i hand pollinate to assure fruit set

Wow that is a beautiful tree.  I can't wait to get another property and start my tree's again.  Mine were only 2 years old when I had to move.  Great job.

Looking great!

When do those ripen for you there in middle Tennessee?

Bill, what variety is that? How old is it, and do you have others? I'm guessing you must for cross pollination. I'm growing most of the Peterson varieties plus NC-1 and Sunflower. No fruit yet, though they have been flowering the past couple of years. We have enough livestock in the area, not to mention our chickens, so I would think they would have good pollination. They are growing fast, I think they just need a few years in the ground before they fruit. I love a good pawpaw!

Mike in Hanover, VA

I've tried that on mine last year (I only have one clone in the yard but there are others nearby) but there seemed to be very little removable pollen when I checked the flowers.  Is there a specific stage / age of the flowers that works best?

This tree is the Shenandoah variety. Paw paw ripen here late August thru mid Sept. You need cross pollination with a least 2 varieties. Bees are not attracted to the flowers, they are pollinated by flies. But I do hand pollination on my best varieties to assure fruit set. This takes some observation. A flower has to get old before the pollen is mature and mobile. Then you place it on the pistil of a less mature flower of a different variety. Mike, if a tree can make a flower, it can set fruit if pollinated. This tree was very vigorous. I planted it 3 years ago. I think it is doing well because it is located where the roots stay cool and moist, but the foliage gets half a day of sun. I also have Allegheny, KSU Atwood, Mango, and several wild seedlings.
Bill

Nice!  I'd love a grove of paw paws someday.

I don't pollinate them and nature did it.

Nice looking tree there Bill!

I have some nonamed paw paws from a local nursery that are a few years yet from blooming I would think. Also have several seedlings of VE-21 and just recently grafted Halvin and Sunflower scions onto a couple seedlings... I hope they take lol.

Tyler

I haven't thinned the fruit cluster, even though it will make the remaining fruit much bigger. 
The fruit clusters in the photo is from a sucker of a grafted tree, I allowed to grow just to see what kind of fruit I get. This year they're full with flowers and they help cross pollinated the grafted part of the tree. 
I might be selling the house before I get ripe fruit. I'll make sure I put on the sale agreement that I'll be coming back to pick this season's crop. :-)

Bass, great idea having pollinating variety on the same tree.  I hope you get a harvest

Bill,
Can we grow them from seeds? I would love to grow them and was wondering how long dies it take to fruit if I were to grow them from seeds.

Norhayati

A while, even grafted ones can take 4-7 years.  Ten years?  Maybe less?

N, You can grow them from seeds, but a grafted tree will produce sooner and with bigger fruit usually. The tree shown is a grafted tree planted 3 years ago, and loaded with fruit. They often don't grow much the first year as the roots get established, but this one took off right away.

That is a beautiful tree.

I planted a dozen or so freshly-germinated seeds from a 'Mango' Paw Paw to see whether they could handle Tucson's climate, and am now down to four healthy seedlings. They are in their third season, ranging from 2 to 2.5 feet high. I'm guessing it will still be a long time before they're big enough to fruit, but once that day finally arrives (given that the seeds all came from the same variety) will I need a different variety for pollination, or will these seedlings be able to pollinate each other?


  
I read that they like to be understory trees, so this one was planted at the edge of a persimmon to provide some shade.

Ken, they will be able to pollinate each other. It will be interesting to see how they do for you in AZ. Most pawpaws that you find in the wild here are indeed understory plants, but when grown in an orchard, they will do fine in full sun after a few years of protection.

Mike in Hanover, VA

Ken, I think the seedlings, not being clones, should be able to pollinate each other. I think it will be a challenge to grow a tree of humid temperate forests in Tucson.  lots of mulch and summer irrigation.  Here in Tennessee it can be hard to establish the trees, as they need cool moist soil, especially when getting established, and warm humid summer to ripen the fruit.  But your trees look good.

Thanks, Mike & Bill, for the info. Although I've never tasted a Paw Paw, they sound intriguing and I'm quite hopeful. I'll water a lot and keep my fingers crossed.

Incidentally, if they end up ripening in August/September here in Tucson as they do in Tennessee, and need humidity to do it, that should dovetail nicely with our monsoon season.

The largest (57") of my paw paw seedlings, all planted 2012 in-ground as pre-germinated seeds, has its first flower. It's the only one on the tree so I don't expect it to fruit this year, but I'm encouraged. Maybe in another year or two!

    Pawpaw in Russia. Grafted tree, 7 years old, the local variety "Sochi 11".

It looks like I will have a good crop after the trees appear to have not been damaged by a 30F early this morning. I grafted some Mango scion to my trees a few weeks ago and they are starting to leaf out so hopefully that will help with pollination next year.