Pawpaw is an unusual and still not very common fruit tree in Russia, which may well become a worthy addition to the collection of gardeners and flower growers who love all kinds of exotics. The culture is decorative, and with proper care it will delight the owner with an abundant harvest of tasty and healthy fruits. There is nothing difficult about growing it in open ground; the only limitation is that the climate must be suitable. Those who are unlucky with this can cultivate pawpaw at home.

What does pawpaw look like?

Pawpaw (Asimina) is a small genus of deciduous trees and shrubs, part of the Annonaceae family. At the moment, eight of its representatives are known, all of them are found in nature only in North America. Some species can be found in France, Spain, Italy, and Japan. The pawpaw is most common in the southern United States (Nebraska, Texas, Florida, Ohio, Georgia, Virginia).

In nature, pawpaw can grow up to 15 m in height, but in captivity its dimensions are limited - this simplifies care and harvesting

The most frost-resistant (down to -30ºС) is the three-lobed pawpaw (triloba), which grows mainly in Canada (Ontario). It is this plant that is cultivated in Russia. They began to grow it in captivity quite recently, about a century ago. The optimal climate for the plant is temperate, bordering on subtropical.

Azimina is known by many nicknames in her homeland. It is most often called the banana tree, but there are other variations - "Nebraska banana", "poor man's banana", "northern", "dog" or "Mexican" banana. It is also known as "pow-pow". The pawpaw owes this to the similarity of the fruits to papaya (papaya), and according to another version, their “clusters” with an animal’s paw (paw).

In nature, pawpaw grows on average to 4–5 m in height, in optimal conditions - up to 12–15 m. In captivity, it is usually limited to a level of 2–3 m. Its crown is spreading, in the shape of a wide pyramid. Under natural conditions, trees form almost impenetrable thickets on river banks, as well as wherever the soil is wet and loose. The trunk and shoots of pawpaw are grayish in color, the bark is smooth. Young branches are covered with thick “lint”.

The leaves are large, hard to the touch, about 20 cm long and 7–8 cm wide. They resemble an ellipse in shape, gradually tapering at the petiole and more sharply towards the tip. The front side of a young leaf is bright green; as it matures, it becomes lighter and a grayish undertone appears. The underside is dull red or brick.

Pawpaw leaves are dense and glossy, as if artificial.

Interestingly, the leaves bloom only at the end of spring. The flowers appear first. The buds open in mid-April, flowering continues for at least 20 days, although each individual flower lives for a maximum of a week. Flower buds extremely rarely suffer from returning spring frosts; they are protected by a special shell, similar to a casing.

Pawpaw flower buds are reliably protected from returning spring frosts

The flowers are very decorative. They are located in the axils of last year's leaves on long stalks that bend slightly under their weight. They have three outer and inner petals, painted in a rich dark scarlet, purple-violet, wine color. Their entire surface is covered with a clearly visible pattern of veins. The base of the petal is yellowish. The average flower diameter is 5–6 cm.

Pawpaw flowers look very unusual and impressive, especially considering that they are not covered by leaves

Each of them has several pistils, so one bud can produce 3–5 or even 7–9 fruits. The plant necessarily requires cross-pollination, so if pawpaw is planted with the expectation of harvesting, at least two varieties will be required. The aroma of the flowers is not very pleasant, similar to the smell of rotten meat, but it is barely perceptible.

Each pollinated flower can produce up to nine fruits.

Most pawpaw flowers fall off in early summer. This means that they were not pollinated. Towards mid-July, the tree may lose a significant part of its fruit ovaries, especially if it is hot and there is no rain. For berries to ripen, a minimum of 160 days with a temperature above 18ºC is required.

The productive life of pawpaw is 50 years or more. It bears fruit for the first time 5–6 years after the plant is planted in the ground. The harvest ripens in late September or early October. Pawpaw is called a banana tree, but the shape of the fruits is more similar to papaya - elongated, oblong, slightly curved and “angular”. The size and weight of the berries vary greatly. The length can be 5–15 cm, width - 2–8 cm, weight - 50–350 g. The hotter and drier the summer, the smaller the berries.

The skin of pawpaw fruits is thin, pale green or yellowish, and is very easily removed. In ripe fruits it appears translucent. The flesh is the color of butter, sometimes light orange, soft, creamy. It is very sweet, but the taste is quite difficult to describe. It is a cross between mango, banana, pineapple and feijoa. But it smells almost like strawberries and cream. At home, in the USA, they say that the pulp has the taste of custard.

