Pawpaw: all about planting & harvesting the fruit

The North American pawpaw is becoming increasingly popular. Here, you will learn everything you need to know about the exotic pawpaw – from buying to planting to caring.

Almost anyone who tends their own garden will have apples (Malus) or pears (Pyrus). Are you looking for a new, still largely unknown, exotic plant? Then the pawpaw (Asimina triloba) may be just what you are looking for. Actually, the fruit of the pawpaw looks much more like a mango or papaya. You can learn where the pawpaw got its name, how it is best planted and cared for, and how you can best harvest and store this exotic fruit in our article.

The pawpaw is a fruit plant from the Annonaceae family and carries many names alongside it is latin name Asimina triloba. The name pawpaw is due to its similarity to papaya. Both fruits look very similar, but the pawpaw is much smaller and lighter than a papaya.

The taste of the pawpaw can best be described as a blend of mango, pineapple, apricot and banana with a hint of vanilla, with the pulp being similar to the soft and creamy flesh of conventional bananas. If you also want to enjoy this special taste, you can grow and harvest pawpaw yourself in your own garden. Another reason to give the pawpaw a place in the garden is its high value as an ornamental shrub: especially in autumn, the leaves of the plant turn a beautiful yellow and let your garden shine in the most beautiful colours.

Pawpaw: origin and properties

The pawpaw is originally from North America. It is widespread in both the southeastern United States and southern Canada. Originally, the pawpaw was a floodplain plant that was most comfortable in swampy areas and forest edges in the shade of larger trees. Native Americans already appreciated this special fruit. Today, the fruit is also grown in Europe, especially in Italy and in German-speaking countries. However, commercial cultivation of pawpaws is exceedingly low, so you will have a hard time spotting a pawpaw fruit in the supermarket. Therefore, it is all the more appealing to grow this special plant yourself and harvest your own fruit.

The pawpaw plant is a deciduous shrub and can grow three to five metres in height. The plant forms a closed crown, which can have a diameter of up to two and a half metres. It grows relatively slowly, at around 30 centimetres per year. Its elongated leaves, up to 20 centimetres in size, are especially impressive. The pawpaw tree begins to bloom with purple bell flowers from May onwards. From this develop the fruits that ripen from August to early October. Then in autumn the leaves turn golden.

Planting pawpaws

The pawpaw is one of few exotic plants that are hardy and can therefore be cultivated outside in the garden all year around. Here, the choice of location and the correct procedure for planting are crucial.

The perfect location

Since the pawpaw grows at the edge of the forest in its natural habitat, one might assume that it prefers a shady location. But that is only half true. In its young development, that is, the first four years, young pawpaw plants should not be exposed to full sun. Here, a semi-shaded location is optimal. From the fourth year onward, the pawpaw begins to bear fruit. For this, it prefers to be in a location that is as sunny as possible. If the fruits are sufficiently sun-kissed, they can develop their aroma particularly well and become wonderfully sweet.

You should also differentiate between young plants and older plants when it comes to frost resistance: young plants should be protected from severe frost for the first four years. For this purpose, you can use a fleece to cover the plant, for example. Adult plants, on the contrary, withstand frost up to -30 °C and no longer need protection in winter. The pawpaw makes rather low demands for its soil: it should only be loose and rich in nutrients. Our peat-free and sustainable Plantura Organic All Purpose Compost is therefore ideal for your pawpaw. In very sandy soils, you can enrich the soil with compost or other organic material to improve soil structure and nutrient supply.

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If you only have nutrient-poor material available to enrich the soil, such as straw, additional enrichment with slow-release fertiliser is recommended. Our Plantura All Purpose Plant Food with slow-release effects not only improves the soil structure in the long term, but also gently releases nutrients to the pawpaw tree over a longer period of time. A pH between 5.5 to 7 is optimal for the pawpaw. The soil should be sufficiently moist and never completely dry out. However, waterlogging must not occur in any case, as this can lead to root rot.

