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Paw Paw propagation
- Thread starter Reagan
- Start date
chickenlittle
5 year old buck +
You want to start in pots or direct seed?
Clean seeds well, get all the pulp off. Cold stratify in the fridge, ziploc bag with a slightly moist paper towel or long fiber spaghnum moss. Start in pots around maybe end of January. A deep pot is nice as they grow a long tap root. Right around 70F for good germination. Expect no above ground growth for 4-6 weeks. If starting outdoors with direct seeding, plant in spring late spring and expect to see top growth in July or August.
Clean seeds well, get all the pulp off. Cold stratify in the fridge, ziploc bag with a slightly moist paper towel or long fiber spaghnum moss. Start in pots around maybe end of January. A deep pot is nice as they grow a long tap root. Right around 70F for good germination. Expect no above ground growth for 4-6 weeks. If starting outdoors with direct seeding, plant in spring late spring and expect to see top growth in July or August.
Be prepared to wait a long time for direct seeded plants to emerge. I planted some in March after refrigerated stratification, and the didn’t pop until July! It did give me plenty of time to control weeds inside their cage, however. I just transplanted several that I reared in a pot, looking forward to seeing how well they do in direct sunlight. I’m planning to cover them with shade cloth next summer.
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Tickrancher
Yearling... With promise
After years of failed efforts to grow pawpaws in full sun the Tickranch now has a tent city. These photo were taken in July. It was very dry this year so not a lot of new growth. The shaded trees look better than those in full sun but it is too early to say if the effort has been worth the trouble. Pawpaws planted in the shade of walnut and locust trees are 8 ft. tall.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
I root pruned mine. I tried to solve the photosensitivity problem by keeping them in containers on my deck for 2 growing season in the shade before planting them in full sun. I don't know if it is the root pruning or the photosensitivity, but I had high losses in the field. They did very well while in containers on my deck.
If you are germinating them indoors, heating pads under the soil helps with germination and growth. I think to optimal soil temp is about 90 degrees according to KSU.
Pawpaws are the slowest growing most finicky trees I've grown. I kept a few in containers for a third growing season on my deck. I'm not sure whether I'll plant these in full sun or not. I'm a little skittish after the last batch.
Thanks,
jack
If you are germinating them indoors, heating pads under the soil helps with germination and growth. I think to optimal soil temp is about 90 degrees according to KSU.
Pawpaws are the slowest growing most finicky trees I've grown. I kept a few in containers for a third growing season on my deck. I'm not sure whether I'll plant these in full sun or not. I'm a little skittish after the last batch.
Thanks,
jack
I’m tempted to start some in the shade of a clump of stag horn sumac growing behind the house. The canopy tops out at around 10’, so once they get through that they’ll have about 75%sun. Does anyone know how long they need protection from the sun? 2 years,3?
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yoderjac
5 year old buck +
The reading I did said two growing seasons, but given my results in the field, I can't confirm that. I understand there are high losses when transplanting pawpaws but I presumed most was due to the root system and long tap root. I thought root pruning would solve that but I still had high losses. Many of my pawpaws greened up find and then went dormant in the middle of the first summer after transplant. Some of them died, but most greened up the next season after transplant. Some of those that greened up did not make it through that growing season. I'm now down to a handful of trees.
They got no aftercare and were transplanted from 3 gal RB2s. Perhaps since they are an understory tree and there was no supplemental water, even a 3 gal RB2 root system is not enough to support the water needs in full sun. Perhaps it was the photosensitivity. I simply don't know.
Thanks,
Jack
Tickrancher
Yearling... With promise
Jack, how tall were your pawpaws when you transplanted? I have been doing something very similar to what you described and have had the same results. When I moved my trees some were two years old and three foot tall and they showed no ability to handle the sun. Would height make a difference? Do they need to reach 4 foot to make their own shade? I am considering using an old rotten round hay bail to mulch the he** out of them. They say on the KSU website pawpaws can't stand competition. The mulch might help them survive. The Kentucky State page shows rows of pawpaw in full sun but that hasn't worked on the Tickranch.
John
John
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
John,
Here is the tread with the details of how I tried to manage them: http://www.habitat-talk.com/index.php?threads/any-paw-paw-experts-transferred-from-qdma-forums.5710/ It has some pictures with different stages.
Thanks,
Jack
j-bird
Moderator
I have a bunch of them naturally and have never grown any from seed. What I have seen of those on my place....they are an understory tree.....they don't like full sun. From what I have seen they don't like 75% sun, but it's better than full sun. They also like a particular soil as well. I have then in the flood plain and creek bottoms. Coarse soil, deep and fertile, with adequate moisture but not standing water. They don;t seem to like a high clay content soil either. Typically areas of a higher water table. Occasional flooding is OK but never for prolonged periods of time. They are weak and brittle so out in the open you can expect a fair amount of wind damage. I have some that are in full sun and 20 feet tall....those look sick and hardly ever produce. I have some in broken mature canopy with 50% sun and half as tall and they thrive! The native ones are not orchard trees....or upland type trees. They seem to like the similar growing conditions of my black walnut, hackberry and boxelder trees.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
Yes, they are an understory tree here too. I don't have any on my place but we have them on other lands I've hunted. Creek bottoms are a prime area where I find them as well. They reproduce asexually from root suckers and form clusters in the understory. These clonal trees can't pollinate each other to produce fruit. When there are other pawpaws in the area that were grown from seed we get pollination and some fruit. They can live for a very long time as an understory tree. However, if the canopy is removed mature pawpaw trees that are pollinated produce more fruit. Backyard growers want them in full sun so it maximizes fruit production.
I think you've given a pretty good description of prime conditions for where they grow natively.
Thanks,
Jack
We don't often have strong winds but storm damage may have killed some of my trees.
