Paw Paw

I have 35 seedlings from 2017 that are growing very well. They will be ready to plant in the springtime if you are interested. They are the Sunflower variety and are self-fertile...

 

Absolutely interested. Let me know when you have them ready to go and i'll grab a couple off you.

Thanks!

 

Hello Al,
I have three 1 year old pawpaws of different varieties still in pots. I’m having trouble deciding where to plant them here on Pender Island. Do they need protection from the wind or rain or frost in Nanoose Bay? Or a wall behind them to promote fruit production? Do yours send out suckers? I live on 30 acres so have lots of choice. Thanks!

 

Here on the west side of Vancouver, mine need no special treatment. And they have not sent up any suckers. It's just too bad that no one likes their taste...

 

Sorry to hear your family don’t find them palatable. Hopefully we will! Do you still hand pollinate? (I saw your earlier post.)

 

It may be the flavor of that particular cultivar. My tree that produced last Fall was NC-1 and I found the taste mild and pleasant....and both NC-1 and 'Mango' will sucker as well.



"Pawpaws prefer a moist, fertile soil. The soil should be slightly acidic to neutral and well-drained. They require warm to hot summers, mild to cold winters and roughly 80cm (32 inches) of annual rainfall, with the majority falling throughout the spring and summer. Pawpaw trees are naturally an understory species, meaning that they do not do well in full sun (more than 6 hours of direct sun per day) when they are young." But aside from this they are relatively easy to care for and pest-free.

 

Pawpaws can tolerate frost down to US Zone 5; so, they should have no problems with minimum temperatures in this area. Since they are an understory species, as mentioned above, they probably should be grown in a sheltered spot.

 

Hello Faye, Paws are understory trees at first and like, say a Black Spruce, they need shade in the first part of their lives, 33% shade if I recall forestry lessons. My two were planted behind the raspberry patch trellis that is six feet tall. They took their time growing but once established in the wettest part of my yard they grew fast. I have a woodshed behind them that does reflect heat in the winter. They are also on the lowest area of the property which means they like wet feet. A buddy in Arkansas picks them by canoe. They have big tap roots so don't plant them over rock and yes they do sucker but not much. The suckers may not be of a good variety so I snip them all. The Sunflower is a proven self-fertile variety but my Mango is not. Last year I did not hand-pollinate either of them but enticed a certain type of fly with festering pork liver in a pail. The fly that I have observed doing the pollinating is a late-emerging fly. It is large, it has reddish eyes and is grey with black stripes. If they are present, every time I walk by the pail I give it a kick, which sends all the flies to cover. And the nearby flowers are perfect hideouts for them. Last year I had about 80 tasty fruits and held Paw tasting for about 20 people. I just studied the two trees in the back yard. The Sunflower will have hundreds, if not 1,000 flowers this year and it has flowered profusely for 7 or 8 years now. Each flower can produce up to 8 fruits so I know we will have a large bounty again this year. The Mango is not as productive although I count maybe 40 or 50 flowers. Last year the Mango did not set fruit because I did not pollinate with Sunflower pollen. All the flower buds are swelling right now but with this extended winter weather I suspect my fly partners will not emerge in time so I'll likely have to hand pollinate this year. Although, having said that we still have 2 Liters of raw pulp in the freezer and I have a gallon of Paw Paw hot sauce that is to die for. Lots of jars of Paw Paw/Strawberry jam too so if we miss a year of production it won't really matter.

 

Somehow I did not see this post at all. Sorry but they are one of my biggest sellers and I can't grow them fast enough. I shipped several hundred seeds to a good grower in Colwood and he says they are sending out their long tap roots. I probably will get about 30 to sprout this year but I'm too busy to even check mine...

 

Dan, I do Paw tasting for five bucks - yup. I still have a couple Liters of raw pulp and one gets to try the hot sauce too. I have two other people lined up for this month so jump in if you like...

 

It’s all good, I found a few grafted seedlings in Nanaimo in 2021. It’s funny this thread just came back to life, I was talking to a woman in the neighborhood on Friday about my garden and she mentioned your name as another “garden guy” in the area. Sounds like I live just down the street from you.

I’d certainly like to come for a tasting and a peek around the garden at some point. Feel free to PM me with a time convenient for you.

 

A book on Paw Paw production:
https://www.amazon.ca/Love-Paw-Paws...rowing+and+caring+for+pawpaws+,aps,399&sr=8-1

Interesting article:
The revival of a forgotten American fruit

 

I don't think this forum has a PM capability and since you don't have a name I doubt you will be tasting anything...

 

Yes it does, called "Start a Conversation". See Contact a member | UBC Botanical Garden Forums.

 

I just searched in places I've never explored before and nothing like 'contact a member' shows up for me in any tab anywhere...

 

That "Contact a member" in my posting is a direct link to the documentation.

 

The middle icon at the upper right corner of this page is labeled "Conversations". Just click it and then "Start a New Conversation".