Zone 5b. I planted a PA golden in March of 2020. The first photo is when it had just leafed out in June of 2020. The next photograph is how the same tree looks today. I know that paw paws are slow growing trees but it seems like everyone else’s have put on more progress by there 4th spring. Is this one slow, average or just right?
I’m trying to figure out if it points to something wrong with my growing environment or if this is just par for the course with pawpaws.
The tree gets full sun. I add mulch but beyond that I don’t really do anything else because the tree appears to be happy.
That looks pretty normal to me. Pawpaw dont like it when we disturb their roots. I have found if i plant one from seed it grows faster than pawpaw i transplanted usually. Nice looking pawpaw!
I’m z5b as well, but not all are created equal. I struggle with growing degree days and cool soil temps in the spring until the bullying from the cold north Atlantic relaxes.
You could always try giving it a boost of fertilizer (some high N like urea or diluted urine). Other than that it looks okay for 5b.
I have a mixed bag from my surviving 2020 and 2021 trees. Some are thriving and some barely put on growth each year. I feel like it’s dependent on the rootstock vigor and graft successfulness and compatibility. I’m growing out my own seedlings now and plan to graft on the most vigorous or hardy ones and plant the other seedlings along the edge of my woods to try to eventually block out the invasive glossy buckthorn I have.
More than anything I’ve ever grown they adore deep and wide mulch- 8 to 10 inches deep and at least 5 ft wide; lots of nitrogen every spring and early summer; and lots of water. You can cut a year or two off time to fruit by doing this. H20 + N + mulch. But first make a cylinder out of hardware cloth- say 8 inch diameter by a foot tall- to keep the mulch away from the trunk. Nothing inside this cylinder except trunk and bare dirt. This is the key to being able to mulch heavy and deep
Thats what i have seen as well. Where they grow naturally there is deep mulch, lots of water, protection, higher nutrients, shade. This thread was where i created a micro climate to grow them. Pawpaw in Kansas - it's a lot of work but can be done!
I recently planted 22 seedlings on a wetland property that is on our neighborhood street. It gets full day sun so I am creating a mini sunshade for this first year of growth. Next year I will gradually give them more sun. But until I saw Steve’s post I had not thought about mulching them. So now I will begin that process so I really appreciated his instructions. I have another plot of 12 I planted in a river bottom within a public park. I am shading them in similar ways and visit weekly to improve shades as needed and water from the stream. I am planting them about 3-4’ apart so they should cross pollinate.
Dennis
Kent wa
I think it’s a little slow growing, but it also looks healthy given where it’s being grown in the middle of the lawn and the limited mulching. There’s some good recommendations here for picking up the growing rate. Get yourself a Chappell to plant near it if you want to compare it to a vigorous variety. Mine is a couple of years old and already about 5ft tall.
These trees were planted at the same time. The runty one is not a bad variety but has a weak rootstock and the larger is a Maria’s Joy with several other varieties grafted to it. Just in case anyone is wondering I have not developed a new breed of horse sized chicken.
Yours tree looks fine and will probably take off next season.
They can grow slow but yours should be growing better. Do what hambone says. Give it several feet of no sod around the trunk plus mulch. And give it some fertilizer. They really like N and plenty of water. Don’t over water but don’t let your soil dry out bad either. They will shut it down once it gets too dry.
All right. I took the suggestions and gave my patch a nice bed of mulch. I have (left to right) PA Golden (planted 2020) Susquehanna (newly planted this year, which is why it looks sad, leaves injured in transport, but its growing new ones) and Shenandoah (planted 2020). The cages are to curb the appetites of the bunnies that like to nibble on them.
We’ll see if this helps give them a boost. Thanks!
this one was just pput in the ground this spring, from seed from last year. it took all of last year in the pot to get this size. it’s the smaller stick on the left with the tiny leaves.
giving the bigger ones the urine water, heavily diluted , about every other month up to now. they’ve just had their last feed for the year. will start that up again in March or April. so I fed them 3 times this year that way. nothing else but tons of water and nearly all day shade. they’re in a winecap bed so it never goes dry, lots of mulch for them.
