North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Martha L. Davis" <martha_davis@earthlink.net>]

I grafted about 20 trees on rootstock that I had ordered, with scions both 
from friends, my own trees, and some from folks on this list.  They all had 
good growth at first, and the new growth was 9 inches to 18 inches, with most 
around a foot.  About half of them were put in the ground at that point, and 
half were left in the gallon sized pots that I started them in.  By mid-June, 
every one of them had died completely.  The ones in pots were on the north 
side of the house so were in shade during mid-day.

  Any suggestions or ideas?             
I have had problems with most bare root pawpaws except the ones that were dug 
and planted the same day.  Usually it had been instances of dying back below 
the graft even with extensive babying as far as shade and watering.  Another 
thing that I have heard of is some kind of root problems perhaps a type of 
rot in very cool clay soils.  I think Joseph Postman had some problems with 
this in Corvallis.   I think the plants are more forgiving the larger they 
are at transplanting and the closer they are to their native climate 
conditions. 

Martha  

Hi Jim,

I'm going to answer if nothing else to say I don't know!! 
I know, I know, then why answer? 

I can understand to some extent those dying that were taken out of the pots 
and planted. But those in the shade that were grafted and had put on new 
growth shouldn't have died. 

Now to complicate things I've planted bare root pawpaws in August with good 
success which defies all rules of planting trees.  

When were they transplanted from the pots? Were the transplanted (and potted) 
trees well watered and constantly? Could something else be in play, such as a 
lawn service spraying herbicides? Neighboring farm spraying Roundup? If 
either were the case you would have lost more trees and shrubs. What did you 
water with? Fertigated? Spray insecticide? 

Jerry