We planted 3 paw paws about 7 or 8 years ago. They just sat there. Then I fertilized like mad this spring and really saw miracle growth! No fruit yet. Are they generally heavy feeders? They sure seemed to respond to a surge of 10-10-10 and some compost and mulch.
This is either a Shenandoah or an Allegheny? Not sure.
Looking good!
From what I know, they definitely like a shot of nitrogen in the spring to really get them growing. (other nutrients too, as determined by soil analysis, etc)
They are generally considered slow-growing trees, so i guess the nitrogen helps counter that a bit. I don’t know if it’s that they’re heavy feeders or just slow growers.
That’s showing perfect ripeness at exactly the point of after too hard yet of pawpaws.
It might be a day or two past the stage of has gained ripeness/now soft enough for the thumb press test; but isn’t to the point yet of becoming so yellow and soft that flavor can have a strange aftertaste; I believe pawpaw enthusiasts call that a “caramelized” stage in the ripening process when the fruit begins going from yellowish/green-yellowish to yellow with a brown spots occurring until the point where the fruit it literally all brown; that’s that caramelized stage(s). But yeah, you want some yellow like that or less yellow but regardless you need yellow for your pawpaws to be picked/collected and for them to ripen to a soft enough thumb press on the fruit to tell you the pawpaw is ready. Great example Jerry. I personally like them a day or two behind that color when they are less soft. That’s the profile flavor I prefer them best at.
I’ve never grown anything that craves N, water and organic matter more than pawpaws.
Makes sense, I suppose, since their normal niche is rich forest understory near creeks/streams/rivers (with some exceptions).
Their natural habitat is often a flood plain along a stream…so gotta figure they love nutrients.
