They're cold hardy, in nature they're an understory tree, where it is protected from hot sun when small. It's beneficial to protect the young seedlings from sun when small, If they're left in a pot outside add some mulch, they'll even survive through winter in a pot.

I had the priveledge of tasting one of Bass's Pawpaws in a recent visit with Bass. I was quite impressed, very tasty. And the fruits on his tree were quite large. Gotta make room for Pawpaw trees! 

For those of you who have grown paw paws from seed, did you have to scarify the seed to get it to germinate? A forum member sent me some seeds last year, and after keeping them in the fridge through the winter, I planted them in compost-rich soil under a couple of persimmon trees, in several locations where they would get regular water from the drip system. The soil is constantly moist, but not wet. I was really hoping to see how they would do here, but not one of the seeds germinated. Now I'm curious to know what I did wrong--any ideas?

Hello,

Try seeds in a pot to avoid weeding. Yes they must be stratified, but not scarified. I also heard that they must be kept moist and not allowed to dry out, so that might be the issue for you.

They were good and fresh--a forum member collected them fresh and sent them in a Ziploc filled with damp medium. I kept them in the fridge all winter till planting them in the ground on March 31. I still have 5 seeds in the fridge as backups, but they may no longer be viable because they seem lighter in weight now--I just put them in a glass of water and they all floated. Anyway, I'll still try germinating them in a baggie to see what happens, and if I see any roots I'll put them in pots and keep my fingers crossed.

Bass if you saved any of the taytoo seeds I would like to purchase a few from you as well as  some scion of that cultivar when the proper time comes.  I have 2 nice growing trees that are looking to be grafted.

They take a long time to germinate, and grow a taproot before any leaves emerge. I put a bunch of seeds in a container and tip it out once a week to find the ones that are germinating. I tried containers and left them outside over winter on my first try and they all died; the freeze thaw cycle got them I think. I had better luck planting them direct and using tree tubes to provide shade for them. Larger diameter tree tubes are best because of the size of the leaves.

There are also some pawpaws in Alapocas Run and Brandywine Parks in Wilmington, they are not big producers at all because they are growing as an understory. 

Bass,

I have had great luck starting pawpaw seeds after being kept in the refridg in a little moist seed starter mix - 100% germinate. The only problems that I have had with seedlings have been mice going after the seed as it begins to push up through the soil. I did lose some larger grafted trees that I kept in pots outside last winter but I think that they stayed to wet  and rotted.

I have had great luck starting pawpaw seeds after being kept in the refridg in a little moist seed starter mix - 100% germinate. The only problems that I have had with seedlings have been mice going after the seed as it begins to push up through the soil. I did lose some larger grafted trees that I kept in pots outside last winter but I think that they stayed to wet  and rotted.

It's certainly possible that mice may have eaten any brand-new shoots pushing up out of the ground. I'll go check and see if any unsprouted seeds are still in the spots where I planted them.

I dug up three seeds, one of which was just a piece of shell. They may have all germinated at some point, but evidently rotted before getting above ground. Maybe they got too wet?

Ken,

Sorry The seeds did not make it. Yes the seeds would have been fresh and at least a start on stratification, not scarified. I don't remember when I sent them, they were probably gathered a little later in the year then present last year. If you did not give them additional cold stratification after I sent them that might have been the issue I usually leave them in slightly moist peat/sand until around Feb and they no take forever to germinate. I don't recall when they were sent. At least one patch I visit had no fruit this year, I have not have made to the other patch yet, It's about 1 1/2 hour away and I may be to late regardless.  

 I someone wants a year jump some of the State Forestry depts. do have Papaws in their seedling programs if someone was interested in a quantity of non-grafted seedlings, and at least some of them are made available to out of state. They are small conservation grade seedlings, but they are cheap. In the Kentucky Forestry offering it lists 10 seedlings for $24 dollars shipped, or I think $50-$60  for a 100 seedlings. I would get them from Kentucky as their seedlings are from the pawpaw orchards at Kentucky State University who is probably the leading force in the development of new pawpaw cultivars, They also just hosted the Third International Pawpaw Conference I think this past weekend. There is as well is a Yahoo discussion group for Papaws I have linked below as well.

http://www.pawpaw.kysu.edu/PawpawSeedlings.htm

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Pawpaw_Discussion/

Strudeldog--thanks for the links, both look useful and interesting. It would really be nice to find out for certain whether pawpaws can succeed in Tucson, and the seedling route may well be the best way to find out!

I have ordered 100 pawpaw seedlings for fall and will not need that many if someone wants a few for grafting let me know.
They are from Superior trees.
I am also interested in scion from named varieties

Here is the main Kentucky state link. They are the  USDA National Clonal Germplasm Repository or gene bank, for Asimina species (pawpaw), so they are kind of like UC Davis for figs, but I don't believe you can request Scion wood, but there is a lot of cultural info on the site
http://www.pawpaw.kysu.edu/

I have been saving seeds from the best cultivars I've tasted this summer. They're all mixed together. To save the seeds, make sure to wash them and clean them well, they place in a ziplock with a little moist paper towel. Keep it in a cold storage for at least 2-3 months. Plant it out in April or May, it may take over a month to show any growth. They don't transplant well, so it's best to plant several seeds in a 3 gallon pot, then in the following year transplant them to a bigger pot or to the ground. They can be transplanted easily from the pot since all the root system is kept in tact. 

I had success by planting seeds directly in the ground after removing them from the fruit last fall. I planted them outside my front door, where I thought I would remember them. Eventually--probably mid-summer, a group of little trees came up. Not at all difficult if you plant them and forget them!

Do Paw paws have to ripen on the tree like figs or can you pick them 

They can be picked when they're almost ripe, but if picked when premature they will turn black and never ripen properly. I like to let them ripen on their own and drop.

And they are fabulous if you put them in the freezer and then scoop the interior out like frozen custard....outstanding.  

In the retail arena, there is an increasing demand for pawpaw fruit, chefs are starting to incorporate the fruit into their meals more and more.   I know in KY there are some farmers who are converting parts of grain fields to pawpaw orchards, some are even getting agricultural grants to accomplish this.  The intent will be to contract their fruit with restaurants, etc.

Sara, you find any wild in your area.  I went looking in the car yesterday and day before, and didn't see a one.  Might need to get out of the car and do some walking.  There is a big park near work, that I've heard has them.

i might be interested in buying some seeds if anyone is selling them send me a pm or email

I'll have seeds ready in another month.