Yes you can chainsaw prune the nurse trees later.
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Accidently started new seedlings from discarded fruit wastes on higher ground. My hopes are the seedlings are adapting to the new environment.
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These should be pretty close to fruiting. Any progress report?
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Beautiful pawpaw patch now! My mothers seedling variety works great here. Some of the others are alive but not thriving like this seedling. It’s spreading out sending shoots underground just like it’s parents did. The pawpaw i got from the state of Kansas are alive but not as hardy.
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One thing worth mentioning is that pawpaw do not like wind and it blows alot in Kansas. Their leaves are to big for a windy state like this but I addressed that. On the north side of the pond I added a hill of dirt so the plants on the south side of the pond like pawpaw had a more ideal climate with less wind. In addition I planted another orchard on the north side. If you ever stood on the south side of your house during winter you know what inspired me to build that type of protection. See those rows on that dirt bank on the other side they are pears? That dirt hill is no pond dam its on the opposite side of the dam. That dirt hill is tall if you look over at the trees you can see that.
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Hopefully this thread will inspire some other people who absolutely cannot grow pawpaw to grow pawpaw. Never except it when people tell you that you cannot grow fruit. There is a way to grow fruits in your climate just analyze the situation and solve the problem. If someone tells you that you cannot grow Valencia oranges in Kansas you might except that but imagine that hill I built on the opposite side of that pond was around all 4 sides and geothermal heat was used and a top was added. Valencia oranges can be grown in Kansas the question is do you want to that bad. Pawpaw have a long time connection with my family so I grow them because we always have in my family. Tried for years to grow them here with many failed attempts but now they grow here even during drought years.
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The trees shall reward him handsomely. 
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Congratulations on your excellent pawpaw pioneering achievement. An inspiration indeed!
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Collect seeds from many places like we did. A thousand may sprout but a few will live. We gathered seeds and seedlings from surrounding states. These new pawpaw will thrive here. Later i can graft if i want or need to from the best. Seedlings can be purchased from state programs in this state and neighboring states.
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If you live in Kansas and you want wild seeds start looking for pawpaw now in the first days of September. Wild seeds adapt easier to your location the closer by you can find them. Im not saying you can’t adapt seeds from far away but if your zone pushing the more like your area they come from the better.
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Love the research that KSU and Neal Peterson have done. They’re huge resources when it comes to pawpaws. I don’t think bark grafting is the best method for top working these old trees. One thing to consider is the old union below it and notice how the bark doesn’t look good…Also you will get a lot of growth right away, but you have to support it for it for at least the first couple years. I think a better option would be to cut the main trunk, and allow suckers to grow for one season. Then select one of the new stems for grafting, and cut all the others. Force all the growth through the scion. By doing it this way you get rapid growth in a stronger union. I’ve seen some of the bark inlays trees in person, and KSU said they’ve lost unsupported trees from wind.
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I definitely agree that wild seedlings should be planted since they’ll establish quicker than a young grafted tree. You can always graft them later.
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There are pawpaw i grow by my house now that are smaller which we call upland pawpaw. They grow just fine here where all others i tried failed. These pawpaw seeds came from wild trees in nearby lawrence ks but they do not have the same requirements as the larger fruit types we call lowland pawpaws. It’s all about finding genetics that work in your area. The fruit leave a lot to be desired of the upland type as they are small. Im likely going to graft them eventually.
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My new pawpaw continue to stay alive in my main orchard. The secret is all the seeds i harvested locally i planted around existing treas for shade. Some i grew by luck and others i grew on purpose. The skins also nurished the trees as mulch. 2 of those trees are alive and thriving so i will use those for breeding. The pawpaw in my microclimate are also doing very well. Hundreds or thousands of seeds were planted to get 2 survivors. They can handle the droughts and harsh conditions so far on the upland ground. The pawpaw above my mother grew for me for the microclimate is doing very well. It is multiplying quickly, turning into a thicket like that type of pawpaw does. If you look below you can see 4 pawpaw now. They stay connected by the roots underground. Many people have tried growing pawpaw in this area but this is the first ever success. Soon they will be common. Some of my neighbors tried to grow them since early 1960 and passed away about 10 years ago without success. Had hoped to be able to grow them when they were still alive. Some places like lawrence which are not that far away are warmer and wetter that grow pawpaw.
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Your trees look beautiful. Thank you for posting. BTW if you are ever in Humboldt Kansas on the south side of town there is a small town park. If you walk through the park along the river bank you will find a nice grove of Paw Paws that fruit. I was working on a construction job in September there several years back, and to my surprise came upon the fruitful grove as I was walking along the river. I didn’t expect to see Paw Paws so far west at the time.
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Very surprised to hear of pawpaw doing well in Humbolt. It does make sense there is plenty of water and rich dirt by the river. Would definitely love to stop and see them sometime. Thank you!
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I was surprised too! Thought the genetics might be a little more adaptable to a Great Plains type climate. If you do look for them and need more specifics as to location let me know, and I would be happy to help.
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This is a variety of heavy suckering lowland pawpaw my mother grew from seed for me. These were grown from seeds of my grandfathers lowland pawpaws. Have no idea how my mother managed to acclimate zone 7a pawpaw to Kansas but she did it. I’m assuming she planted a lot of seed to find one that would work here. She no longer remembers the specifics beyond where they were from and what type they were. She has several more pawpaw she grew for me. She did not remember planting so many. The upland pawpaw seeds i got from Lawrence i managed to grow 2 pawpaw out of several hundred seeds planted. The advantage to the upland type is i dont need the microclimate. My mothers pawpaw is very aggressive in the lower wet property! They are slowly forming a thicket in the micro climate i created for them.
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This area i put the pawpaw is very lush and thick since the microclimate changed everything in that spot. It is like no other part of the property. If you look at the pawpaw ground above where they naturally grow and the micro climate i created them it is very close.
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