The taste of pawpaw pulp is quite difficult to describe, but the vast majority of those who have tried the fruit claim that they have never eaten anything better

Pawpaw seeds are large, similar to persimmon seeds, but shiny, black-brown in color. In the pulp they are arranged in two rows. There are from 8 to 14 of them in each fruit.

The chemical composition of pawpaw fruits is similar to bananas. They are nutritious (350–360 kcal per 100 g), contain a lot of vitamin C (50–60 mg per 100 g), carotene, potassium, magnesium, calcium, copper, phosphorus, as well as essential amino acids (lysine, tryptophan, arginine) . There is also an increased content of sucrose and fructose. Because of this, pawpaw should not be eaten by those who suffer from diabetes of any type, but this is the only contraindication.

Its fruits rarely cause allergies. In cooking, berries find a wide variety of uses - they are canned, preparing compotes, jams, marmalade, ice cream, used as a filling for baked goods, and added to creams.

Pawpaw fruits are not only tasty, but also very healthy; Unfortunately, the crop does not differ in productivity, even if ideal conditions are created for it.

Video: picking pawpaw fruits

Even if the climate does not allow pawpaw fruits to ripen, it can be used in landscape design as an ornamental foliage plant

  • The culture is not without certain disadvantages that prevent its wide spread:
  • Low yield. On average, about 25 kg of fruits are removed from an adult tree, in particularly successful years - 35–40 kg, but this is already the limit.
  • Difficulty with reproduction. The seeds do not germinate; a significant percentage of seedlings die. Pawpaw takes a very long time to take root in a new place after being transplanted into open ground. Her vaccination is a rather complex procedure that requires a lot of experience. But even in this case, success is not guaranteed.
  • Harvesting. The fruits on the tree ripen quickly, so they need to be picked on time. Otherwise, they immediately crumble, inevitably suffering mechanical damage. Even with the smallest amounts, the pulp deteriorates very quickly, acquiring an unpleasant aftertaste reminiscent of burnt coffee beans.
  • Very short shelf life. Fresh berries will last for a maximum of 2–3 days (5–6 days in the refrigerator), which makes transportation completely impossible. There is no point in picking unripe fruits - they lose a lot of taste as they ripen. Accordingly, those who grow fruits and berries on an industrial scale are completely uninterested in pawpaw. By the way, this property also applies to homemade pawpaw preparations. They are stored for no more than a month.

Even minor mechanical damage leads to the fact that the taste of pawpaw pulp deteriorates sharply

Recently, breeders have been paying close attention to pawpaw. Most of the new varieties were bred in the USA, but there are also Russian ones, for example, Michurinka, Sochinskaya. Among the foreign ones, the most popular are Pennsylvania Gold, Rebecca Gold, Davis, Sunflower. If you have a choice, it is better to purchase one of the early varieties. Practice shows that they are much tastier, since the fruits ripen at higher air temperatures.

Rebecca Gold is one of the most popular pawpaw varieties bred in the USA.

Video: description of pawpaws

Landing procedure and preparation for it

Growing a new pawpaw is quite a difficult task. The seeds do not differ in germination; the plant rarely produces root shoots. This is due to the structural features of the root system. Vaccination requires some experience and does not always guarantee a positive result.

Seed stratification and planting

Pawpaw seeds are extracted only from ripe fruits that do not show the slightest signs of damage by pathogenic fungi and pests. Their stratification is required, otherwise the germination process may take 2–3 years.

If there are fruits, there is nothing difficult in getting pawpaw seeds

Seedlings obtained from seeds rarely completely inherit the varietal characteristics of the “parent” plant. But practice shows: if planting material is extracted from large fruits, the berries on new plants will also be larger in size and the harvest will be more abundant.

Seeds extracted from the pulp lose moisture very quickly. This negatively affects germination. Five days of exposure to the open air is enough for the planting material to suffer irreversible damage.

Pawpaw seeds do not differ in germination rate, so it is advisable to stock up on planting material in excess

The so-called cold stratification aims to imitate the natural conditions in which seeds find themselves in winter. In this case, a mechanism for processing complex organic substances into simpler ones is launched. This nutrition is absorbed by the embryo, which begins to develop.

