Any paw paw experts? - Transferred from QDMA forums
- Thread starter yoderjac
- Start date
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
Time to update this thread. Some of the pawpaws I planted in the field did ok, but many lost their leaves the first summer. Some of those have leafed out this spring but others had the top growth completely die. Some of those are putting up new shoots from the roots. It is now late enough that everything that is going to leaf out should have. Next time I go to the farm, I hope to do some counting and take some pictures.
I hade a half dozen trees that got planted a little later than those that went to the farm. I overwintered them in my cold room last winter. I decided they need another growing season so they are on my deck:
We have had a lot of rain lately so they are a bit droopy but seem to be doing pretty well. I've certainly learned that pawpaws are by far the most sensitive tree to transplant that I have worked with.
Thanks,
Jack
I hade a half dozen trees that got planted a little later than those that went to the farm. I overwintered them in my cold room last winter. I decided they need another growing season so they are on my deck:
We have had a lot of rain lately so they are a bit droopy but seem to be doing pretty well. I've certainly learned that pawpaws are by far the most sensitive tree to transplant that I have worked with.
Thanks,
Jack
Brush farmer
5 year old buck +
Nice! Those trees should put on some fast growth for you. They look to be about the size wild pawpaws really take off in the wild. I wouldn't worry too much about the percentage you got to take as long as you can get just one at each location you want some pawpaws. They don't have to be very big before they start sending up more shoots from the root. They always form a semi-thicket in the wild here. They become both cover and a food source.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
Well, I guess 8 for 23 isn't that bad. Now that I think back, I think I rushed it. Pawpaw are slow growers compared to most of the trees I've dealt with. I recall some medium falling off when I planted them after 2 growing seasons. I've had fast growing trees like chestnuts fill a 3 gal RB2 in a single growing season. ACs aren't as fast and I think for most of them it takes 2 growing seasons to completely fill a 3 gal RB2. I now think it is best to keep pawpaws for 3 growing seasons (in my climate). The first two require protection from direct sun. By the third, direct sun is fine as you can see from those in the pictures back up in this thread of the ones on my upper deck. I plan to plant them in the field next spring after 3 full growing seasons in RB2s.
Yes, I'm ok with the results. No one tells me pawpaws are easy. All of the 23 trees I planted were collocated. The problem with the clusters that form from roots is that they are clones and can't pollinate themselves. All of my pawpaw were seed grown so 8 planted in proximity should provide good pollination. I'll be interested to see how long it takes them to fruit.
Thanks,
Jack
kskid
5 year old buck +
I bought two seedlings from an arboretum fundraiser 5 years ago (NE KS). Planted one in the shade and it died the first year. Planted the other in full sun. I thought it died two of the first three years, but it came back each time. It's now about 6' tall with thick, dense, healthy leaves and branches looking like it couldn't be happier. They were the most temperamental trees I've ever planted, but I sure wish I'd bought more. As for the fruiting problems mentioned in earlier posts, I remember reading somewhere that people used to put roadkill in among the trees to attract pollinating flies. Can't vouch for the source or success of it.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
Well, they are not pollinated by the normal pollinators. They have an unusual strategy. The flowers smell like rotting flesh to attract flies rather than bees. I can certainly understand how folks might try to enhance fly attraction with roadkill. Dog poop might work similarly and provide fertilization.
The other issue is that trees must be genetically different to pollinate one another. This is not an issue with the trees I grew from seed as trees grown from seed are genetically unique. However, for grafted trees you must have more than one variety. They will also propagate from the root system forming clusters but all of the trees in the cluster will be genetically identical. That is why you sometimes find a cluster of wild trees that don't bare fruit. That won't be an issue for grafted tree because any root suckers will be genetically identical to the root system but different from the grafted top work.
They are clearly a sensitive tree!
Thanks,
Jack
blueKYstream
5 year old buck +
Reviving and old thread to see how your all's pawpaws are doing.
I planted one bareroot seedling 3 years ago. It barely grew at all the first couple years, maybe a couple inches max. I haven't checked it yet this year, but I'm hoping it takes off. I finally saw a pawpaw fruit at the store and brought it home. It tasted....not good! To me, it tasted slightly like cantaloupe, a hint of honey, with an aftertaste of what I imagine diesel fuel tastes like. Maybe I had a bad variety or I just don't like them. I'm not quite sure.
