I’ve not had any issue transplanting larger NA pawpaws. I transplanted several that were about 4 feet tall, and a few that were about 6 years old and over 5 feet tall. They are all doing fine. You just have to be careful with the taproot.
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It is possible you have a lighter touch than me on the roots. Last time after i dug a hole larger enough i could fit in it the pawpaw still died when i transplanted it.
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I am planning on starting my first batch of seeds tomorrow. Their are from the following parentage:
KSU Benson, KSU Atwood, Sunflower, Susquehanna, Tallahatchie, Quaker Delight, Chappell, NC-1, Shenanadoah, Wabash, and Overleese
I’m planning on starting some inside and some outside (protected). I’m positive that the seeds that I start inside will grow very fast compared to the ones started outside as they will be in a room where the temps stay between 65 and 80. I will be trying different ways of growing these out with the goal of getting fruit in 3-4 years. I’m excited about this trial!
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Are the fully stratified already?
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Yes, the ones that I’m starting tomorrow are… have been stratifying for +100 days. I have some others that will need about another month or so.
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This is a great thread. I learned so much reading this. Thank you all for stating your experiences.
@LuccaOccidentalis, What happened to the white pawpaw.? We are dying to know.
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Wasn’t able to start the seeds when I wanted, but I did start some in a 32 rootmaker last weekend.
I started 2 - 4 seeds each that came from: Benson, Atwood, Overleese, Sunflower, Susquehanna, Tallahatchie, Quaker Delight, Chappell, NC-I, Shenandoah, Wabash, and a few others.
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I bought 1 pound of pawpaw seeds from Oikos nursery today. Plan on planting them in raised beds on the east side of my blackberry and raspberry rows. That way when they grow over the canes they will be in a sunny field. Sluggo is going to be my right hand man. We have a lot of stalk-eyed boogers up this way. Looking for the sharp in the hay mow as far as adaptability goes. Need to find a pawpaw that can ripen fruit with only 2000-2500 GDUs annually. Any relevant advice from triloba nurturers is appreciated.
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What season did you transplant it? Spring or Autumn?
@EliindaUP Have you read through cliffard englands nursery descriptions?
Halvin and Kentucky Champion is what i went with for short season pawpaws.
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Yes, James, I believe I had. I have KC scion wood coming this spring. I also have Allegheny, Nyomi’s Delicious, PA Golden, Wells, and NC-10 (I plan on topworking the NC-10 to K.C.) Most of them have been in ground for at least a couple years. Results still pending. They are slowly growing and surviving winters. PA Golden and especially Nyomi’s Delicious seem to be the most vigorous here. I have actually never tried a select variety pawpaw. Just wild ones I used to gather at my grandparents woods in Chenoa, IL and elsewhere around the US. I had heard from old timers that when they were young, they could smell pawpaw fruit in what became my grandparents woods as they approached it on thier bicycles. Most of that woods is gone now, to make way for one more corn row, or another acre of soybeans. I am kind of sentimental about them, because they take me back to childhood in a way, and places I remember some are gone and some have changed… 
Sorry. Anyway, I would be happy with any I could get to grow here, as long as I could get them to fruit here.
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I think you will succeed, people have fruited them in southern minnesota where i think the zone is 3b. They do have hot summers, but the -40F did not kill them.
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Thank you for the encouragement! I think so too. If I find anything that seems to stand above the rest I’ll be happy to share. 
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There’s much angst assigned - unnecessarily - to pawpaw taproots… I’ve grown mass-planted seedlings in 3-gallon containers and whacked off a 4-inch thick mat of circling taproots from the bottom of the pot before teasing individual plants out for transplanting or potting up in individual pots. They do just fine.
I had one batch of named-parentage seedlings that I started in - and kept ‘imprisoned’ in - 20 oz styrofoam cups for at least 2-3 years before I finally got them planted in a permanent location. Yes, they rooted out through drainage holes I’d punched in the bottom. Before breaking dormancy, I’d just cut them loose from the soil they’d rooted down into, lift them out of the cup, whack off any circling roots, add a handfull of new soil in the bottom and plunk them right back in. They were finally planted out and have been bearing fruit for 10 years or more; seem to be none the worse for the repeated root pruning.
While others may disagree, my opinion is: There’s nothing magical about a taproot.
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They are quirky trees. For having brittle roots and branches they seem amazingly resilient. I moved a 3’ one last fall from one location to another. Got a lot of the root, but definitely severed a good chunk of the main tap off. I am curious to see if it is noticeably set back or not. Hope you are right about the taproot. They seem to be able to take a lot and still push thru though. A couple years ago we had a HARD freeze on May 29th. First time any of the growers around here lost MOST of thier cabbage starts to cold. Almost everything was leafed out. The pawpaws fared better than the persimmons, walnuts, chestnuts, and some oaks. Only one pawpaw lost all it’s leaves, and it leafed out 3 weeks later. They are definitely not the mabi-pambi trees some make them sound like. Mine have seen -20 below and never any winter die back. On a different note, my buartnuts did not lose thier leaves even though the black and carpathian walnuts did.
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I would agree with this. They’re not bulletproof but they’re not primadonnas either.
My experience with messing with roots is limited.
I bought 2 big bareroot pawpaws from the late John Britain (sic?). Their roots had been whacked. They both died the first year. I planted dozens of container grown pawpaws at the same time in the same location with no root tampering and they all did great.
Once I barerooted a container-grown seedling and repotted it while trying hard not to damage the roots. It survived but seemed noticeably stunted/shocked to me. Barely grew that year.
Last year I dug up a 12-inch seedling that sprouted in my trash heap. I was as careful as I could be. I planted carefully in my orchard and shaded and watered it. It also was in shock and barely hung on. A couple months later we had an extreme heat wave and drought and since it was struggling anyway, I ignored it. It died.
YMMV
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Perhaps it’s all in when you are planting the trees. When would that be?
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Barefoot…best planted just as they are breaking dormancy…and probably better provide shade. Still, expect significant death loss.
Container-grown… Oughta hit the ground running.
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Hey pawpaw seed starters I have a quick question. I have a bunch of seeds I have in 10x20 trays to germinate. I plan to plant them when they germinate, but for now I wanted them on a heat mat to get them started asap.
My question is do they need any light until they germinate? They’re in promix, so obviously not exposed to direct light, but I understand some seeds won’t germinate without any lighting to signal them. I’d prefer to not waste the electricity for the lights, but if it might help them germinate I’ll leave them on.
Anyone know if lights help pawpaw germination?
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I suspect no light exposure needed, as I ve always planted mine 1/2 to 1 inch deep.for last 25+ yrs.
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Mine are germinating now. I always put them on my pellet stove near the beginning of April and they only see indirect light. I’ve had some germinate in my garage mid-summer in mostly darkness too. So I think the warmth is more important. They’re naturally an understory tree so they don’t see much, if any, direct sunlight to germinate to begin with. As soon as the radicle emerges I pot them up in air pots (direct seed some), keep them moist by wicking them from the bottom-up, and then put them in the sun. I haven’t had any issues with them sun burning at my latitude in C NH, but your mileage may vary.
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