The seeds collected in the fall are placed in a small container filled with a moistened mixture of peat chips and sand in a ratio of approximately 1:1, buried 4–5 cm into the substrate. The container is sent to the refrigerator for 3–4 months, in a special compartment for storing vegetables and fruits, where the temperature is maintained at 3–5ºС. The substrate needs to be moistened once every 2-3 weeks by spraying it with a spray bottle. By spring the seeds should hatch.

Cold stratification imitates the conditions of natural winter, this triggers the mechanism of seed germination

As soon as this happens, they are removed from the refrigerator and soaked for a week in a solution of any biostimulant, changing the liquid daily. Then the seeds are planted in the same substrate in individual pots, preferably peat, deepened by 2–3 cm. The soil must first be well moistened. The containers are covered with film or glass and placed in the brightest and warmest place in the apartment (temperature not lower than 25ºC). A window sill facing south would work well. Pawpaw sprouts unfriendly. The first ones may appear in 6–8 weeks, the rest - within another month and a half.

To wait for pawpaw sprouts, you will have to be patient

When the seedlings grow to 12–15 cm (this happens after about a year), they are planted in a greenhouse along with the pots. Pawpaw is transferred to a permanent place only for the next season. But, in principle, you can leave the plant at home for this time.

Pawpaw trees obtained from seeds practically do not grow in the first 2–3 years and tolerate replanting very poorly.

They can be expected to bloom in 6–8 years.

Young pawpaw plants obtained from seeds gain very little growth in the first few years of life.

Video: pawpaw seeds

Pawpaw has no special requirements for soil quality, but the best option for it is a light, well-aerated, slightly acidic (pH 5.0–7.0) substrate. It will also survive in heavy clay soil, but growth and development will slow down greatly, and you can’t count on abundant harvests. When planting several plants at once, leave at least 3 m between them, and 4.5–5 m between rows of plantings.

The planting pit is prepared in advance, 3–3.5 weeks before the procedure. Pawpaw is most often planted in the spring, even in warm southern regions. The plant recovers from the stress associated with replanting as if from a serious illness, and in this state it will not survive the coming winter in 2-3 months.

The average depth of the planting hole is about 60 cm, diameter - 65–70 cm. At the bottom, a layer of drainage at least 8–10 cm thick is required. Small pebbles, pebbles, expanded clay, clay shards, and so on are suitable for this. The top fertile layer of soil extracted from it is mixed with fertilizers - humus or rotted compost (10–15 l), wood ash (liter jar). The latter can be replaced with simple superphosphate (40–50 g) and potassium sulfate (20–30 g). If the soil is heavy and clayey, add another 2-3 buckets of coarse river sand.

Pawpaw categorically does not tolerate stagnant moisture, so a layer of drainage is required at the bottom of the planting hole (especially if the soil is heavy)

It is advisable to choose a place for pawpaw immediately and forever. It tolerates replanting very poorly; the tap root can easily be damaged in the process, and then the plant will certainly die.

It is generally undesirable to disturb trees older than three years. The best option for it is an open area well warmed by the sun. But at the same time it must be protected from cold drafts. Ideally, at some distance from the pawpaw there is a fence or wall of a building that does not obscure it, but screens it from the north.

Any lowland and areas where groundwater comes closer to the surface than 2 m are absolutely not suitable. Azimina has a very negative attitude towards the “swamp” at the roots, and water and damp cold air stagnate there for a long time.

Pawpaw is light-loving, but young plants under two years of age easily get sunburned, so they need light shading. You can, for example, build a canopy over them from gauze folded several times or any white covering material.

  1. About half an hour before the procedure, water the seedling generously. Carefully remove it from the pot (if it is not peat), trying to damage the earthen ball as little as possible.
  2. Make a small depression at the top of the mound at the bottom of the hole. Place the seedling there along with a lump of earth. It is advisable to plant pawpaw at an angle of approximately 40–45º - this stimulates the formation of a larger number of adventitious roots.
  3. Fill the planting hole with soil. It is absolutely forbidden to compact it with your hands, much less trample it.
  4. Water the plant generously (20–30 liters of water). When the water is absorbed, mulch a circle around the trunk with a diameter of about half a meter with peat chips and humus.

Video: how to properly plant pawpaw in the ground

Other methods of reproduction

Pawpaw rarely and in small quantities, but still produces basal shoots. Such a “seedling” is carefully separated from the plant along with part of the root. You can also dig up the soil and cut out a piece of rhizome 8–10 cm long.