What I do like about planting them though is that they don't really require any tubing or fencing (from my limited experience). My cattle and 3 or 4 free ranging goats on the farm don't bother the pawpaw in the least bit. Deer don't either.
I took a walk at the local arboretum tonight as well. They had a couple 6-8' pawpaws in open sun that were doing well (I think one was the KSU Atwood variety). I snagged a small limb to see if I could root them. I doubt I'll have any luck, but we'll see.
I planted one bareroot seedling 3 years ago. It barely grew at all the first couple years, maybe a couple inches max. I haven't checked it yet this year, but I'm hoping it takes off. I finally saw a pawpaw fruit at the store and brought it home. It tasted....not good! To me, it tasted slightly like cantaloupe, a hint of honey, with an aftertaste of what I imagine diesel fuel tastes like. Maybe I had a bad variety or I just don't like them. I'm not quite sure.
What I do like about planting them though is that they don't really require any tubing or fencing (from my limited experience). My cattle and 3 or 4 free ranging goats on the farm don't bother the pawpaw in the least bit. Deer don't either.
I took a walk at the local arboretum tonight as well. They had a couple 6-8' pawpaws in open sun that were doing well (I think one was the KSU Atwood variety). I snagged a small limb to see if I could root them. I doubt I'll have any luck, but we'll see.
blueKYstream
5 year old buck +
That's some tough luck! I hope the 2 survivors to this point make it!
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
I've had some mixed results so far. I grew mine from seed in rootmakers. I kept most of them for 2 years in these containers so I could control the light. Pawpaws are a very slow growing tree in nature, but they grew in rootmakers much faster than the pictures I've seen of trees the same age in the field. I've been told that pawpaws don't transplant well and now I believe it. Unlike when I plant bare root trees. I simply don't have transplant losses when planting from rootmakers until I tried pawpaws.
I planted my first batch (20 something) in the field at the farm in the spring before green up. They produced leaves just fine in the full sun and looked good as the spring when on in this, their third leaf. Then, in the middle of summer (it was dry that year) many dropped their leaves. Some of them died, but most produced leaves the following year. One died back but produced a new shoot from the roots. I did not protect them. That was a mistake.
I've hunted in an area that was overrun by deer in the past (not my farm). There was nothing green under 6' as the deer overpopulation kept it browsed. The one exception was pawpaws. They were green and untouched. That made me assume deer would not bother my trees. Wrong assumption.
I've never had a deer touch a leaf of my pawpaws, but in the winter, I found the central leader browsed. In that overpopulated area I hunted in the past, I'm guessing that because pawpaws grow so slowly, the central leader was out of reach before the area became overpopulated with deer. I've also found that with any tree I plant, if it is in a food plot, it gets more attention from deer. Deer are browsers and they come to the field to eat the crop, but they just can't resist taking a bite of a seedling as they walk by.
I found clear evidence of deer browsing the pawpaw seedlings I planted at the farm in the winter. I have only a handful of pawpaws left at the farm. I don't have great soil (heavy clay), and it is hard to tell if they have grown at all since I planted them. Before fall comes around, I plan to cage the few I have left.
I have another batch of them (only a half dozen) that got started a little later. I've kept them in root makers for 3 growing seasons. They have grown pretty well for pawpaws. I just bought some retirement property about 15 minutes from the farm but it has better soil. I planted this second batch there and caged and window screened them this spring. So far they are doing very well. They have all leafed out in full sun and seem fine (knock on wood, so far...).
As for taste, they are not my favorite either. They are kind of custard like. It is my understanding that timing is key to taste. You don't often find them in a grocery store because they don't last. There is a short period when they are perfectly ripe and the taste is off before and after that period. I'm certainly no expert on them. I did look into selling some if the trees at the retirement property produce when I retire. The only market I could find is a niche market where folks sell them to high end restaurants. They use them in deserts that day or the next. Very short shelf life.
