Now all we need is for one of those that also tastes exactly like a mango 
But man, you’re really making me want to try a fruit this year.
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Heard that!! Yeah I actually rarely taste “mango” in pawpaw. But high end mangos can be very complex and thus have some pawpaw crossover via flavors like coconut or rum or orange creamsicle.
I have a whole thread on this but for me the holy grail would be a consistently durian-flavored pawpaw.
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It’s important to show failures, just as much as successes right?
Well, I planted 3 pawpaws last year here in Norway, and they grew nicely.
August 2024: (Halvin, Kentucky Champion and Summer Delight)
July 2025:
We had a mild winter, and we’ve had a warm spring, so everything was as ideal as it could be…
They all started budswelling fairly early, but then just stopped.
They’ve now started shooting from the base, except for SD, which has one small shoot coming from above the graft.
Not unexpected, but a little sad…
Should I chop off the tops of these now, or should I wait until next winter/spring?
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It is probably not the outright cold that is the problem, but a lack of correct lignifying caused by your low Growing Degree Days and short season. I tend to have some of the same problems, although I get more heat. Especially the year after planting, less hardy species tend to get a lot of die back. This is doubly true if I ordered from a nursery that’s from a warmer climate. If the plant survives though, a lot of times it starts acclimating better to a shorter growing season. This winter I had a KSU Chapelle seemingly die completely above the graft. However I didn’t cut it off, and there must have been some live cambium because it has now started to Bud out above the graft. Not saying it’ll survive the next winter, but the graft appeared completely dead, even though it wasn’t.
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Sounds like a good explanation to what has happened.
I didnt know of the GDD-requirement when I ordered them, and when some of the buds showed a little swelling, I got a little to hopeful 
I’ll let them be, and will see what happens.
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I’d be curious to see what the cambium and heartwood looks like. It may be a little late now, but is there any bluish cambium if you scratch the bark? A lot of us have been dealing with blue stem disease/vascular wilt this spring. Not a lot is understood about it yet, but it was fairly prevalent in the trials in Oregon and Cornell…to the point where they just gave up on growing them.
I had a handful of trees show symptoms of this, but only 2 completely croak so far this year. Another is struggling on. We had a wet spring and then a cool and raw 7-10 day stretch after all of the pawpaws started waking up. 4” to 8” soil temps went from near 60° (15C) back to near 50° (10C) and all growth came to a halt. In my limited experience growing these trees, it seems like once they flip the switch to “on”, they like to keep it that way.
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My son just brought over a cinnamon apple Pouteria glomerata - it reminded me a lot of a slightly past-ripe pawpaw and/or Shenandoah or GarageWest specifically.
Love finding these crossover flavors.
Cinnamon Apple is Sapotaceae, not Annonaceae.
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The trunk on all 3 trees feel hard and dry now, and no longer feel cold like they did in spring/early summer, indicating sap-flow.
Scratch-test also seems to reveal dryness:
And no apparent blue-tone.
Another slightly strange thing is that all new buds that are above ground, turn black and stop growing.
If you zoom in, you can see some of them:
The only healthy new growth comes from below soil-level?
Could the sunlight be taking them out?
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They’re probably too far gone to see bluish cambium now. You’d have to cut them back and see the inner heartwood. Your trees looked really healthy last year. I don’t think the sun is your problem in Norway.
Did they turn yellow before your first freeze last autumn or were they still green?
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No they did not…
Which suggests @EliindaUP is right about the lack of lignification being the probable cause.
Found a picture of Halvin from early October '24, after a light frost. Leaves were green and toasted , but the stems looked similar to the trunk in color 
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im trialing them here in z4b n. Maine. mine are on a slight hill. this winter will be their 1st.
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Good luck!
As shown in the pictures above, I tried to create a microclimate for my pawpaws.
I planted in slightly raised beds, and installed temporary plastic windbreaks.
It might have had some effect on growth, but it certainly did not help in getting them to get going again in the following spring
I’m sure you get more GDDs than me, so keep us posted.
It would be interesting to learn how far north they can be grown. And also, if there are efforts we can make to speed up lignification and such.
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panic over my pawpaw leaves.
I’ve been watering, but it got up to near 100F one day recently. not sure if it’s that. I gave them some fish fertilizer, could it be that. I’ve got a cursed touch maybe? I don’t know. it’s something. any ideas? both are doing it, the shorter older one a bit more than the taller
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@resonanteye I am certainly no pawpaw expert, but they look like the leaves are curling together trying to conserve moisture. Those big tropical-looking pawpaw leaves have lots of surface area and seem to do well here with moist soil and humid air. Although you are watering the soil, I wonder if there is adequate humidity in your area? Just a thought. Really not sure if there is anything that can be done about lack of humidity. Wonder if others in high desert areas have problems growing pawpaws?
Sandra
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I think you’re right. I am going to try giving them a little misting on these hottest days- I did that last year too
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Sunburn. In my mediterranean climate (Italy) I still see 7 years old tree with sunburn on the most exposed leaves(full-sun exposure). Shade is an option but in my area has some drawbacks, I’m testing diatomaceous earth as foliar spray to see if is a good alternative, result seem pretty good but i need more time to evaluate. Next year I migh try diluted latex paint, like ca avocado growers do for new establishing plants.
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the smaller one only gets about an hour of direct sun every day right at mid day-the other gets a little more and seems less affected. I could shade them more? but then they would get no direct sun at all
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Those kinda look like mine this spring after I fertilized the potted ones for the first time. It was only a little bit of pelletized chicken manure too. I’m sure 100° doesn’t help either.
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I may water them heavily tonight and try to wash out the soil a little just in case it’s the fertilizer. I don’t think it’s over watering, at least. so it can’t hurt
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I wonder if a Kanolin clay spray might help too. It gets really hot in the heart of the native range but the air is so humid you feel wet just walking outside!
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