North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Mark & Helen Angermayer" <hangermayer@isp.com>]

This year is the first year I'm trying to grow pawpaws.  I planted them this
spring and they survived the big freeze.  Now I'm wondering if I am shading
them correctly.  I've read that a 30" barrel with both ends cut out provides
good shade and that by the time the pawpaw grows out of the top of the
barrel, it no longer needs shade.

Since I don't have any barrels, I built some wooden boxes (36" tall) to
shade the small trees.  However, the little pawpaws do get some direct
sunlight when sun's overhead (maybe an hour per day).  Is this too much sun?
Has anyone out there shaded young pawpaws this way?

I'm wondering because the tops of the new foliage are bent over.  The
foliage looks healthy but it's bent over.  Is this normal or is the sun
beating it down?

Here are some pictures:

Here is one of the shade boxes:

http://www.nafex.org/uploads/shadebox.jpg

Here is one of the pawpaw's with it's top bent over:


http://www.nafex.org/uploads/small%20pawpaw.jpg

Here is a pawpaw that I'm holding up the top:

http://www.nafex.org/uploads/holding%20up%20small%20pawpaw.jpg

Thanks,
Mark
Kansas