I believe KY Legend aka “Magnum” was a failed graft root stock that Woody Walker allowed to grow. At first he thought it was a Sport bud from Potomac but found out it wasn’t. The seed originally came from KSU.
From Pawpaw Planet
“Ladies and Gentlemen, may I introduce “KY Legend” aka “Magnum” Pawpaw – the most amazing pawpaw tree in my yard. It is in its second year of fruit production, and I lost count after 108 fruits.
Last year it produced the largest fruit on my property weighing in at 530g. Very few seeds as well. It is thought to be a sport-variant of Peterson’s Potomac and Susquehanna.”
I saw that introduction as well. However, in a later post he said he thinks it could be prodigy of Jerry’s Big Girl… It’s not possible for it to be a sport of Potomac (as you clarified), as it is a seedling. I imagine as a seedling from KSU it’s possible it is a child of Potomac though. Hard to say until someone (or some entity) with deep enough pockets maps the genetics of each high quality cultivar currently available. Similarly to the discussions on astringent vs non astringent persimmons, if we had known genetic markers for pawpaws it would much easier to breed for various traits.
I agree that peach flavor does not seem likely in a Pawpaw - not in the right flavor family so to speak.
I have compared some nuances to plum flavor but @jcguarneri more aptly described as rambutan.
I haven’t had flowers to be saved yet because my trees are still young. If using petroleum jelly, I would put a layer of painters tape on the tree first so you don’t directly touch the bark with the jelly.
@Blake has a new book on Amazon - check for Blake Cothron.
There aren’t many books specifically about GROWING pawpaws.
By the way, welcome @IntrepidNewbie !!!
My old good fishn’ buddy, Red Slackjaw, used to brew up some tasty libations. That’s before he left this earth. That would have been valentine’s day five years back.
I may have some of his old jar licker hidden away. He was famous for his pawpaw vermouth, and my favorite, cotton gin. Shoot…beads up purtier than pearls.
Here in middle TN we’ve been in the mid to upper 70s since Tuesday.
I have pawpaw flower buds getting quite large and turning green.
In about 5 days we’re forecasted to have 2 nights in the low 20s.
This is not a good combination.
Yikes! Good thing pawpaws stagger their flower bud growth pretty well. Hopefully you’ll still have some that haven’t swelled much yet after the freeze. Pawpaws don’t start blooming here til late April.
Yep hopefully even if these bite the dust there will be later ones that have a shot. However, a few trees are set to flower for the first time, and they don’t have many buds. So they may have to wait another year
Thankfully mine haven’t done much yet here in NWNC. It’ll probably be the first year I get flowers and I can see some buds. The last two years I began to worry they were dead by the time they stepped out. Hard freezes in early May didn’t exactly help.
I believe KSU benson is a seedling of susquehanna, KSU chappell was a seedling from a border tree and they do not know its lineage for certain. KSU atwood was originally selected from one of Peterson’s orchards in MD.
