Papaws

[mjc]

1 out of 20....hmmm....it must be more mature or something. Pawpaws are self-infertile and if most of the ones around are really root-suckers (or other natural clones) they won't be very fruitful, if any at all. so it is more likely that the one with fruit is actually not related to the ones without...

[ozarklady]

All resources that I can find on pawpaws mention that they are not honeybee pollinated, and that the pollinators are indifferent at best.
So, perhaps the others just didn't get pollinated due to shade?
We didn't know these existed, until we were walking and saw familiar leaves, and kept looking up... and found the fruit. And the other patch is difficult for me to access, it is down a really steep hill. Getting down there is easy, but I need a rope to get back up... getting old stinks! But it would be an easy flight for a bug!

[ozarklady]

Today was the day:

We harvested the one small tree, with the double top...


For a better view:





I looked around and found a few on other trees, easier to see as the leaves are falling off... but few are as loaded as this one small tree was.

We haven't been down in the valley to the large Paw paw patch as of yet... still removing ticks from just getting these! And now, I am off to find best ways to preserve my bounty!

Looks like I will have seeds, if you would like some, please pm me your address.

[castanea]

Good luck with preserving. Their shelf life can be measured in hours.

[mjc]

www.pawpaw.kysu.edu/pawpaw/recipes.htm

[ozarklady]

While looking for preserving ideas I learned alot...
1. Paw paws have all the essential amino acids in their protein.
2. Paw paws are antifeedant to pests... a brew of the twigs sprayed on plants and bugs won't eat them.
3. The same twigs are antitumor for humans, and is used to beat breast and prostate cancer. (I am not a doctor, I just found articles about this)

So, even without fruit, they are worth growing.

I sampled some not ripe, it is just blah, ripe is great, and over ripe is bitter, odd.

How would you suggest that I keep the seeds moist while enroute to folks? Baggie with moss or leaves in it?

[castanea]

Baggie with moss works.

Fruit from different trees may taste quite different. Flavor develops more as they age/ripen.

[ozarklady]

If anyone would like seeds, I haven't been overwhelmed with requests, I have 5-6 to date!

They need to sit in the refrigerator for 100 days, moist to break dormancy, or get them outside before winter sets in for you!

The pawpaws will be ripening over the next week or so... not a hurry, but please don't assume that I am out of seeds! I have more than is requested, just from the 9 fruits that I processed (and the one I ate!)

It is recommended to wash them in a mild bleach solution, what do y'all think? Good idea or bad?

[ozarklady]

I am officially out of pawpaw seeds until next year. If I have your address, you are good to go, if not, sorry.

[atash]

Oct 21, 2010 21:12:15 GMT -5 ozarklady said:

I am officially out of pawpaw seeds until next year. If I have your address, you are good to go, if not, sorry.

Oh boy and I can't wait to grow them out. I tried to find your exact USDA zone, and the closest I could find was 6b, though there are bits of 6a in northwestern Arkansas. Wow, you are only 1 state north of Louisiana, but the USDA zones drop fast. That's good because although I don't need coldhardiness as Paw-Paws go, I do need prompt ripening.

I just looked up germination instructions from the University of Kentucky. It says not to let them freeze or dry out, and to germinate them with 70-100 days of cold, moist stratificiation. That should be easy to accomplish in my climate.

[ozarklady]

I guess that you noticed they were damp, and the paper towel in there to keep them that way?
I did have some pawpaw germinate, in the ferment.
So, I would cold stratify some of them, and some, I would just go ahead and put in dirt, with plastic bag over it, to keep the humidity up.

They look odd when they start sprouting. A white patch appears, I thought mold, so I pulled those out of the ferment, and I dried them a bit, to see if I could get it off... duh!

I separated them from the others... then the little white part, started turning brown... I still didn't get it.

So I sat down to scrape off this mold and see what the deal is...
I killed it! It was roots!

If the room temp ones don't start rooting, I would try adding a piece of mango or banana, perhaps they need the enzymes to break dormancy?

I really didn't expect them to root while fermenting, only a couple did, maybe it was just a fluke?

Those were the earlier batches, when only 1 or 2 pawpaw at a time were ripe.

[castanea]

Oct 22, 2010 21:36:45 GMT -5 atash said:

Oct 21, 2010 21:12:15 GMT -5 ozarklady said:

I am officially out of pawpaw seeds until next year. If I have your address, you are good to go, if not, sorry.

Oh boy and I can't wait to grow them out. I tried to find your exact USDA zone, and the closest I could find was 6b, though there are bits of 6a in northwestern Arkansas. Wow, you are only 1 state north of Louisiana, but the USDA zones drop fast. That's good because although I don't need coldhardiness as Paw-Paws go, I do need prompt ripening.

I just looked up germination instructions from the University of Kentucky. It says not to let them freeze or dry out, and to germinate them with 70-100 days of cold, moist stratificiation. That should be easy to accomplish in my climate.

They grow really well down between Portland and Eugene.

[coppice]

Nov 8, 2009 20:20:24 GMT -5 peppereater said:

I've been seeking a source for pawpaws for several years. Few nurseries offer them, and those are expensive. I'd be glad to find something suitable to trade for seed.

Paw paw are grown in-near Kalamazoo MI by Ken Asmus (last name spelling?) er OIKOS Tree Crops. He offers saplings.

Paw paw can be grown from seed, or at least I have had my highest germination rate by: planting still moist seed taken from fruit and set into shallow pot with quick draining soil. Over winter in cold frame.

My best germination rate trial didn't pop untill spring had really warmed.

I have not had good success with dried seed.

I had paw paw overwinter successfuly in Central NH. I was not able to stay on site till fruiting size tree.

For me the jury is out as to how much scarify-ing seed coat helps or doesn't.

The first year bottomless tree pots worked well. Partial shade is routinely reccomended for saplings. Saplings take potting up well for years 2+ in nursery.

I don't know how well this tree takes to hard pruning. It is probably not a good bonsai candidate due to large leaf size.