Environmental requirements at a glance:

• Semi-shaded in the first four years Protect from severe frost in winter
• From the fourth year onwards: sunny location
• Frost tolerance up to -30 °C
• Moist, nutrient-rich, loose soil
• pH value: 5.5 to 7
• Waterlogging should be avoided at all costs

Procedure for planting pawpaws

The best planting time for pawpaw is from late September to October or in the spring in March. It is important that the plants have formed a good root system when planting. When buying smaller plants in a 3-litre container, it is advisable to cultivate them for two more years in a pot, in a semi-shaded place. If the plant has grown sufficiently in the next few years and the root ball has developed well, you can put the plant in the open ground.

If you buy a larger plant in a 6-litre container, it can be planted outdoors straight away. Once the ideal location is found, prepare a planting hole. Remove weeds, stones or roots and enrich the soil with compost or other organic material. Alternatively, you can use organic slow-release fertiliser for this purpose. The planting hole should be at least twice the diameter and depth of the root ball of the plant. The plant should be planted as deep in the planting hole as it was previously in its container or pot. Fill the planting hole with the enriched soil and water the plant well. Planting distance from the nearest neighbouring plant should be at least three metres.

Planting pawpaw at a glance:

• Choose the right location
• Enrich soil with compost or organic slow-release fertiliser
• Dig a planting hole with twice the diameter and twice the depth of the root ball
• Insert the plant as deep as it was in its original pot or container
• Water well
• Planting distance to neighbouring plants: min. 3 m

Tip: Since the pawpaw tree grows very slowly, you should keep a circle free of weeds and grass in a radius of 50 centimetres around the trunk of the plant. This ensures that competition for water and nutrients is not too high for the pawpaw. Here it is also advisable to apply a layer of mulch, which suppresses weeds and also provides less evaporation. As mulch material, you can use, for example, leaves or grass clippings.

The pawpaw plant can also be grown in a pot on the balcony or on the terrace. Since the pawpaw is a taproot, it must be planted with sufficient depth. So the planter should hold at least 40 litres. Also make sure that the pot has a drainage hole and lay a drainage layer. Make sure to plant in sufficiently loose, nutrient-rich substrate. In summer, the plant can be grown in partial shade for the first few years, and later be moved into the sun. The plant should spend the winter in a cool place, so that it can sufficiently hibernate. Heated rooms are not suitable for this. Indiana bananas cultivated in pots can grow up to three metres tall.

Planting pawpaw in a pot:

• Choose a sufficiently large planter and create a drainage layer
• Loose, nutrient-rich substrate
• Semi-shaded in the first four years a sunny location thereafter
• Overwinter in a cool place

Propagating pawpaws

Propagating pawpaw plants yourself is not that easy, but not impossible. For this purpose, there are two methods: Propagation by seed or by grafting. When propagating pawpaw by seed, you can either take a seed from your own fruit or purchase the seed. The next step is to stratify the seeds, that is, to make them germinable. In the case of the pawpaw, this is done by exposure to cold. To do this, plant the individual seeds in seedling pots and then place them outdoors over the winter until next autumn. The seeds need a cold stimulus to germinate. In the case of the pawpaw, it takes about nine months for the seeds to begin to germinate and for a small above-ground plant to appear in the pot. During this time, you should always keep the substrate sufficiently moist. The plant should then spend its first winter in the house or greenhouse. In its second year, it can then be repotted into a larger pot and in subsequent years, once it is sufficiently large and has formed enough root mass, it can be set outdoors.

Procedure for propagation from seed:

• Obtain seeds from own fruit or purchase them
• Stratify the seed (cold stimulus)
• Germination lasts 9 months
• Keep substrate constantly moist
• First winter in a greenhouse or house
• Repot in the second year

The second way to propagate pawpaw plants, is by grafting. In grafting, a scion of the pawpaw is grafted onto a seedling rootstock. Seedlings or root runners of the pawpaw itself can be used as a rootstock. Other rootstocks for pawpaw are not yet known. The most commonly used grafting method for pawpaw trees is chipping. For this purpose, a three to four centimetre-long piece is taken from the scion – a so-called chip. This is then placed on a prefabricated recess in the planting hole. Very clean work is important here. Chipping can be done between March and October – the only condition is that both a scion as well as a carpet pad need to be available at the same time.

