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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] Pawpaw pollination, early ripening tree source

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  • From: miekal and <dtv@mwt.net>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Pawpaw pollination, early ripening tree source
  • Date: Tue, 11 Mar 2003 16:58:15 -0600

John wrote:
Are there any folks on the list who've been successful growing Pawpaws in
colder climates (Zone 5)? There was an interesting discussion about these
fruits on NPR earlier today and I'm interested in at least trying a few
plants up here in coastal Maine. The thing that concerns me most is that
the flowers reputedly smell awful and need to be pollinated by carrion
flies, which may require nailing a dead possum (or the equivalent) to a
nearby tree to attract them. How bad IS the smell when they're in bloom?
Is it bad enough that Pawpaw trees should simply not be planted near one's
house? What's a safe distance?

Any/all feedback appreciated.


I'm at a really different stage from most of the old timers here whove been growing for a zillion years. For the last 3 or 4 years Ive been buying generic pawpaw seedlings & theyve winter killed every year. Last year I got PA Golden seedlings from John Gordon & an unnamed (but I believe selected) variety from Burnt Ridge. Because Im on pretty heavy clay loam here & definite zone 4 I set up the area a little bit, used a bag of agricultural grade sulphur on the area around each & also used tree tubes. Here in WI we're coming out of a solid 3-4 weeks of 0 to minus 20 weather & they all look pretty fit.

Unfortunately I also germinated a couple trays of seeds but left em in the greenhouse during the mad dash to get everything squared away for fall freezes. Typically I move all my first year seedlings into a cold basement & plant them out in the fall of the second year.

mIEKAL

www.dreamtimevillage.org | zone 4




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