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  • From: Elizabeth Hilborn <ehilborn@mebtel.net>
  • To: mailing list at ibiblio - Northamerican Allied Fruit Experimenters <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [nafex] PS. Pawpaw question and observation
  • Date: Wed, 19 Aug 2015 22:50:05 -0400

Interesting! I just thought that I was not very good at growing pawpaws as my experience is similar to others who have described bad luck with grafted trees.

I have planted 7 and killed 6 grafted trees over 6 1/2 years. Two did not leaf out in the second year at my site. Four have lasted 2-4 years, some in intensive care with regular watering, soil quality (pH, minerals, compost) adjustments, mulch and fertilization. Three have flowered, and one is bearing, which is the only grafted pawpaw I own that is still living, a ‘Shenandoah’. Even this 6 yo tree (at my site) is notthriving.

I can provide a detailed description of the last fatality. My four year old ‘Allegheny’ (about 7 feet high) flowered well this spring and looked good but was sprouting from the base. I kept rubbing off the sprouts. In June, the apical petioles suddenly started necrosing. The petiole necrosis descended until the plant died. It now is vigorously sprouting from the roots.

I have lifted root sprouts with great success and transplanted them (cut a 1' diameter around the sprout the first summer, lift the second). They are thriving. My seedlings are generally thriving- some were started inside on a heat mat in deep pots, and some growing outside – those outdoor seeds took 2 years to produce seedlings. It has been easy to transplant them so far.

My working hypothesis for the grafted trees, is that I need to plant them higher- almost on a mound. I am suspecting root rot and maybe some replanting disease.

I am currently focusing on planting my Shenandoah x Allegheny and Shenandoah x Potomac seeds. I am going to buy 2 more grafted trees to test planting them high in a different site. Hopefully I will have good fruit someday!

I have not had success this spring with grafting to my rootstock transplants – all cleft grafts. The wood was of small diameter, < pencil sized. I want to try grafting to my rootstock transplants again next spring so anyone who can provide scionwood, please contact me.

Betsy

On 8/19/2015 10:03 AM, Jerry Lehman wrote:
On 8/19/2015 8:56 AM, Louis Pittman wrote:
My experience has been similar to mIEKAL's - container-grown pawpaws that I
grafted and transplanted a year or so later, often grew for a year or two,
then the graft 'woke up dead' after winter, and the understock re-grew.
Now... in-groung established seedlings that were topworked to named
selections... no decline or death of the grafted variety.
We can't get a pattern or make conclusions if we don't hear from those who have successfully transplanted and grown potted pawpaws for say 5 years or longer in duration. We need to hear of successes also.

Jerry





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