Pawpaw plant care

Pawpaw plants also want decent care. Of course, this includes proper watering, pruning and fertilising. A distinctive feature in the care of pawpaw is pollination. Although some varieties are self-pollinating, fruit yield is significantly higher when at least two plants of different varieties are planted. Pawpaws are pollinated by insects. Many of the typical pollinators that the pawpaw depends on in North America do not exist here. Unfortunately, bees do not like pawpaw blossoms, so they are only pollinated by a few species of flies. Therefore, you can also become a “little bee” by pollinating your plants yourself. To do this, take a brush and use it to carefully remove pollen of one genotype from the stamens of one plant. You now apply these to the flower stigmas of the plant of the other variety with the other genotype.

Watering pawpaw plants

Originating from the riparian forests of North America, the pawpaw does not tolerate drought at all. Therefore, even in the open ground, the soil should be kept moist by regular watering. If the pawpaw is cultivated in a pot, you should always keep the substrate moist. But water should never collect in the planter – if it does then you have watered too much. It is better to water less on hot days than water too much at once.

Pruning pawpaws

Pruning is not necessary for the first three years with the slow-growing pawpaw. Only when the plant begins to bear fruit, can it be cut from time to time. Branches that are too long can be removed, as well as dead or diseased wood. If your potted plant is getting too big for you, you can trim the main shoot at three metres. Otherwise, it is advisable to remove leaves that cast shadows on the ripening fruits. This is because sufficient sunlight is absolutely necessary for the ripening of the delicious fruits.

Fertilising

Fertilisation with organic slow-release fertilisers in spring is recommended for pawpaw plants. Compost, bone meal or a plant -based fertiliser with a slow-release effect are suitable for this purpose. Our Plantura All Purpose Plant Food with slow-release effect optimally covers the nutrient requirements of the plant and is also more environmentally friendly than mineral fertilisers. During the growing season, it is also important to fertilise with potassium. This promotes the formation of fruit. For example, it can be applied as a foliar fertiliser.

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Overwintering pawpaw plants

A plant with tropical fruit that survives our freezing winters? Surely there’s no such thing. Yet the pawpaw can do just that. It defies temperatures as low as -30 °C when fully grown. So snow and cold are not an issue. On the contrary, they even need the cold spells for their well-deserved hibernation. Potted plants should therefore also spend the winter in a cool place.

However, young pawpaw plants are less cold tolerant. These should be protected from excessive frost. To avoid frost cracks on the trunk, you can paint it white. Alternatively, you can protect the trunk with a fleece. This helps young pawpaw plants to survive the winter.

Harvesting and storing pawpaws

Seedlings need about seven to ten years before they bear fruit for the first time. Grafted plants usually bear fruit for the first time from their third to fourth year after planting out in the garden. These ripen from the end of August. However, it may take until November before all the fruits are ripe. This depends very much on the particular variety. A sign that the fruit is ripe is that the skin changes colour. The green, unripe fruits slowly turn light green or even slightly yellowish as they ripen. Another sign is that the skin can be easily pressed in. In addition, ripening fruits begin to smell. When harvesting, you should proceed carefully so as not to damage the sensitive fruits. Pawpaw fruits, in fact, bruise very easily. That is why you should only hold them very gently and twist them slightly. This is how the fruit comes off. Pawpaw fruits are very perishable and can only be stored at room temperature for three days. On the other hand, fruits that are still unripe ripen very well. You can store semi-ripe pawpaws in the refrigerator for up to four weeks. Alternatively, ripe fruit can be stored in the freezer.

Taste and use of the pawpaw

On the outside, the fruits of the pawpaw resemble a green mango or a small unripe papaya. When the fruit is cut lengthwise, its yellow flesh is revealed, interspersed with thick brown-black seeds. The pulp tastes like a tropical fruit cocktail: It is reminiscent of a mixture of banana, pineapple, mango and passion fruit with a hint of vanilla. The pulp is very soft and can be scraped out with a spoon or eaten directly from the fruit. Pawpaws can be enjoyed plain, or used in jams, smoothies or fruit pies. A delicious ice cream can also be made from pawpaw fruits.

The fruit is rich in unsaturated fatty acids and also contains many vitamins and minerals such as iron, calcium and vitamins A and C. The pawpaw is therefore a real super fruit, which, as long as it is grown in our country, also has a low carbon footprint.