Thanks,
Jack
I planted my first batch (20 something) in the field at the farm in the spring before green up. They produced leaves just fine in the full sun and looked good as the spring when on in this, their third leaf. Then, in the middle of summer (it was dry that year) many dropped their leaves. Some of them died, but most produced leaves the following year. One died back but produced a new shoot from the roots. I did not protect them. That was a mistake.
I've hunted in an area that was overrun by deer in the past (not my farm). There was nothing green under 6' as the deer overpopulation kept it browsed. The one exception was pawpaws. They were green and untouched. That made me assume deer would not bother my trees. Wrong assumption.
I've never had a deer touch a leaf of my pawpaws, but in the winter, I found the central leader browsed. In that overpopulated area I hunted in the past, I'm guessing that because pawpaws grow so slowly, the central leader was out of reach before the area became overpopulated with deer. I've also found that with any tree I plant, if it is in a food plot, it gets more attention from deer. Deer are browsers and they come to the field to eat the crop, but they just can't resist taking a bite of a seedling as they walk by.
I found clear evidence of deer browsing the pawpaw seedlings I planted at the farm in the winter. I have only a handful of pawpaws left at the farm. I don't have great soil (heavy clay), and it is hard to tell if they have grown at all since I planted them. Before fall comes around, I plan to cage the few I have left.
I have another batch of them (only a half dozen) that got started a little later. I've kept them in root makers for 3 growing seasons. They have grown pretty well for pawpaws. I just bought some retirement property about 15 minutes from the farm but it has better soil. I planted this second batch there and caged and window screened them this spring. So far they are doing very well. They have all leafed out in full sun and seem fine (knock on wood, so far...).
As for taste, they are not my favorite either. They are kind of custard like. It is my understanding that timing is key to taste. You don't often find them in a grocery store because they don't last. There is a short period when they are perfectly ripe and the taste is off before and after that period. I'm certainly no expert on them. I did look into selling some if the trees at the retirement property produce when I retire. The only market I could find is a niche market where folks sell them to high end restaurants. They use them in deserts that day or the next. Very short shelf life.
Thanks,
Jack
blueKYstream
5 year old buck +
That's interesting Jack. I never would have thought a deer would browse them. Like I said, goats and cattle have even left mine alone, let alone the deer. By all accounts, it sounds like they are tough to get growing! I was real curious about their taste for several years. The one I had was not firm but not squishy. The very center was a bit mushy though. Neither my daughter, my wife or I particularly cared for it. Maybe I'll give another a try down the line. The initial taste was decent, but the aftertaste was bad! I might send a message to the arboretum I saw a couple growing quite well. Maybe they could have some pointers.
Possibly try pollinating them yourself. I’ve done hat the last couple of years and seems to work. I use a small artist type paint brush. The tree will produce flowers that start out as female and then turn to males. As stated, a tree will not pollinate itself. So you need to get pollen from a different tree. Stick your brush in a male flower then transfer to a female. Once you get the hang of telling the male and female flowers apart.. goes pretty good. Can also pick off a few male flowers and put in a plastic bag to make it easier when going to another tree.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
Also, keep in mind that pawpaws pollinate asexually from the roots as well as sexually. Often you find a cluster of paw paws in nature that were propagated that way. They can not pollinate each others. Grafted trees are also clones, so if you only have one variety you will have an issue. Paw paws use an unusual pollination strategy. The blossoms smell like rotting flesh. Rather than bees, they tend to attract flies as pollinators.
Thanks,
Jack
My experience with pawpaws is limited, but very different from that summary. Like apples, there is a variety of flavors expressed in different trees. One of the trees I've harvested from always produces fruits with a strong Concord grape flavor. Other trees taste like shades of mango, still others taste like vanilla custard. Then there are some with a muggy, musty, mushy taste - ugh. I tend to like most pawpaws ever so slightly underripe (just the way I like bananas).
In February I watched a couple deer meander through my pawpaw patch. One deer began to nibble on and break off the top of my 7' tree's central leader. I can't say whether it was late-winter famine or merely curiosity that motivated her, but it set the sapling back a foot.
Lastly, swallowtail caterpillars rely on pawpaw leaves as their primary food.
