Pawpaws, it's pawpaw time

Leo in N E Illinois

The Professor
Messages
11,337
Reaction score
23,254
Location
on the IL-WI border, a mile from ''da Lake''
USDA Zone
5b
@Leo in N E Illinois et al, could you post photos of your local trees when you get a chance?

Large simple (no serrations) alternate leaves. Bark is smooth and gray. The clump I imaged is young, only the tallest in back had one cluster of 3 smaller than normal fruits.

They are, as Chris said, fly pollinated. And they are self sterile, meaning you need two different clones (trees from different seeds) for pollination. Fortunately, seems any two will do.

If you want a pollination headache, read up on hickories, some 9 different pollination strains, each only compatible with one of the other strains.

IMG_20181019_120702449.jpg

IMG_20181019_120717408.jpgIMG_20181019_120830360_HDR.jpg
 

It's Kev

Omono
Messages
1,161
Reaction score
1,629
Location
GuangZhou 广州
USDA Zone
10
Can’t say much about pawpaws, but my university was nicknamed litchi school because of all the litchi trees that used to grow all over.
 

coh

Imperial Masterpiece
Messages
5,781
Reaction score
6,822
Location
Rochester, NY
USDA Zone
6
Some pawpaw photos.

First is the larger of our 2 trees (the other is hidden behind), it's about 15' tall I believe.

pawpaw01.jpg

Clusters of ripening fruit

pawpaw02.jpg

Some other fruit clusters that are not even close to ready

pawpaw03.jpg
 

coh

Imperial Masterpiece
Messages
5,781
Reaction score
6,822
Location
Rochester, NY
USDA Zone
6
@coh
Mighty fine looking pawpaws there. If the unripe ones can go a week or so without a freeze, maybe they'll get ripe.
Our first hard freeze is relatively late (for how far north we are) because of the warming effect of the Great Lakes, so we probably have another week or two. But it doesn't really matter too much because these pawpaws aren't very good tasting. I usually wind up eating a couple and then letting the rest go to the critters.
 

CasAH

Chumono
Messages
780
Reaction score
1,270
Location
Arlington Heights, IL
USDA Zone
5
Couple pics of an acre sized clone of Paw Paw.
 

Attachments

  • 0E31173B-2D09-4C2F-A31A-E46EAC259F94.jpeg
    0E31173B-2D09-4C2F-A31A-E46EAC259F94.jpeg
    622 KB · Views: 6
  • 6E103FEB-8A38-4BE5-9040-8B63616230B5.jpeg
    6E103FEB-8A38-4BE5-9040-8B63616230B5.jpeg
    329.7 KB · Views: 6
  • 4AB487BD-1F3C-4A42-81EF-822B254F46F6.jpeg
    4AB487BD-1F3C-4A42-81EF-822B254F46F6.jpeg
    334.2 KB · Views: 6
  • 40EE3C68-8E33-4B3B-ADBB-4EA34C1014A7.jpeg
    40EE3C68-8E33-4B3B-ADBB-4EA34C1014A7.jpeg
    366.2 KB · Views: 6
  • FCAB58A5-631A-416A-BE20-40DB984D0769.jpeg
    FCAB58A5-631A-416A-BE20-40DB984D0769.jpeg
    276 KB · Views: 6
  • 13D7EE57-09EB-49BB-99F9-58E9F29E85E5.jpeg
    13D7EE57-09EB-49BB-99F9-58E9F29E85E5.jpeg
    586.7 KB · Views: 7
  • E3738037-B692-4681-B3D1-7A630AB2EEC3.jpeg
    E3738037-B692-4681-B3D1-7A630AB2EEC3.jpeg
    596.9 KB · Views: 6
  • 789CDE57-893F-4432-AC87-2A220AF404E0.jpeg
    789CDE57-893F-4432-AC87-2A220AF404E0.jpeg
    613.8 KB · Views: 5

Leo in N E Illinois

The Professor
Messages
11,337
Reaction score
23,254
Location
on the IL-WI border, a mile from ''da Lake''
USDA Zone
5b
Couple pics of an acre sized clone of Paw Paw.

One of the pawpaw patches on the farm is likely a single clone, it's a distance from the others. This larger but isolated patch never seems to have fruit. Pawpaws are self infertile, they always need pollen from a different clone. I bet if I plant a few seedlings in this patch, the whole patch will start fruiting.
 

Leo in N E Illinois

The Professor
Messages
11,337
Reaction score
23,254
Location
on the IL-WI border, a mile from ''da Lake''
USDA Zone
5b
Late frosts in spring and early frosts in autumn can wipe out a pawpaw crop. If you have a very cool or cold spring, even without late frosts, the flies needed for pollination might not be active, and again little or no fruit.

Definitely a species that has not been domesticated enough to make it a viable orchard crop.
 

coh

Imperial Masterpiece
Messages
5,781
Reaction score
6,822
Location
Rochester, NY
USDA Zone
6
Late frosts in spring and early frosts in autumn can wipe out a pawpaw crop. If you have a very cool or cold spring, even without late frosts, the flies needed for pollination might not be active, and again little or no fruit.

Definitely a species that has not been domesticated enough to make it a viable orchard crop.
If you only have a couple of trees, they are quite easy to pollinate using a paintbrush.
 

CasAH

Chumono
Messages
780
Reaction score
1,270
Location
Arlington Heights, IL
USDA Zone
5
@Leo in N E Illinois can these be grown through cuttings? That one acre patch is in a state nature preserve, therefore I cannot bring in any seed. There is a small clump across the creek that is too far for reliable pollination. I was wondering if I started some cuttings, if I could plant the cuttings closer to the main clumps?
 

Leo in N E Illinois

The Professor
Messages
11,337
Reaction score
23,254
Location
on the IL-WI border, a mile from ''da Lake''
USDA Zone
5b
@CasAH
Nope, or at least I think they do not root from cuttings. Or if they do it is difficult. I know they also do not air layer very easily, or not at all.

Dropping seed in a forest is very inconspicuous, who would know? PM me I have seed from Michigan on hand.
 
Top Bottom