seem to bite. But before you know it, your legs are covered. They seem to stay just in the ground at the root zone. We are using amdro and DE around the known nests now.