Pawpaws 2024

I noticed that Wabash buds early in my southern CA coastal environment.

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Sounds like you have a patch perfect for top working. You’ll get a ton of really nice growth from those established trees after grafting them.

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If they’re native to your area the local park and wildlife people may have planted some trees in local parks.

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That’s so kind of you! I will have to send you a PM here. I would love to see what these trees fruit like. I’m guessing it (the mother tree) came from Arbor Day nursery as they bought and planted a lot from them.

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I have been sidelining getting scionwood, but I have a few sticks coming. I just grafted my first things last year so it will be a learning experience.

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DEWIN Grafting Tool Grafting Scissor, Grafting Tool, Aluminum Alloy Pruning Shear Grafting Tool Trees Pruning Shears Scissor Cutting Accessories with Anti-Slip Handle Amazon.com

This is the kind of grafting too I use on most grafts, makes it really easy. Cleft graft is really easy too. Be on the look out for daytime temps in the 80s and nights 50+. After danger of late frost/freeze as well.

Cutting scion the other day already has me excited for the grafting season!

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I recently purchased the $25 Krewey grafting kit. I’m pleased with it for my purposes of up to a dozen grafts a year. Some of the plastic parts on the handle would not endure much more than that.

Also, a couple years ago I started using 3M brand 2242 linerless tape for the outer wrapping (around the parafilm) – based on a recommendation from Stan. It’s very good.

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@treefrogtim I have that! Well, I have another brand, but identical. I think someone on here recommended it. I had initially used a knife, but was unimpressed with my skills and wanted to get going fast without wasting wood. It will be awhile here before we have those temps so I have a bit of time to read some more. What are you grafting this year?

@Richard Last year I used parafilm only, not realizing I should wrap with anything else. I got lucky on a few grafts. Thank you for the rec, as I wasn’t positive what I would use.

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I only use parafilm and its worked out fine so far. I do a single layer over the scion, and go around the union a couple times to make sure its good and snug.
This year I’m grafting some newer cultivars like Asterion, Atria, Gatria, Canopus, Regulus, KY Legend Titan, Petrichor 3, Tropical Treat, Windstar, Balarama White Flesh, Free Bryd, and a couple other scions that I haven’t gotten quite yet. Also grafting Chappell, Shenandoah, Susquehanna, Prima, VE-21,2-10 xSD, Windstar, Potomac, Barret’s Best, and Tallahatchie. That’s just the pawpaws this year.

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At my location, that would be fine indoors or a wildlife-free greenhouse.

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Personally ,I think these tools are junk !
Poor quality steel cutting edges ,tend to crush twigs ,hard to sharpen,( cannot sharpen to the surgical edge of a good knife )
I believe shaving sharp is very important !
rust . Inadequate Strength of unions ,( tend to wobble) etc…
I would not recommend this tool to anyone
I believe money is better spent on a decent knife.
Learn the skills of grafting with a knife.
Much more gratifying.
However, not everyone should play with sharp knives !

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I haven’t experienced any of those things. Caveat: I have a Dremel tool and attachments for cleaning and sharpening.

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My flower buds are definitely swelling here. Very mild temps recently, though not as warm as last year.

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yeah, or work over the suckers. Grafts take off like crazy on a big root system like that. You could just pick suckers at reasonable spacing, say 6-8 ft. and cut back the rest. You could do it in stages and wind up with a nice fruiting patch. Thats more or less what Ive done here with both paw paws and persimmons. Ive set out rootstock too, but the grafted suckers from my older trees have gotten established much quicker.

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Been stratifying these seeds since October. There was a brief period where the wet paper towel froze lightly. No idea if that or the bleach solution killed them. So I’m trying to start them in these small cardboard pots on a heat mat. If any germinate I’ll move them to tree pots.

Seeds of two unknown varieties. One pawpaw I got from foraged.com with strong flavor and okay texture. Supposedly grows vigorously in upstate New York. The other given to me in a bag at a farm at NJ. Really mild sweet flavor and pleasant firm texture, presumed possible Shenandoah.

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I doubt a little light freeze would hurt them despite other claims. I’m not sure how they’d be native to NY, MI, IA, and WI otherwise.

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There are research publications and graduate theses documenting Pawpaws growing in those states prior to European immigration.

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Nothing yet rootwise…

Hmmm.
You’re ensuring the potting mix is remaining moist, right?
I would think by now you should see a bright white radicle on the wider end of the seeds (where the sac had been attached).

However, sometimes things just take time. Also, I don’t normally pre-germinate my pawpaw seeds so I don’t have a great sense of how long this phase takes. #grainofsalt

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Nice project. Should have probably covered the whole lot with a plastic clear storage container set upside down to hold the moisture in.

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