🌱 Intermediate
✍🏼 Prepared by Taylor Edwards
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The American Paw Paw or Common Paw Paw is Native to eastern United States and southern Ontario, Canada, including the Carolinian Forest area. It grows in slightly acidic soil, requires moist soil, perfect for this area!
Paw Paw trees are deciduous, and requires one male flower producing tree and one female flower producing tree in order to fruit to develop. Paw Paw trees take three to four years to mature, meaning sex cannot be determined for multiple years. It is recommended to plant multiple trees for better success in cross pollination.
Paw Paw trees do best with a bit of shade, especially the first two years, and require protection from high winds.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/19/dining/how-to-grow-pawpaw.html
When planting to your Paw Paw trees, ensure you leave 8 feet between each tree. Consider planting 3 or more trees for better chance at pollination. After planting, water immediately. In order to reduce planting shock, it is recommended to provide shade for the first year while the trees establish. You can also consider fertilizing 20-20-20 every two weeks for the first 6 months of the growing season. Read more about ‣.
Paw Paw trees are slow growing for the first two years while they establish their root systems. After two years, plants begin to take off. With the right growing and pollination conditions, trees should start to produce fruit within 5-8 years. Seedlings are very sensitive to excessive sunlight and require some shading for the first 2 years. Paw Paw trees are found growing in the shade of larger trees in natural settings.
As your Paw Paw tree matures, consider ‣ . You can do this by either exposing a male flower and using it directly on the female flower, or with a small paint brush. Pollinators are well versed in their jobs but are not perfect. Note that the flowers produced by Paw Paw trees smell like decay or rotting meat, which attracts flies. Paw Paw trees cannot self pollinate because male flowers and female flowers mature at different times on the same tree.
Paw Paw trees require a minimum of 32 inches of rain throughout the season. In Brantford, we average 27 inches (685mm) annually. You will likely need to supplement water.
Most accessible Paw Paw trees are now hybrid cultivars, which means any seeds saved will not be true to the plant you removed them from. The Paw Paw that grows from that seed will take on the genetics of only one parent. Do not allow seeds to freeze or dry out, this will kill the dormant embryo.
All Paw Paw seeds need ‣ for 70-100 days to mimic the natural winter conditions from their native area. Seeds can be sown deeply in late fall and will germinate the following late July or early August. You can also stratify the seeds in the refrigerator by adding the seeds to a sealed container with either a 50/50 ratio of sand and peat moss, or damp spagnum moss. The goal is the avoid any fungal growth. Place sealed container in the refrigerator for 70-100 days. Check on your seeds regularly and replace the medium if you notice any bacteria or fungal growth.
<aside> 👩🏻🌾 ‘Medium’ or ‘substrate’ means the materials used to grow the plant. This could be soil, compost, leca, water, etc.
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After stratifying seeds, sow one inch deep in a tree pot or deep pot (to accommodate deep, long tap root) with a potting or seed starting soil mix. If you have the option to control the pH, it should be between 5.5-7. Medium and seed should be kept in a space with 24-29℃ (75.2-84.2℉). Seed should begin to germinate in two to three weeks and will emerge from medium within two to three months.
Paw Paw trees are very difficult to transport or relocate due to their long, fine, brittle root systems. If there is a need to transplant, do so in early spring as the tree comes out of dormancy. If you heavily damage the root system in the process, trim the foliage. Plant may take up to three years to root after transplanting or grafting.
Paw Paw trees do not propagate well from cuttings or suckers. They do respond well to grafting and budding techniques. This is a contributing to factor to their price and difficulty sourcing.
[https://www.petersonpawpaws.com/diseases-pests-butterflys/](https://www.google.com/imgres?q=Paw Paw Peduncle Borer&imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.petersonpawpaws.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F01%2Fpawpaw-webworm.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.petersonpawpaws.com%2Fdiseases-pests-butterflys%2F&docid=694lhAW6J2fthM&tbnid=MMNkmedVHAyuAM&vet=12ahUKEwi18NuK_syHAxWukIkEHc5cJbUQM3oECGwQAA..i&w=673&h=336&hcb=2&ved=2ahUKEwi18NuK_syHAxWukIkEHc5cJbUQM3oECGwQAA)
https://www.petersonpawpaws.com/diseases-pests-butterflys/
https://www.google.com/imgres?q=Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly and larve&imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fbioweb.uwlax.edu%2Fbio203%2Fs2014%2Fvanburen_sama%2Fb_eurytides_marcellus_001_ww.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fbioweb.uwlax.edu%2Fbio203%2Fs2014%2Fvanburen_sama%2Fadaptation.htm&docid=vtl2Sf5ZxZPyWM&tbnid=cj0Ur4WlnxN9JM&vet=12ahUKEwiF7I20gM2HAxW9MtAFHYFaMPkQM3oECGcQAA..i&w=842&h=560&hcb=2&ved=2ahUKEwiF7I20gM2HAxW9MtAFHYFaMPkQM3oECGcQAA
https://www.organicgardener.com.au/stop-the-rot-how-to-control-pawpaw-fruit-rot-organically/
Paw Paw Peduncle Borer
This moth is native to southern Ontario but can be detrimental to Paw Paw flowers. Borers larve feed on the flowers and borrow into the peduncle, into the tree. Typically, this pest will help thin flowers, but can decimate entire flower population during a bad season. Ensure proper care of your Paw Paw tree to minimize impact of pests and diseases.
Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly
This beauty lays their larve on the tree, and larve feed on flowers and tender foliage. This insect does not typically impact plant health or harvest.
Black Fungus Rot
When tree experiences nutrient deficiencies or imbalanced soil pH, fruit and leaves can develop small black spots. This is typical of most fruit trees. If spots get larger on fruit, fruit can split and are in edible. This symptom can also be affected by inconsistent weather or excessively damp conditions.
If rot is excessive and rapidly spreading, killing the mature fruit, consider submerging young fruit in hot water (45℃ )while still connected to tree. This can kill fungus spores from expanding.
