Pawpaw FAQs

Q1:  What’s a “variety” or “cultivar” of pawpaw? Shouldn’t I just buy seedling trees instead of the grafted varieties/cultivars?

A1:  If you are asking this question then you probably should buy seedling-trees instead.  Inexperienced growers typically lose 50% of their pawpaw trees in the first year.  Seedling trees cost less than grafted cultivars/varieties, and they can be grafted later by an experienced grafter, after they survive the initial transplant shock.

Q2: What’s the best tasting: a named variety, a named cultivar, or wild pawpaw fruit?

A2: That’s a matter of personal preference, and it depends on who you ask. Generally speaking the named varieties/cultivars taste better than average to most people, and that’s why they were given names.  Wild trees are typically unnamed “varieties” until somebody decides one is good enough for a name.  Named “cultivars” are trees that were bred, and were considered good enough to be given a name.  

Q3: How many pawpaw trees do I need to get fruit?

A3: Two or more. A lone pawpaw tree typically does not “self-pollinate”, and reproduces itself with asexual root-suckers which likewise do not bear fruit with pollen from the original tree or with each other.  Hence large patches of fruitless pawpaw trees can be found in the wild.

Q4: Will two Overleese trees pollinate each other?  Likewise for the other named “cultivars/varieties”?

A4: No.  An Overleese tree will pollinate with anything else but another Overleese tree because two grafted Overleese trees are genetically identical.  Likewise for all the other named “cultivars/varieties”.   

Q5:  Is a seedling of Overleese the same thing as the original Overleese tree?

A5:  No.  They are genetically different, and they can cross-pollinate.  No pawpaw seedling is identical to either of the parent trees, and seedling-tree fruits can vary considerably from that of both the parents. Grafting is the only way to propagate the genetic identity of any given tree variety/cultivar for fruits that are consistent with the originally named pawpaw tree variety/cultivar, etc. 

Q6:  How long before I get fruit from a grafted pawpaw tree?

A6:  That depends on the condition of the seedling and the kind of care it receives.  It’s typically 4 to 5 years.  

Q7:  When and how should I plant them and care for them?  How deep, and how far apart? 

A7:  Follow the directions on the Pawpaw Planet website at:  https://sites.google.com/site/pawpawplanet123/growing-strategies/planting-pawpaw-trees

Do not allow the roots to freeze in the containers.