Most tubes are vented these days so that is not a differentiator. Are they dual wall tubes. I have read some articles about folks using dual walled tubes for pawpaw.
Tony,
Thanks for the heads-up. I had no pawpaw to start with, so I had to start somewhere. From what I understand, they are fairly true to seed. The first set of seeds I got from Cliff that came from some of Jerry’s 250x39 trees that produced some very large fruit. I had great germination success with these. I then emailed KSU and they sent me ten seed from 2013 that had been stratified and then ten from 2014 that had not been stratified. These did not have as good germination rates as the seed from Cliff, and seemed to grow a bit slower. One of the guys either on here or garden web (can’t remember) also sent me some stratified seeds. So far, germination rates on these are poor but there is still time for more of them to germinate.
I doubt I’d graft any of the 250x39 trees. I may end up grafting some of the others eventually. It is good to know that they stool for down the road. They sure are slow growing from seed.
Forest- Here’s the product page for the Tubex combi-tube. It is double walled. I have not seen or used it.
https://www.treeprotectionsupply.com/index.php/tree-tubes/tubex/tubex-combitube-4-ft/
Here’s a 2005 NAFEX message from Lucky Pittman to Scott Smith:
Scott,
I’ve used both Tubex (www.tubex.com) and TreePro(www.treepro.com)
shelters. Think I prefer the 2-ft Tubex types for small pawpaw seedlings.
I’ve seen folks use plain old 5-gallon plastic buckets - cutting the bottom
out of them and placing them around the seedlings - they work pretty much
the same as the tree shelters, providing some shading & protection against
wind dessication - just a significantly wider diameter.
Lucky
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Thanks! Are folks using tubes with older trees or just for the first two seasons when they are especially photosensitive?
I also struggled getting my pawpaws to survive. I’ve gotten tubes from tubexusa and plantra and the survival rate has greatly improved. I’m only about two years in but this last winter I didn’t lose any. Before the tubes I’d keep the pawpaws throughout the summer on my covered deck in pots and still lose about 40% of them.
I tried overwinter a bunch of paw paw seedlings in the garage over the winter and they all died. I should have had them in the ground.
That Tubex Combi Tube is double walled which my source says is essential for pawpaw. Many other tree tubes are single walled. That’s the difference.
Saw this pawpaw topic and thought I would add my experience so far.
I started with 3 nursery-grown grafted pawpaws, August 2012. I bought them then because I closed on a new place and wanted to get started. Not knowing better, I planted them directly in my orchard, and other than watering well and mulching, did not give them any protection. I have NC-1, Sunflower, and Rebecca’s Gold.
Deer browsed some of the leaves. One - Rebecca’s Gold - was completely eaten off by a rabbit, but has re-grown.
I added deer fencing same as my other fruit trees. If a leaf sticks through, deer eat it.
Since then I added Mango, bought from a mail order nursery in a long narrow tree pot.
NC-1 grew the fastest, with Sunflower just behind it. By end of 2015, NC-1 was 6 foot tall, SUnflower about 5 foot tall. Both bloomed last year. I cross pollinated, got fruit set on Sunflower but they fell off.
Photo is May 2015
I have given them a nitrogen fertilizer, similar NPK makeup as fish emulsion, to stimulate growth. They were lush last year and added about 12 to 18 inches of height.
SInce these were grafted, I did not give any sun protection. Our summers are hot, dry, sunny despite a rainy spring and fall.
I read the roots are delicate, so I did not unwind coiled roots, or prune them, which I do for almost all other trees.
The 2 larger trees have lots of flower buds - rough count 40 each, and Mango has one or two despite only being a foot tall.
Are you sure it was deer? Pawpaws are one of 2 fruits in my yard deer have never touched (the other being figs). There are 2-3 that visit my yard nearly every day.
Unless rabbits browse at 3 foot, it’s deer. Plus rabbits have a distinctive secateur-type cut, deer have a rougher cut. Deer in different places have different tastes. Plus there are different deer species. They also browse my persimmon leaves.
Bear- Where did you buy those pawpaws? Takes me twice as long to get mine up that tall. What is your fertilizer?
@Hambone, the first 3 pawpaw trees were from a local nursery, Portland nursery. The last one was form Raintree. I think they were equal in size.
I’ll private message you about my fertilizig regime
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I"m growing some also.Can I get the info.Thanks,Brady
I’d be interested in hearing about this too, perhaps a new thread?
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Please, Bear with me, do tell. I have some jujubes and other trees which could use a better fertilizing process than I currently use.
Scott
OK Scott, I think I stepped in it, and now have to figure out the best approach. It’s difficult to discuss how I garden without discussing how I garden, but this topic has proven itself to lead to a lot of discomfort on the forum. I also don’t want to derail this topic, which is about growing pawpaw trees and keeping them alive when planted. So, this is what I have been doing, growing my pawpaw trees.
I use diluted urine, about 1 liter urine diluted with 3 liters well water. I use a watering can to water it into the soil in a wide circle around the pawpaw trees. For the smallest trees, I use a smaller amount, and the larger trees get a larger amount, I don’t measure closely. Something like 1/2 watering can for the smaller trees, and a whole can for the larger ones. Then water in an equal amount of water, so none is left on the surface. I apply about once monthly during growing season. I never let the pawpaw trees dry out during the summer. I also have a thick grass clipping mulch around each tree, to keep the soil evenly moist. Doing this, I got about 18 inches of growth annually on NC-1, a little less on Sunflower. I’ve had them 3 summers, and NC-1 is now a bit above my head, I’m 5’10, while Sunflower is a bit less, maybe 5 foot. Once they are bearing, I plan to stop fertilizing, or cut it back significantly, because I read for some other fruits, high nitrogen is known to promote fruit drop. I think NC-1 and Sunflower are known to be vigorous anyway, so that may have a role too.
Im in the countryside and we are on a typical rural septic tank with drainage field, so it goes back to nature either way but going through the drainage field likely sends the nitrogen in a plume into the subsoil, while pouring some diluted product around my pawpaw trees probably has no adverse effect. . If you are in town, you might not be able to do that. You could probably use diluted fish emulsion or blood meal for a similar effect. it just costs more. Actually, fish emulsion is also pretty stinky - maybe it would deter deer or rabbits? You could also use diluted urea fertilizer in similar concentration and frequency, but I don’t know the calculation.
I think the important thing is not specifically what is used, but rather a steady, low level dose of nitrogen supplement through the growing season. My soil has been tested, does not need any potassium or phosphate, iron is very high, calcium is low so I added lime based on the test recommendations. Organic matter is high. My soil is acidic, 5.05 to 5.3 as I recall, so the lime is for that as well.
I wasn’t meaning to be coy about it, but rereading my post I understand the curiosity. I hope this doesn’t lead to another discussion on the topic, I won’t participate in it after the last time.
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This important.
My pawpaws start growth in the spring and will continue to grow the whole season if conditions are right, if they stop growing even in late spring they won’t start growing again. Fertilizer and plenty of water are the key, don’t let the soil dry out.
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Everything I’ve ever seen says @derby42 is right about the moisture problem. In Missouri where Derby is talking about those are called lowland pawpaw according to my family and they need that micro climate. The hilltop or hillside pawpaw are smaller like walnuts and called upland papaw. The upland will grow anywhere a pawpaw will grow but the lowland need constant water, shade, and high nutrient old growth woods bottom ground. Lowland pawpaw are bigger, sweeter etc. My family taught me about them when I was young. Tame papaw are something I know nothing about. The wild pawpaw seedlings will fall into the two categories I described one with small leaves and fruit the other with large leaves and fruit.
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