Paw Paw  
  

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TOPIC: Paw paw....anybody dealt much with this
http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees/browse_thread/thread/d7fad9751ce15420?hl=en
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== 1 of 3 ==
Date: Fri, Feb 29 2008 8:33 pm
From: James Parton

Gary,

My dad has a Paw Paw on his property, near the road. I have never ate
one. I will remember that this summer if it bears.

JP


On Feb 29, 3:00 pm, Gary Smith <gary...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
> small, tropical looking tree, asimona triloba?
>
> I planted a couple of small seedlings on my place a few years ago and
> am hoping to see what a paw paw actually tastes like in the next few
> years. Love the big leaves.
>
> Gary

== 2 of 3 ==
Date: Fri, Feb 29 2008 9:12 pm
From: pabigtrees


ENTS

Paw Paw are very interesting trees. I read that they have been around
a long time, and are fertilized by beetles. Many plants that have
ancient histories relied on beetlies for pollination. Therefore the
flowers have a rank smell. I guess they were pre-bee plants. There
are two fruiting paw paws near me and I collect about 20 or so fruits
from the ground. The taste is sort of like a light bannana with a
pear texture/flavor. Almost a custard like consistency. Not for
everyone, but I like them. They have alot of nutrients, and good
fats.

I have read that planting several plants from different sources can
provide better fruiting. I know of a nursery near reading Pa. that
sells mature 4" cal. fruiting trees for about $400 if you are
impatient. I have planted a few in a group at work. Neat plant. I
think the size of the seed may place it in the category of mega fauna
food, like Kentucky Coffee tree. Definitely a tree worth planting.

Scott

== 3 of 3 ==
Date: Fri, Feb 29 2008 10:12 pm
From: "Edward Frank"


ENTS,

Info about the Paw Paw http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/pawpaw.html

Pollination: Poor pollination has always plagued the pawpaw in nature, and the problem has followed them into domestication. Pawpaw flowers are perfect, in that they have both male and female reproduction parts, but they are not self-pollinating. The flowers are also protogynaus, i.e., the female stigma matures and is no longer receptive when the male pollen is shed. In addition pawpaws are self-incompatible, requiring cross pollination from another unrelated pawpaw tree.

Bees show no interest in pawpaw flowers. The task of pollenization is left to unenthusiastic species of flies and beetles. A better solution for the home gardener is to hand pollinate, using a small, soft artist's brush to transfer pollen to the stigma. Pollen is ripe for gathering when the ball of anthers is brownish in color, loose and friable. Pollen grains should appear as small beige-colored particles on the brush hairs. The stigma is receptive when the tips of the pistils are green, glossy and sticky, and the anther ball is firm and greenish to light yellow in color.

Several academic institutions are setting up seventeen Regional Variety Trial sites. Kentucky State University is the site of Pawpaw National Clonal Germ-plasm Repository

The Paw Paw Information Website http://www.pawpaw.kysu.edu/

Kentucky State University has the only full-time pawpaw [Asimina triloba (L.) Dunal] research program in the world as part of the KSU Land Grant Program. Pawpaw research efforts are directed at improving seed and clonal propagation methods, developing orchard management recommendations, conducting regional variety trials, understanding fruit ripening processes, developing fruit storage techniques, and germplasm collection and characterization of genetic diversity. KSU also is the home of the PawPaw Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the research and development of pawpaw as a new fruit crop.

The Paw Paw Foundation http://www.pawpaw.kysu.edu/ppf/default.htm

Peterson Paw Paws http://www.petersonpawpaws.com/

Paw Paw http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ASTR

Ed Frank

small, tropical looking tree, asimona triloba?

I planted a couple of small seedlings on my place a few years ago and
am hoping to see what a paw paw actually tastes like in the next few
years. Love the big leaves.

Gary Smith

I ordered some fruit from a paw paw orchard last year.  Yummy fruits.  My
paw paw trees have had a few flowers but no fruit yet.
-- 
    Carolyn Summers
    63 Ferndale Drive
    Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706

 

Gary:
 
There has been a lot of research in both Kentucky and Ohio working on commercial production of paw paw and a very good market for the fruit has developed. 
 
One of the most interesting things researchers discovered was that paw paw flowers are primarily pollinated by carrion flies and commercial growers now hang plastic "donut shop" buckets with "road kill" to stimulate visits to their patches by the carrion flies.  (They hang used buckets because it keeps it away from other critters.)
 
The only reason I can surmise the carrion fly link to paw paw pollination is that in more wild areas of the western Appalachians paw paw is a common lowland speicies, especially along streams......and...
Paw paw is one of the first trees to flower in the spring.  There are few insects generally around at that time of year because a frost can take place at almost any time and pollinator numbers are severely limited.  Carrion flies feeding on dead animals that often comprise a portion of streamside detritus accumulated during winter and spring freshets would certainly make some sort of sense, especially during the midst of the first few warm days of spring.
 
If you need any paw paw links, holler.
 
Russ Richardson

 

Gary,

I planted four pawpaws in 2004.  They were 'Mango',
'Mitchell', 'Taytwo' and 'Wells'.  Unfortunately,
'Mitchell' and 'Taytwo' died and that was really bad
because they were the two I was most interested in
tasting, but then I discovered that Neal Peterson was
selling pawpaws.  He spent quite a bit of time
researching this plant and in 2005 he had 3 cultivars.
 I ordered all three ('Rappahannock', 'Shenandoah' and
'Susquehanna') and they are all doing well now.  In
order to plant all three I had to replace 'Mango',
because I only have space for four pawpaws.  Last year
we had our first fruit...one whole fruit from
'Rappahannock'.  I thought it was just OK, but my wife
loved it.  I think this is because I had very high
expectations and my wife was a little less than
enthusiastic...she doesn't like bananas at all and
pawpaws are often compared to this fruit.  It was also
just the first year and if pawpaws are anything like
apples and other fruit it usually takes at least three
years before you start to get good fruit.  Also,
'Rappahannock' was the cultivar I was least interested
in tasting.  Naturally this cultivar is growing the
best.

Pawpaws seem to be slow growers...at least they have
been for me so far.

'Wells'  planted in spring 2004 @ 1'9".  Now 4'2".
          Mean of 7.25" growth.  11" last year.

'Rappahannock'  planted in spring 2005 @ 2'9".  Now  
          5'8".  Mean of 11.7".  19" last year.

'Shenandoah'  planted in spring 2005 @ 2'3".  Now
4'0".   
          Mean of 7.0".  11" last year.

'Susquehanna'  planted in spring of 2005 @ 1'9".  Now
          2'10".  Mean of 4.3".  10" last year.

I'm hoping they all grow even better this year.  It
amazes me that the cultivar that I most want to taste
always seems to grow the poorest...in this case
'Susquehanna'.  At least it seems to be growing well
now.

Neal Peterson now has three more cultivars available.
I'll probably eventually start doing some taste
testing of other cultivars and if I really like one or
two alot more than some of those that I have, I might
just replace some more.  But that's well into the
future.  One of the things that I really like about
pawpaws is that I've had absolutely no problems with
pests and I certainly can't say that about any of my
other fruit trees.  They're also very beautiful.

Doug