Next weekend !
Hope to see you there .
,
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Ate a āSunflowerā today. Wow! Perfectly balanced, no banana detected, which suits me fine. Rich, tropical, like creme caramel almost. One of the best varieties Iāve eaten. And zero bitterness that people sometimes find in Sunflower. Not too rich, not too sweet, just perfect.
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Do your pawpaws only put out growth in the spring? I assumed that is how they grew then I got a KSU Chappell and it does a spring flush and another in September.
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I am wondering if Mango is just stingy in general. I have an 8ft tree that has been flowering a lot for several years and I finally got a fruit this year. Either that or the PA Golden pollen source is not ideal. I assume the pollen is ok as I get the itty bitty fruits after the flowers fall off, but a few weeks later all the little fruitlets fall off. Except this year. Out of maybe 30 fruitlets, one stayed on.
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I got my first and only Mango pawpaw this year. It did indeed taste exactly like a mango. Sweeter, softer texture though. I have only had store mangoes of the reddish variety and the yellow ones, it tasted like the reddish ones. The fruit was not mushy or watery but is was a very small fruit though so will see when I get a large one.
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Iām pretty sure Blake recommends no fertilizing after mid summer to prevent late growth that may not harden off in time before the first freeze.
I have a short growing window as is in z5 so I just give them regular fert monthly and whatever dies back, dies back. Most of my varieties get tip death either way unless we keep our extreme min in the -0s at worst.
Iād say I probably get 2 spurts as well, but they are squashed closer together than your season. Mine wake up in mid May and usually have a stronger push of new growth in early June and early July.
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I saw a couple varieties for sale in Florida I have never heard of and wondered if anyone knows anything about them. They were called Gainesville #1, Gainesville #2, and Sweet Potato sold at Just Fruit and Exotics.
Also has anybody tasted a Rappahannock and can tell me what the taste profile is like? I am hearing it is doing better in the south and since I am very south I will be getting one. If you know of other varieties that can take the heat better than others let me know as I am in Texas. I can grow them here but does take a lot of babying. I have Mango and PA Golden. PA Golden struggled for a while but finally getting it to grow better and I suspect it is due to being a New York area selection. Planted KSU Chappell and seems to be doing OK in the heat so far and it was exceptionally hot even by Texas standards this summer. Got a Shenandoah this year, it hit over 100 here early and went from looking fine and leafed out to dead in a week even with shading. Mango is doing fine here.
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Are they really as good as a mango? I donāt mean taste like a mango, because I realize paw paw are their own thing. I mean is the quality and overall sweetness comparable?
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mine put on growth up through August, then they stall. I see new leaves all the way into end of August. Iāll be using some straw mulch over winter since several are still very small
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I donāt think itās a fair comparison because mangos are my favorite fruit, and I would choose a good mango over a good pawpaw any day. But I can grow pawpaws in my backyard, and I canāt grow mangos. I like pawpaws too, but they are very rich. I can only eat a small pawpaw per day. I think the taste is like a cross between an avocado and a mango. Pawpaws are very sweet. Like a banana, the flavor changes a lot as they ripen. I prefer them when they are just starting to soften and when the skin is mostly still green. My wife likes pawpaws a lot and doesnāt seem to taste any of the unpleasant aftertaste that I do in some cultivars. No one Iāve shared pawpaws with seems to be ambivalent about them - they either think theyāre great or canāt stand them.
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Paw paw are by far one the saddest plants I have. They leaf out nicely but then get sad and droopy from July until leaf drop. Iām two years theyāve put on maybe 3ā of growth. Maybe. Iāve done everything I can for them and at this point Iāve surrendered to the whims of the earth mother. When she sees fit they will grow. I have trees that have grown many feet in one season which makes the paw paw lack of vigor really stand out.
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Have you had a soil test? Maybe try hitting them with more nitrogen?
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Sheffields just listed 26lbs of common pawpaw seeds on their site. Collection locale is Arkansas.
The bulk rate is $69.50/lb (~400 seeds?). Iām not sure what the going rate is right now.
Just thought Iād throw it out there.
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Pawpaws like tons of water and heavy fertilization. Theyāll grow about 2-3 feet or more each year in the PNW ā maybe much more in the east where it is hotter.
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Yep, I had a soil test. And Iāve amended with plenty fertilizer, using compost and a comprehensive tree food. I even went ahead and add some ammonium sulfate granules in the spring (25-0-0). That was a serious nitrogen boost. I water deeply a few times a week and provide shade cloth when temps get over 90 F. Iām hoping that theyāve been growing their roots theses couple years and are fixing to put on some impressive growth soon. I have an extensive orchard with stone fruit, apples, pears, kiwi, figs, feijoa and citrus. All of these have had impressive growth so I donāt think Iām doing anything wrong. But you never know.
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Iāve amended with plenty of fertilizer, using compost and a comprehensive tree food. I even went ahead and added some ammonium sulfate granules in the spring (25-0-0). That was a serious nitrogen boost. I water deeply a few times a week and provide shade cloth when temps get over 90 F. Iām hoping that theyāve been growing their roots theses couple years and are fixing to put on some impressive growth soon. I have an extensive orchard with stone fruit, apples, pears, kiwi, figs, feijoa, loquat and citrus. All of these have had impressive growth over the years, so I donāt think Iām doing anything wrong. I have read a few sources that say paw paw can be slow in the very beginning. Though I would have expected some better growth by now. Just this year my in ground outdoor sudachi trees both put on 2ā of growth. They had grown very slowly the first two years before growing like crazy and producing lots of fruit this year. A Carrizo orange I have is even more vigorous, growing over 3ā this summer. Fingers crossed the paw paw follow suit next year.
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What did you start with? I would steer clear of bareroot pawpaws or ones that have been in a pot for too long. I have one pawpaw tree that I bought bareroot that is still alive but hasnāt grown more than a few inches in 8 years. Most of my pawpaws were started as seedlings from seeds I purchased. I grew them in pots and transplanted them well before they had filled the pots. When they were two years old, I grafted them. Those trees have grown much more quickly than the potted grafted trees I planted at around the same time. They do need more water than most trees.
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Maybe thatās the problem. Mine were both in 1 gallon pots. Though I know a few people who got thereās the same place I did and their trees are doing fantastic. My paw paw really are quite sad. How much longer should I give them to see if theyāll pull out from being stunted? Do you know any good sources for ordering the fruit? Iād like to try some and use the seeds to grow rootstock. I want to try the fruit to see if itās worth the effort for me.
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Can you arrange a net over them to give them some part shade for a year or two. Theyāll look better.