They are planted immediately in open ground. The seedlings are placed vertically, the rhizomes horizontally, deepened by 3–5 cm. In the first case, the root collar must be in the soil at a depth of about 8–10 cm. To ensure a “greenhouse effect,” the plantings are covered with a glass cap and a cut plastic bottle. After about a month, the plant should take root in its new location. This is easy to notice by the appearance of new growth. A prerequisite for success is abundant (but not excessive) watering.

Those who have been growing pawpaw for a long time are advised to cut the rhizome connecting it to the mother plant by about a third a year before transplanting the root shoots. In this case, the new seedling’s own root system will develop more actively.

The fastest, but also the most difficult way to grow a new pawpaw and get a harvest from it is grafting. Such plants bloom already in the second or third year after the procedure.

As a scion, use the top of a shoot of an absolutely healthy plant at the age of five years, 12–15 cm long. It is important that it approximately matches the diameter of the rootstock. The grafted cuttings are cut obliquely on both sides so that a wedge is formed, the rootstock is cut horizontally.

Splitting is the easiest method of grafting, but in the case of pawpaw it does not guarantee success

Next, you need to make a cut about 1.5 cm deep in the rootstock perpendicular to the cutting plane. The cutting is inserted into it. It should enter the split with some effort. The grafting site is securely fixed by wrapping it with several layers of plastic film and electrical tape. Everything needs to be done as quickly as possible - due to the high content of tannins, cuts oxidize in the open air.

All lower side shoots are removed from the rootstock.

You will have to wait quite a long time for the results of the grafting operation.

The scion on pawpaw takes root within 1.5–2 months. As soon as new leaves begin to form on the cuttings, the fixing tape can be removed. Another sign that the operation was successful is the formation of callus. This is a kind of “influx” of connective tissue at the place where the cutting and rootstock are fixed.

Pawpaw is a fairly unpretentious plant. But it can only be grown for fruiting in regions with a warm climate. On Russian territory this is the Caucasus and the Black Sea region. The plant successfully tolerates cold temperatures down to -30ºС, but if there are not at least 160 frost-free days a year, the berries simply will not have time to ripen. In the Volga region, Moscow region, and the European part of Russia, pawpaw can only be cultivated as an ornamental foliage plant. The main “requirement” of the plant is proper watering.

Pawpaw is moisture-loving (in nature it most often grows on river banks), but it absolutely cannot tolerate stagnant water. If the weather is not too hot, one watering every 10–12 days is sufficient. An adult tree uses 60–70 liters of water. After this, be sure to update the mulch layer. It will help retain moisture in the soil and prevent the soil from overheating. And the gardener will save time on weeding. From the end of August, watering is gradually reduced, reducing to nothing by mid-October.

Proper watering of pawpaw is very important for the normal development of the plant. Among fertilizers, pawpaw reacts very positively to natural organic matter.

Then, during the growing season (from about mid-April), once every two weeks it is watered with infusions of fresh cow manure, chicken droppings, dandelion leaves, nettle greens, and wood ash. You can alternate such fertilizing with a solution of any complex mineral fertilizer for fruit trees prepared according to the instructions (Kemira Lux, Master, Agros, Good Power, Zdraven, and so on).

Pawpaw can be fed with universal complex fertilizers for fruit trees

Pawpaw rarely suffers from diseases and pests. The tissues of the plant contain many tannins, which effectively repel most of them. For prevention, it is enough to water the tree once a month with a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate or spray the leaves with soda ash (5–7 g per liter of water).

Potassium permanganate is one of the most affordable disinfectants

The main danger threatening it is root rot. Most often, its development is provoked by the gardener himself, by watering the tree too often and/or abundantly. Symptoms of the disease are a blackening and “wetting” base of the trunk, browning withered leaves, mold on the surface of the soil, and an unpleasant putrid odor coming from it. In this case, watering is stopped immediately, allowing the substrate to dry thoroughly. The tree is treated 2–3 times with an interval of 4–7 days with a solution of any fungicide - Topaz, Skor, Abiga-Pik, Kuprozan. But the plant can be saved only in the early stages of the disease. If the process has already gone far, the pawpaw is dug up and burned. The soil is disinfected by spilling with a 2% solution of copper sulfate.

Root rot of pawpaw appears very quickly on fruits

Pawpaw pruning is carried out in the spring. For sanitary purposes, be sure to get rid of all frozen, dried out branches that have broken under the weight of snow. It also needs pruning for replacement, because the plant bears fruit mainly on last year’s shoots. Approximately half of the branches with flower buds are shortened by a quarter. And a third of those without them are cut very short, leaving 2-3 growth buds.

The practice of growing pawpaw is not yet very extensive, so no clear pruning schemes have been developed at the moment. In order to facilitate maintenance, the height of the tree is limited by pinching the top.

To trim pawpaws, use only a disinfected and sharpened tool.

Pawpaw is not a self-pollinating plant. Therefore, in order for fruit to set, there must be at least two trees of different varieties on the site. You can also pollinate manually, transferring pollen from one flower to another using a brush or cotton pad. To attract flies, which are the main pollinators of pawpaw in Russia, you can hang small pieces of spoiled meat near the tree.

The soil in the tree trunk circle is never dug up. It can only be very carefully loosened to a depth of no more than 2–3 cm. Ideally, this should be done after each watering to improve soil aeration. The tree trunk circle must also be loosened at the beginning of the growing season, at the same time adding fertilizer - humus or rotted compost (25–30 liters per adult tree). Once every 2–3 years, any mineral nitrogen fertilizer (urea, ammonium sulfate) is added to it.

Growing in a subtropical climate, pawpaw does not need shelter from the cold, but in central Russia it is worth taking precautions.

There the winter can be both quite warm and abnormally cold. The events are no different from those held for other fruit trees. The tree trunk circle is cleared of debris, mulched with peat or humus, creating a layer at least 10 cm thick. A mound 25–30 cm high is poured near the trunk. As soon as enough snow has fallen, it is raked up to the trunk. As the snowdrift settles, it is renewed 2–3 times during the winter, simultaneously breaking the crust of crust on the surface.

Pawpaw is prepared for winter in the same way as any fruit tree.

Young seedlings can be closed entirely by putting cardboard boxes of a suitable size on them and filling them with shavings, scraps of paper, and straw. It is advisable to wrap the base of the stem with any air-permeable material - burlap, agril, spunbond, even ordinary women's tights.

Azimina at home

Pawpaw can also be grown at home, with regular harvests. In addition, there is a dwarf variety bred by breeders, not exceeding 20–30 cm in height. It blooms very beautifully. Fruits are also produced on such a tree, but small, no more than 3–4 cm in length. As a rule, in captivity, the height of pawpaws is limited to 1.5–2 m.

This is dictated by the dimensions of modern apartments. But if you have a winter garden, greenhouse, etc., it is absolutely not necessary to pinch the top.

An adult pawpaw is a very light-loving plant. The minimum duration of daylight is 12 hours. Even direct sunlight does not cause any harm to it. Trees up to three years old can also be placed on the windowsill of a window facing south, southwest, southeast, but they will need to be shaded during the period of maximum solar activity.

The growth rate of young pawpaw is no different, but this can be corrected. If you use fluorescent or special phytolamps to extend the daylight hours to 16 hours, the tree can grow up to one and a half meters in literally 3–4 months.

The use of phytolamps can significantly increase the growth rate of pawpaw

Plant pawpaw immediately in a deep pot of large diameter. A container “for growth” will allow you to avoid transplants, which the plant really does not like. They are carried out only as a last resort and exclusively by transshipment. A mandatory requirement for a pot is the presence of drainage holes. Immediately after transplanting, the pawpaw is watered with warm water, then the soil is not moistened at all for 5–7 days.

Air humidity is not a critical indicator for pawpaw, but it is advisable to periodically wipe the leaves to improve its appearance.

It is advisable to prepare the soil yourself by mixing rotted manure or compost, fertile turf and leaf humus in a 2:1:1 ratio. For each liter of finished substrate, add a handful of coarse sand and a tablespoon of wood ash. At the bottom of the pot, a layer of drainage at least 5–6 cm thick is required.

Azimina has nothing against fresh air. In the summer, if the size of the plant allows, the pot with it can be taken out into the garden, onto an open veranda or balcony. Be sure to provide protection from wind and rain.

Azimina has a very positive attitude towards fresh air

The presence of a dormant period is a prerequisite for flowering and fruiting. The plant should spend at least 4 months at a temperature of 3–8ºС. Water the “resting” pawpaw once every 3-4 weeks; do not fertilize at all. Lighting requirements do not change.

Water the pawpaw so that the soil in the pot is always slightly moist. If it's hot outside - once every two days. In other cases - once a week. The worst thing you can do is water the tree sparingly and often. It prefers rare but abundant watering.

The fruits of indoor pawpaw are small, but no less tasty.

Use only water that has settled and warmed to room temperature. The plant tolerates dry air well, but will appreciate periodic spraying. Also, at least once a week you need to wipe off dust from the leaves with a soft, damp cloth or sponge.

Starting in April, pawpaw is fed every 10–12 days, alternating organic and mineral fertilizers (the same as for plants cultivated in open ground). About an hour before fertilizing, the tree must be watered so that the prepared solution does not burn the roots.

Until recently, pawpaw was well known only in its homeland, in the USA. But gradually this unusual ornamental tree was appreciated by gardeners in Europe, Asia and Russia. The growth of its popularity is facilitated by its unpretentiousness, high resistance to the vast majority of diseases and pests, excellent taste and benefits of the fruit. The culture is not without its drawbacks; difficulties with reproduction are most often noted.

Pawpaw is a perennial fruit plant from the Annonaceae family. Its homeland is North America, especially the states of Nebraska, Texas and Florida. Although the plant is tropical-like and produces delicious, aromatic fruit, it can withstand temperatures down to -30°C. Domestic gardeners should pay attention to this amazing tree to diversify their usual selection of fruit plants. Among the people, pawpaw can be found under the names “Nebraska banana”, “banana tree”, “Mexican banana”. It is enough to take into account a few simple rules of care and pawpaw will delight its owner for many decades.

Botanical characteristics

Pawpaw is a perennial deciduous plant. It takes the form of a tree or tall bush. The average height is 4-5 m, although there are specimens up to 15 m in height. Young branches are densely covered with long pile, which gradually falls off. After a year, the bark becomes smooth and acquires an olive-brown color. After a few more years, the bark turns gray and becomes covered with warty growths.

In early spring, the branches are covered with fluffy red-brown buds, from which large leathery leaves develop. The length of the obovate leaf blade is 12-30 cm, and the width is 4.5-12 cm. The dark green leaves have solid edges and a pointed end. There is reddish pubescence on the reverse side. In autumn the leaves turn light yellow.
















In April-May, before the leaves appear, unusual flowers bloom on pawpaw. Single buds on short, shaggy stalks resemble large bells. The diameter of the corolla is 4.5 cm. It consists of six brown-burgundy oval petals. A mesh pattern of veins is visible across the entire surface of the petal. The columnar-shaped core contains many stamens and several pistils and is yellow in color. During the flowering period, pawpaw is enveloped in a weak but unpleasant aroma. It attracts flies; they are the plant's natural pollinators.

After flowering, 2-8 edible fruits ripen in place of each bud. The oblong juicy fruit reaches 5-16 cm in length and 3-7 cm in width. Its weight ranges from 20 g to 0.5 kg. Under the thin greenish-yellow skin is the pulp. It contains about a dozen large, flat seeds with shiny light brown skin.

Types of pawpaws

The pawpaw genus includes 10 plant species. However, only one of them is cultivated in Russia - Pawpaw three-lobed (triloba). A frost-resistant deciduous tree with a wide pyramidal crown grows 5-8 m in height. The branches are covered with large, light green, ovoid leaves. Their length can be up to 35 cm and width up to 12 cm. The upper side of the leaves has a shiny surface, and the lower side is densely covered with reddish hair. Large flowers bloom on branches older than 1 year. The fruits ripen by the end of September.

A spreading shrub up to 120 cm high. The branches are covered with long, obovate leaves. Under the foliage there are purple flowers up to 2 cm in diameter.

Azimina Inkana (woolly papaya). Deciduous shrub with a slender crown. Its height does not exceed 150 cm. Narrow oblong leaves with a rounded end are light green in color. Leaves and flowers bloom at the end of March. White or cream corollas are located under the foliage. The fruits ripen in July-August.

Reproduction methods

Pawpaw propagation is carried out by seeds or root shoots. Seedlings are first grown from seeds. Before sowing, the seed material is stratified by placing it in the refrigerator for 3-4 months. For planting, use small boxes with sandy-peaty soil. The seeds are buried 2-3 cm, watered and left in a bright, warm place (+20°C). Shoots appear unfriendly after 7 weeks. You can sow the seeds directly into open ground. Seeds planted in October usually germinate in the middle of next summer. In the first year, it is recommended to grow seedlings in a greenhouse and only transplant them into the garden the next season. Flowering and fruiting are expected in 5-6 years.

