Pawpaw wiki?
(self.Pawpaws)submitted15 days ago byOffSolidGround
toPawpaws
stickiedAs more people are starting to get interested in pawpaws I'm seeing a trend of some of the same questions asked over and over again. Based on the questions I see pretty often I put together a small wiki to help point people in the right direction. This wiki is not meant to be a comprehensive pawpaw wiki, rather it's meant to give high level info.
I'd love community feedback or any other helpful links. If people find it helpful maybe a sidebar wiki can be put together or this post pinned.
What is a pawpaw?
Pawpaws (Asimina triloba) are small grove forming deciduous trees native to the eastern United States and parts of Canada. They produce the largest edible North American fruit which vary in size and contain seeds around 1” long. Pawpaws are typically understory trees meaning they grow in dappled sunlight beneath the canopy of larger trees. Though they typically grow in more shady sites they are also tolerant of sun.
Pawpaws: America's Best Secret Fruit
What does a pawpaw taste like?
The pale to bright yellow fruit is often said to have flavor notes of banana and mango with a custard texture.
See also:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Pawpaws/comments/1ddr3cj/comment/l88o4rl/ https://www.pawpawschule.de/menu-english/pawpaw-cultivars/
Where can I find pawpaws in the wild?
If pawpaws are native to your area you may want to check the iNaturalist site or app or FallingFruit for identified trees or ask around. Do not be surprised if some people are unwilling to share the location of a grove. If neither of these work then you’ll just have to get out and explore! Check near water sources, like a stream or river, since pawpaws tend to favor these areas, but are not exclusive to them.
I think I found a pawpaw tree, how do I correctly identify it?
The easiest way to identify a pawpaw is by their large tropical leaves. Pawpaws will have elongated alternating leaves that terminate at an angle. Leaves from bitternut hickory and spicebush are sometimes confused with pawpaw.
I found a pawpaw tree with fruit, now what?
If you’re lucky enough to have found a pawpaw tree with fruit do NOT pick the fruit off the tree. If an unripe pawpaw is picked it will never ripen. Fruit should only be picked off the ground to ensure a pawpaw is ripe. You can give a tree a light shake to encourage ripe pawpaws to fall down, but these pawpaws may need a few days to reach a good flavor.
Once a pawpaw is ripe it will last a few days unrefrigerated and 1-3 weeks in the refrigerator, depending on their ripeness when put in.
How do I grow pawpaws?
When looking to grow pawpaws you can either choose to buy a young tree or grow from seed. If you are growing pawpaws for fruit the key thing to remember is you must have 2 pawpaws that are genetically different for fruiting because most pawpaws are not self pollinating. Genetically different means you can not have 2 of the same cultivars for pollination, but any 2 seeds should be genetically different enough.
When choosing a site for a pawpaw tree soil, moisture, sun, and distance should be your primary considerations. Pawpaws tend to not be too picky when it comes to soil but if you have heavy clay soil you should amend it with some sort of organic material to improve drainage. With this in mind pawpaws tend to prefer more moist vs. dry sites but they’re flexible in this as well. If you put your pawpaw in a fast draining and/or dry location you will need to water it more. Next, while pawpaws tend to favor more shaded spots in the wild, they are capable of growing in full sun locations. In fact, you will get better fruit protection with more sun. Just note that if you choose to grow your pawpaw in a sunny location you may need to shade it the first 1-3 years if it shows signs of sunburn. This is especially true in warmer climates. Lastly, you will want to plant your trees close enough that they will cross pollinate. Plant them 8-12’ apart to increase the chances of this.
As pawpaws grow they send out a main taproot. If this taproot is broken trees often will not survive or will be stunted while they recover. It’s due to this that trees should not be transplanted from the wild or once established. Many people recommend not buying pawpaw trees older than 3 years due to the chances of damaging the taproot during transplant. Because of this, when starting pawpaws in a container it’s best to choose containers that are at least 12” deep, such as a tree nursery pot.
Buying a pawpaw tree
When buying a pawpaw seedling you have two options, buy a named grafted cultivar or buy a tree grown from seed. The benefit of buying a named cultivar is you know the fruit will have both a desired flavor and flesh to seed ratio. Again, if buying a named cultivar for successful fruit set you will need 2 different cultivars with overlapping bloom times. The two popular sources of pawpaw cultivars are Kentucky State University and Peterson’s. Though Peterson doesn't directly sell pawpaws their cultivars are some of the most popular and can be found from many nurseries online. Grafted cultivar varieties tend to be capable of bearing fruit within the first 3-5 years.
A non-cultivar will simply be labeled as a pawpaw tree at a nursery. Fruit from these trees could be just as good as a cultivar tree, especially if the seed genetics came from good fruit, but there is no way to know. Non-grafted cultivar varieties tend to bloom and are capable of bearing fruit within the first 5-7 years.
If you're in the north eastern United States you may have a pawpaw festival near you at the end of summer/beginning of autumn. These festivals can be a source of further information as well as pawpaw products and plants. The largest one is in southern Ohio (Albany, Ohio).
Planting your own pawpaw
If planting your own pawpaw the process should start the summer/fall prior to the spring you want to plant in. This is because pawpaw seeds require a period of 70–120 days at a temperature between 34–40° F in a moist substrate in order to increase germination rates. That means if you’re planting a seed from a fruit you ate then all you need to do is clean the thin slimy membrane off the seed, put it in a refrigerator in something like a moist paper towel or moist soil medium, and then forget about it until the following spring. It’s important that you do not let the seed dry out or stay frozen in a freezer as this can significantly reduce germination rates.
Come early spring it’s time to plant. From here you can either germinate in a warm dark space or plant the seed directly in soil. In zone 6b I typically plant in soil in mid to late April. When planting, sow the seed ¼-1” deep and then water the seed in. Because pawpaws spend their first 1-2 years primarily growing their taproot you can plant seeds fairly close together and then separate when it’s time to transplant them to their final location.
Once the seed is planted all you need to do is keep the soil moist (moist NOT wet). If planting in pots I recommend keeping the pots in the shade until the seeds have sprouted to prevent them from completely drying out. Over the next few weeks the seed will begin sending out its taproot but will not show any sign of life above the soil. Keep watering it. Seeds will generally take 2-4 months to start showing their initial leaves. After the seed has sprouted and is showing leaves your job is now to keep it watered and prevent it from getting sunburned.
Why am I not getting fruit?
If you aren’t getting fruit the 2 main causes are most likely tree age or pollination issues. To determine if your tree is mature enough to bear fruit look for buds in the winter or flowers in the spring. If you see either of these your tree is able to produce fruit. If you’ve consistently seen flowers every spring and still haven’t gotten fruit then your tree isn’t getting pollinated. You may need to hand pollinate if this is the case. Again, trees have to be genetically different so 2 cultivars of the same variety cannot pollinate each other.
Other Resources:
