Pawpaw trees

[user 14220]

Plan on planting some pawpaw trees next spring. Any tips or suggestions?

 

[Greenhead]

Those things are too cool. Are there any wild ones left?

 

[diamond hunter]

tens of millions

 

[Brisco Darlin]

we had some at our old house. i found a few on a creek bank up in claiborne co. i like them.

 

[Jmed]

Got em at my place growing wild.

 

[catman529]

No shortage of them.... Usually on hillsides or creek bottoms

 

[Doskil]

Lots of them wild.

 

[Swampster]

I see lots of trees? bushes? but never any mature fruit. Lots of dark purple/maroon blossoms in the spring.

 

[catman529]

I see lots of trees? bushes? but never any mature fruit. Lots of dark purple/maroon blossoms in the spring.

the trees grow in groves like aspens or sassafras, connected by the roots so many patches of trees are the same tree. They can't self pollinate and need another tree to cross pollinate usually a good patch of them has more than one tree so they should produce some fruit. But the flowers don't depend on regular pollinators like bees. Only some bugs like flies will occasionally visit the flowers so pollination is more sparse. Last year I found fruit all over the place, seemed to be a good year.

Also, the fruit typically ripen in September.

 

[Legnip]

What does a PawPaw fruit taste like?

 

[catman529]

What does a PawPaw fruit taste like?

real sweet kind of tropical, the flavor can vary among stands of trees, but generally a banana/mango flavor often with hint of pineapple and melon. Texture is soft like a ripe avocado, maybe a little softer in a real ripe fruit.

 

[BlountArrow]

One of you Paw Paw experts tell me why I have a bazillion of these growing around the creek that runs through the knobs on our farm that never have any fruit. I've only actually seen one Paw Paw fruit on one of the trees and this tree was in a different spot growing in a patch of woods amongst a few others and growing almost horizontal between a couple oak trees.

 

[Hillbilly Hunter]

I have plenty of them. Most wont have fruit but some will.

 

[Hillbilly Hunter]

Here's some I had this summer.

 

[DaveB]

Anyone know if it is true the blossoms smell like rotting meat?

 

[catman529]

Anyone know if it is true the blossoms smell like rotting meat?

not at all to me, although it doesn't have a sweet fragrance like a normal flower. There is no way to describe it really, it smells like the pawpaw flower, and has a very light odor that you can't smell unless you stick your nose in it.

 

[MickThompson]

One of you Paw Paw experts tell me why I have a bazillion of these growing around the creek that runs through the knobs on our farm that never have any fruit. I've only actually seen one Paw Paw fruit on one of the trees and this tree was in a different spot growing in a patch of woods amongst a few others and growing almost horizontal between a couple oak trees.

Paw paws commonly form huge clonal colonies- those creekbank thickets are actually one big plant connected to a common root system. They are poor self-pollinators. Also, the limited sunlight of growing under a canopy will limit fruit production.

 

[TNlandowner]

I have three of the Pawpaw tree colonies on my farm. Not a single tree produces fruit! So I started 9 pawpaw trees from seed last fall. As soon as this ice storm thaws, I am planting 3 trees in each of the colonies. It will take several years, but I'm hoping to introduce other trees for pollination.

Wishing for the best: Pawpaw jelly is terrific!