Pawpaws 2024

I follow this from a KSU article

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Was that the article on their Facebook page? I read something that looks very similar on their Facebook page, but I don’t really feel like it was specifically talking about Urea (even though they mentioned it). Are you using Urea 46-0-0? I also read an article that stated it should be diluted to 1-2%, but I don’t really know if the people having the discussion knew what they were talking about.

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It’s from their university website, the ā€œorganic production of pawpawsā€ article.
Sorry for not elaborating earlier.
Basically I use that guidance for the amount of nitrogen to apply, regardless of the source (urea, ammonium sulfate, blood meal, etc)

I do actually use urea (46-0-0). So to get 1 ounce of nitrogen per tree you would apply 1.85 ounces of urea.
That’s based on the 46 number which means by weight the urea is 46% nitrogen. So to get 1 ounce of nitrogen the formula is 1/(1 - 0.46) = 1.85.

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Are you using granular or prilled? I will be using prilled, so I am assuming that I would want to dilute it with water first, is that right? Or could I just sprinkle it evenly around the trees? Also, where exactly should the application go, the drip line or closer to the trunk?

Urea
Urea can volatilize into thin air if surface applied during dry conditions . Losing a significant amount in a few days .
Best applied with water.
Dissolve in water bucket.
Spread dry on surface and watered in.
Spread before a rain .( a very heavy rain can wash it away )
Spread as a rain is ending,letting it follow the last water into the soil.
As fertilizer is a salt , caution is advised,keep it a foot or TWO or farther away from trunk, spread evenly under drip line.
Use much lighter doses on 1-2 yr old trees .
3yr + can handle larger dose, they love it.
Early spring. / late fall is good timing .
Don’t recommend application during July - August -September.

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Thank you @Hillbillyhort , I appreciate this concise information. I probably should have just contacted you in the first place… what was I thinking?!? lol :joy:

@TrilobaTracker - I also appreciate all the info you gave me. :slight_smile: Hope to see you at the new KY Pawpaw Fest. in Sept.

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Not sure the proper term but mine is in tiny round pellets like air soft ammunition. Not powder. This year the stuff the co-op had says it’s ā€œnutrisphereā€ coated or some such.

In the past I put it in a ring about 2 feet from the trunk on top of the mulch. Then used a fork tool to work it down to the soil, then watered in.

This year I lpulled back the mulch to the soil, at the drip line all around the tree. Then Spread the urea on the soil, then worked in lightly with a fork. Like hillbilly said I did before a rain to save the effort.

I do this right around when they are just leafing out.

Would love to see you guys again - we’ll see if it’s in the cards this year :nerd_face:

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Pawpaw flower buds zone 6a, taken today.

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After 12 years, flies finally showed up in my pawpaws! Finally, and I’m not sure why as this is the only year I have not used roadkill, fish emulsion, stinky catfish bait.
My friends will not understand.

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Decided to open all my pawpaw pots today. 3 of the seeds of my Presumptive Peterson Pawpaws had sprouted; one had a J root from growing so fast, so I figure I may lose it, but I put those 3 in tree pots and put them in the basement under a grow light.

The other 5 PPPs and the 8 mystery pawpaws from foraged.com failed to sprout. Not sure if the brief fridge freeze killed them, if they dried out, or what.

Oh well. This was mostly an experiment anyway.

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I think you can get away with clipping the ā€œJā€ part off when you plant that seed. I sprouted hundreds last year and some had started to turn so I just snapped the turned tip off and I think they pretty much all made it. Mine were all grown in a root pruning bed, so the end of the taproot probably died when they hit air anyway. The taproot of pawpaws isn’t as magical and delicate as people claim. They seem very robust when they’re starting to grow in the Spring - at least that was my experience.

Here are the 600+ waking up in the bed this year. Most were 6-10 inches by the end of the season last year, with a few hitting a foot and some later germinating ones just a couple inches tall. I’m going to keep them growing out in the same bed for another year and try to get them to 18" or more before transplanting.

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Thanks! I did cut the tip off, figuring that I might lose it either way but at least it wouldn’t grow back up. It did have other white roots growing out. They’re all in 14" tree pots now in an unheated basement (I’d guess in 50F?) under grow lights, so I figure rate of growth will slow down and I may not see above ground growth for while.

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:upside_down_face: :upside_down_face: :upside_down_face:

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I’m neither defending nor supporting the strategy; However I will say that if this individual believes their seedling is truly superior, higher pricing without applying for a patent is a way to monetize the time invested in breeding efforts, while still leaving the genetics open for sharing freely in the future for those who have it.

Skillcult offers apple scion for sale on figbid which approaches and in some cases far surpasses $33/scion. He hasn’t patented anything to my knowledge but people pay these prices to support his work and allow him to work towards the dream of land ownership for a larger orchard. I’m familiar with that challenge.

Also I have a package to send you sir.

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:upside_down_face: :upside_down_face: :upside_down_face:

I counted at least 15 flowers on one of my pawpaws today. It is the third year that it has flowered. The other one has less flowers, but still there are some, so a chance for pollination. Here are a few photos from today:

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When hand pollinating the last few years,I wondered about the two main components,contained on the anther.There are the grainy pieces and then the dusty part,which to me,is the actual pollen.Is this accurate?
Here’s a picture,not very detailed,of some in a collection jar,showing the grains and lighter stuff.

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I know what you’re talking about for sure.
I feel 99.9% sure the dust-like stuff is the actual pollen.

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100s of flowers on my pawpaw trees. I’d be delighted to get just around 20 fruits.


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Four of us used small camel hair brushes to hand-pollinate my six mature pawpaw trees with this result: five trees zero takes and one tree almost 100% takes. I’m baffled. I also hand pollinated on my own. Five of the trees resist pollination for some reason. Any ideas? Same ages, multiple varieties on every tree, same soil, same location.

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