North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Elizabeth Hilborn <ehilborn@mebtel.net>]

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