Pawpaw roots are capable of producing shoots. To do this, in mid-spring it is enough to separate a section of the rhizome located close to the surface and plant it in open ground. The root is placed horizontally in the soil, to a depth of 3-5 cm. Within a month, the first shoots appear and the seedling can be transplanted to a permanent place.

Tree grafting

Reproduction and development of young plants is very slow. To quickly get a flowering tree, use the grafting method. Grafting also helps to grow rare varieties. At the beginning of March, a split is made on the rootstock to a depth of about 1.5 cm. The wedge-shaped end of the scion is inserted into it. It is important to ensure that the cambial layers match. The grafting site is wrapped with film, and the lower shoots on the rootstock are removed.

Within 12-16 days, the grafting takes place, then the buds begin to bloom on the new shoot. The bandage can be loosened a little, but it is completely removed after 1-1.5 months.

Plant care

Caring for pawpaw is not difficult. She needs a bright place. In the southern regions, trees can be planted in partial shade to protect them from extreme heat. The optimal day length in summer is 14-16 hours and at least 4 hours in direct sunlight.

The soil for planting must be fertile and loose. You can plant the plant on heavy soil, but ensure good drainage. Before planting, a thick layer of gravel and sand is poured onto the bottom of the hole. Additionally, the soil is mixed with ash and compost.

It is not advisable to replant plants older than 3 years. The tap root system is easily damaged. It is necessary to maintain a distance of 3 m between trees. After planting, the soil surface is mulched with peat.

Pawpaw can be grown as a potted crop. In the spring it is taken outside, where the plant lives until late autumn. Transplantation is carried out as needed by transferring an earthen clod.

For pawpaws, it is advisable to choose windless areas. This is especially important for young plants. In the first year, they even build a special fence against drafts.

Azimina loves water, it is grown in regions where the annual rainfall is at least 800 mm. During drought, the plant needs regular watering, but water should not stagnate in the soil. In autumn, watering is gradually reduced. In the cold season, the plant is content with natural precipitation. In spring, the roots may suffer from excess moisture after the snow melts.

Pawpaw three-lobed is resistant to frost down to -25...-30°C. It does not need shelter, but in severe winters the flower buds may freeze. The plant needs a period of rest. For 2-3 weeks a year, the air temperature should not exceed +5...+10°C.

Pawpaw is resistant to plant diseases. Only with frequent stagnation of water in the soil and dampness can fungal diseases develop. Pests do not settle on the tree, so you do not have to worry about the safety of the fruits and leaves.

Usage

The trees are distinguished by a slender, dense crown, which changes color throughout the season. In spring, the plant is covered with large unusual flowers. In summer it glitters with large dark green leaves, and in autumn it acquires a rich golden color.

Pawpaw fruits are rich in amino acids, microelements, vitamins, and sugars. They are used to strengthen the immune system, remove toxins and restore the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Scientists have found that some components of the fruit inhibit the growth of cancer cells. The drugs help to reduce even such formations that are insensitive to chemotherapy. Since fresh fruits are stored for only a few days, jams, jams, compotes, and candied fruits are prepared from them.

The seeds of the plant are used as an effective emetic. They are infused in alcohol and then taken as needed. A decoction of the leaves is an effective diuretic.

Azimina (lat. Asimina), or pow-pow- a genus of flowering plants in the Annonaceae family, which includes 8 species, mostly distributed in nature in the United States. Pawpaw is also called the banana tree or American papaya (paw paw), since the fruits of all three plants have some similarities. For the sake of these edible fruits, the three-lobed pawpaw, or triloba pawpaw (Asimina triloba), introduced into cultivation in 1736, is grown in gardens. It is grown in regions with warm climates, for example, in Italy, France, Japan and Spain. Pawpaw also grows in Ukraine, mainly in its southern regions. Azimina in Russia is found mostly in the Krasnodar and Stavropol regions, although there are known cases of its successful fruiting in Orenburg. In addition to the recognized taste qualities, the medicinal properties of pawpaw are also of interest.

Planting and caring for pawpaw (in brief)

  • Landing: in early spring.
  • Bloom: in April for three weeks.
  • Lighting: bright sunlight.
  • The soil: loose, moisture- and breathable, slightly acidic reaction.
  • Watering: during the season of active growth - regular and plentiful; in the fall, watering is stopped.
  • Feeding: from the second year of life in the spring, with complex mineral or organic fertilizer in liquid form.
  • Reproduction: seeds, root shoots, grafting and parts of rhizomes.
  • Diseases: root rot.
  • Pests: almost not affected.
  • Properties: the plant has healing properties.

