how sweet is real sweet? i thought they were less sweet like sunflower?
why are they brown? which variety?
I donāt have a refractometer to measure brix, so I canāt give you an objective answer to that. I tend to say real sweet when something is sweeter than I expected and is pleasantly sweet. Itās not very sweet or too sweet, but itās sweet enough for my palette. Any less sweet and those with a sweet tooth might not care for it. It was sweeter than average for a Shenandoah, which, as you mentioned, tend to be less sweet than most other named varieties.
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lol thanks
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Is the reason you see pawpaws by river/creek banks is cause the seed is spread by water easily AND the long taproot prevents floods from pushing/breaking down the trees by anchoring them?
If so, Iām curious how long that taproot can get.
I been planting more pawpaw seeds as understory trees deeper in some wooded trails in any park i visit, but did plant a few along the creeks as well. Although I seen alot of the dirt along the creeks get washed out by recent floods so not sure how well seeds will do there without a year or 2 to get established.
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They love water and the lowland pawpaw leaves are very big. In the wind they are torn easily so do better in a sheltered, shaded , protected spot. See the attached photos and how i grow them here
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Probably only their Creator has all your informationā¦but as you suggest, probably so.
And I suspect itād have to be deep silt for a taproot to reach gigantic proportions.
Question Pawpaw experts. I got a new Pawpaw in the mail about a foot and a half tall. It has two branches in a V shape at the top. In the mail one of these broke but is still attached by just the bark at the bottom. I have not planted it out yet. Should I just cut this off? Should I tie it up into place and let it eventually heal? Advice appreciated.
V at top is not good- could be a weak crotch so Iād cut off the broken section, no loss.
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Thanks so much. Will this heal on its own? Should I do something at the break point?
Iād just prune the entire damaged limb off at the branch collar right where it emerges from the main stem. For a tree this small, you arenāt losing much. It will grow new laterals once it wakes up from dormancy.
My pawpaws developed an attractive natural fan-shaped branch distribution when planted as a whip (a single small stem with no side branches).
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Cut it off and maybe practice grafting it onto a seedling in Mid-May (i think thats when i heard people graft pawpaws). Then you get two for the price of 1 
Thanks. Is there any concern with rotting? If I put it out today it will be rained on the next day. I can keep it inside for a couple days if need be.
Thanks!
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You should be fine. My pawpaws are also in a rainy 8A climate, and Iāve never had any issues with rot occurring in pruning wounds.
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Let us know when you do get fruit.
Very curious about when these ripen in zone 5a to 4b.
Rappahannock does very well in NC, zone 7b. It is productive, early - mid ripening and fruits range in size with many medium and large sized fruits though they stay under a pound. It has great texture and slightly different flavor profile than others. I have had a hard time pinning it down but I think there is a hint of coconut among other tropical notes. It has become one of my favorites and I like to use it solely when making jam and other preparations. And the tree is certainly unique, there is no mistaking it for any other cultivar.
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