I am thinking of biting the bullet and buying a paw paw because my blueberries are in a soil with a 7 ph. Will a paw paw grow in a 23’’ wide pot?
I am looking online while waiting for the posts here and am seeing a dwarf paw paw does exist. I wonder if it would still be too big.
I believe I’ve seen people growing pawpaw in pots, however the conventional wisdom is that Asimina triloba has a very deep tap root and prefers to grow freely in the ground as it’s roots tend to send out sprouts over time. I think the dwarf pawpaw you may have found is another species native to Florida (I think there are 7-8 species there that are not cold hardy) and if you are growing the tree for fruit, only Asimina triloba makes any good ones. Also you will want two cultivars (or graft a different one onto your current tree) for pollination to grow fruit.
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So the dwarf ones are not a good idea than I am guessing. Do you think a Paw Paw could survive in a pot that is only 22 to 23 inches in width?
I am not an expert, but I would bet it could survive. If I may ask, had you considered putting up some sort of in ground barrier to create an acidic soil area for your blueberries that is separate from the pawpaw area?
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Also do you have any good tasting Paw Paw varieties in mind if they can grow in a pot that size. I would want one that tastes like pineapple or one that tastes like a banana with vanilla.
I am just starting out myself!!! www.growing-pawpaw.webnode.com is a website I put together with most currently available cultivars if you wanted to check for information on specific ones. As you are in zone 5 I would suggest trying for early or cold hardy cultivars. Based on my research that may include Summer Delight, KY Champion, Halvin Sidewinder, Halvin, PA Golden (#1 is more common but #3 is supposedly better tasting), VE-21, NC-1, and Maria’s Joy. If you are going for taste I’ve heard Allegheny, KSU Chapell, AL Horn’s White, Nyomi’s Delicious and Jerry’s Big Girl are also well regarded. There are only a few “native” tasting cultivars that are well known out there that I’ve seen described as “unremarkable” by some reputable sources.
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Tell us how it goes but i think the bigger the pot the better also and something that holds some water as they do not like to dry out one bit and i assume its much worse in a container.
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They naturally grow on sandy banks above rivers for the most part (at least that’s where I always found the healthiest looking groves when I lived in the Mid-Atlantic), so they like well-drained soil but the taproot wants a non-stagnant water table to tap into. So it’s a tough thing to replicate in a container.
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I have some young pawpaws in containers but i cant remember the size container these are. I want to say 20-25gal.
The skinny container is a 4x14 tree pot.
No clue how well these will do in the long run all i would say is give them as much room as you can.
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Some nurseries around here grow them in 15 gallon pots for wholesale. These trees are 6-7 feet tall with full canopies.
So I guess it can be done, but not sure for how long.
For pineapple flavor I would go with KSU Chappell. Vanilla is frequently cited, from what i’ve seen, in reference to Shenandoah. I’ve yet to taste one that has a strong banana flavor even though everything you read says they taste like bananas. I think that’s just an attempt to describe “pawpaw flavor” - they are unique in the temperate fruit world.
But I think most pawpaws hew pretty close to the same flavor profile with only slight variation. They also vary from year to year, branch to branch…you could get a Shenandoah, perhaps, that tastes pineapple-y.
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If you had a 30 gallon “Rootmaker” pot, you might succeed permanently. But, as a temporary home, I have a sizable number of 2-5 year old pawpaws in pots. (Unless it sends a root through the hole in the pot bottom…growth will be stunted…and pawpaws begin to bear based upon height/size not age.)
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10 or 15 gallon pots in the picture I think.
Should be a number on pot bottom.
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Agree…good stuff, thanks!
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I just checked and you’re right they are 15 gallon. I agree rootmaker pots would be the way to go.
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@TrilobaTracker those was just to keep the tree from getting beat up by the wind and snapping the graft.
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@Drew51 is one of genius growers of figs, etc. in super large fabric pots with handles. He uses diatomaceous earth in his mix which are clay pebbles that hold water. He’s got a mix somewhere but I’ve never come across it. Drew, I’d like to know your mix and I’m sure these people would too, please?
Auto stores sell diatomaceous earth as oil absorbent products.
https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/b/floor-dry-4398/tools---equipment-16488/shop-garage-16868/cleaning-supplies-25216/oil-absorbent-17717/8e58b6d289f2/floor-dry-oil-absorbent/9815/4525771?q=floor+dry&pos=0
He can tell us how many years a tree can live in fabric pots too I would think.
Thanks,
Dax
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Ah! Grafts…definitely want to ensure those are successful. At some point the trees will need the wind stress to strengthen.
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About 5 years in the root pouches I use. I’m still learning too.
I use a 3-1-1 1/2 soil mix
3 parts pine bark fines 1/4 inch diameter is about perfect, but larger and powder will work too. 1/4 pebbles of bark is the ideal.
1 part compost. I like to use compost in peat, or my own compost.
1 part potting soil, any type, I use Promix all purpose
1/2 DE which is mostly silica and contains silicon which is super beneficial to plants. Often sold as a supplement for plants. Diatomaceous earth holds 120% of it’s weight in water. So many studies point to how great this stuff is for gardening. Disney uses it in all of it’s gardens and many major league diamonds use DE in the soil to prevent puddles. The best brand to use is Optisorb as it has the largest particles. This is not a clay product btw. The best price is at Grianger’s. Order and pick up at nearest store, to avoid any shipping costs.
DE is great for rooting cuttings too. Roots can grow right into the DE to suck water out.
Here is an excellent study when using DE with strawberries.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260133195_Effect_of_diatomite_on_growth_of_strawberry
I only use pure DE to root cuttings.
Negra d’agde fig cutting. Leave that DE on the roots, it’s a natural water reservoir for the roots.
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