Paw Paw Trees

[marhar]

Do you have any experience with the Paw Paw tree? I never knew they existed until a good friend of mine came across a Paw Paw while hunting; he moved the tree to his yard. I am looking to buy a few trees and plant is a shaded area in my yard. Any advice.

 

[old and tired]

We planted one but in a shady area. It got cut down and now we have several more sprouting up from the roots. They are still in shade and not growing fast. I need to plant another (unrelated) pawpaw tree for it to produce fruit....

 

[34Willys]

Get 3 or 4 different varieties. One tree's female and male parts can produce fruit, but the timing is usually way off, so another variety will develop at different times and they will be able to pollinate each other.
Patrick

 

[David Wayne]

Clones will sprout from the roots and not produce. And they are not pollinated by bees but rather by flies, or by you manually. One website I read said to hang roadkill in the trees to attract flies!!!

 

[MossRoad]

We found some paw paws in our neighbor's back yard and I asked if I could take a few. Sure! I've seen fruit on them, but they never make it to harvest for me as the animals eat them. Nice looking leaves and great fall color. Ours has some very dark flowers in spring.

As others have mentioned, there are many varieties, and you should have several trees to pollinate.

 

[MossRoad]

Oh yeah, forgot to say....

The Indiana Banana!

Pawpaw – the Indiana Banana?

The winter months give us a little extra time to think about new things, including our home landscape for the coming year. Some people have installed backyard orchards, choosing the more typical fruit varieties you might find in Indiana, including apple, pear or tart cherry. Have you heard of...

extension.purdue.edu

 

[deezler]

I planted a pair of pawpaws a few years ago in a semi-sunny area. They are coming along pretty nicely and starting to grow now after struggling for a bit. Hoping for some fruit in the next couple years!

 

[blee03]

That must be how Paw Paw, MI got it's name!
Learn something new everyday....

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I thought everyone had heard this hit song:

 

[MossRoad]

I thought everyone had heard this hit song:

Not for 40-50 years, but thanks, because it's now stuck in my head...

 

[MossRoad]

That must be how Paw Paw, MI got it's name!
Learn something new everyday....

From here:

Paw Paw, Michigan - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Paw Paw is named for the pawpaw trees which once grew along the Paw Paw River. However, the pawpaw trees are less common at present due to the clearing of the shade trees that pawpaws require. An experimental planting of pawpaw trees on the high school grounds failed to flourish due to its location in an open, sunny field.

 

[deezler]

Hmmm, good to get a reminder not to clear my paws into full sun. Not sure I really truly knew that.

 

[MossRoad]

Hmmm, good to get a reminder not to clear my paws into full sun. Not sure I really truly knew that.

There's some good info on that link I posted to Purdue. Down at the bottom.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Not for 40-50 years, but thanks, because it's now stuck in my head...

I knew someone would say that!

 

[Torvy]

There's some good info on that link I posted to Purdue. Down at the bottom.

That article says they do better in sun...except when they are very young. I have no clue, personally. They wouldn't grow way up north where I grew up. I figured they were strictly a southern thing. Interesting that they grow as far north as MI.

 

[cqaigy2]

I vaguely recall someone planting some Paw Paw trees in WA state, on the wet side. They were told to put the starts on the shade. Then since they heated with wood, cut down the shade trees once the Paw Paw was a few years old. I could have the number of years wrong, but it sounded like once the Paw Paw was up and established, then they were going to cut the shade trees.

 

[MossRoad]

This is a little paw paw tree I transplanted from the woods into a shaded area in our 'way back' area. There are some shots of the flowers. They are a dark color, delicate, and very pretty. Taken last April. Click to enlarge.

 

[RalphVa]

You need at least 2 for fruit. Been trying for years to get the 2nd one. Now have 3 up near the house and finally a 2nd one near where the oldest one is.

The old one I thought was dead at one point and planted a pear tree in its location. Well, it loved the shade of the pear tree, and the pear got the witch's crook disease; so, I cut it down and got a 2nd paw paw (2nd had died long ago).

 

[MossRoad]

You need at least 2 for fruit. Been trying for years to get the 2nd one. Now have 3 up near the house and finally a 2nd one near where the oldest one is.

The old one I thought was dead at one point and planted a pear tree in its location. Well, it loved the shade of the pear tree, and the pear got the witch's crook disease; so, I cut it down and got a 2nd paw paw (2nd had died long ago).

There's probably 30-40 more in the woods about 50' from the one I transplanted. I originally transplanted 3, but the other 2 were in more sun, and died. That one was closest to the woods.

 

[jyoutz]

From here:

Paw Paw, Michigan - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Paw Paw is named for the pawpaw trees which once grew along the Paw Paw River. However, the pawpaw trees are less common at present due to the clearing of the shade trees that pawpaws require. An experimental planting of pawpaw trees on the high school grounds failed to flourish due to its location in an open, sunny field.

In nature, they establish in the understory shade of nurse trees, then as they grow the top of the crown pushes up into the sun, while the remainder of the crown grows in partial shade. To successfully grow them, think about how to replicate the natural environment of these trees.