Read more about growing pawpaw below.

Azimina - description

Pawpaw triloba is a deciduous tree, 5 to 8 m high, with smooth gray-brown bark and an evenly leafy, wide-pyramidal crown. Young shoots of the plant are covered with pubescence. Oblong-ovate, tapering to a short, thick petiole and pointed towards the apex, light green leathery leaves can reach a length of 22-25 and a width of 7-12 cm. The underside of the young leaves of the plant is covered with pubescence, and the upper side is glossy. Along with the leaves, in their axils, attractive bell-shaped brownish-purple flowers open on the shoots of last year in April or May.

Pawpaw fruits - juicy cylindrical berries with curled ends - ripen in early to mid-autumn. They are collected in fruit clusters of 2-9 berries, reach a length of 7-9, a width of 4-5 cm, and can weigh from 60 to 200 g. The fruits, painted in a dark shade of green, lighten to a pale yellow hue as they ripen. and then turn brown. Pawpaw berries are covered with a thin shell, inside of which there is a delicate light yellow, orange or creamy pulp with a very sweet taste, reminiscent of both mango and banana, and emitting a strawberry-pineapple aroma. Inside the pulp, arranged in two rows, ripen 10-12 dark brown seeds, flattened on the sides, reaching a length of 2.5 cm.

Planting pawpaws in the ground

Pawpaw requires at least 160 frost-free days to ripen its fruit. For the first two years, young trees need to be shaded from strong sun. but with age, plants develop a need for bright light, and they grow and bear fruit well in direct rays.

The composition of the soil for pawpaw does not play a big role, but it is desirable that it be slightly acidic, loose, moisture- and breathable. Of course, the pawpaw tolerates heavy soil, but in this case, when planting, it is advisable to lay a thick layer of drainage material in the hole.

Two-year-old pawpaw seedlings are best accepted and further developed if they are planted at a distance of at least 3 meters from each other, maintaining row spacing of 5 m wide. The planting hole should reach 60-70 cm in diameter and be 50-60 cm deep.

To the soil mixture with which you will fill the pit, you need to add 5-10 kg of humus or compost, a little wood ash, sand and mix everything thoroughly. Place at the bottom of the pit drainage layer of broken bricks or gravel 15-20 cm thick and pour a heap of soil mixture on it.

Having placed the seedling in the center of the hole on a mound of nutrient soil, straighten its roots and fill the remaining space with the same soil, lightly compact the surface around the seedling and water it generously. When the water is absorbed, the root circle needs to be mulched humus, peat or bark.

Caring for pawpaw in the garden

At the beginning of spring, before the growing season begins, paw paws are pruned, during which broken, frostbitten, diseased or improperly growing shoots are removed and the crown is shaped. Pawpaw blooms from April for three weeks.

During the season of active growth, pawpaw needs regular and abundant watering, but you need to make sure that it is not excessive, otherwise the roots of the plant will begin to rot. In autumn, when the dormant period begins, watering is stopped. After watering, the soil in the tree trunk circle is loosened, while simultaneously clearing the root area of ​​weeds. Water for irrigation is used that has been settled and heated in the sun.

In the photo: Pawpaw flower

Pawpaw in open ground requires feeding only from the second year of life: For the first season, the organic matter that was added to the soil during planting is enough for her. In April, that is, at the beginning of the second season, a solution of a mineral complex with a high content of phosphorus and nitrogen is added to the soil under the pawpaw. If you prefer to fertilize the soil in the garden with organic fertilizers, then pond pawpaw or manure are most suitable for pawpaw.

The yield of pawpaw can be increased by artificial cross-pollination between genetically heterogeneous plant varieties. To do this, at least two trees must grow on the site, and then you can use a brush to transfer pollen from the flowers of one tree to the flowers of another. This technique allows you to at least double the fruit yield.

Since flies play an active role in pollination of pawpaws, it is advisable to hang pieces of rotting meat in the garden at different heights during flowering.

Three-lobed pawpaw is cold-resistant and can withstand frosts down to -29˚C, so growing pawpaw in open ground does not require protective measures before the onset of winter. The plant's flower buds, which appear in mid-spring, are covered with a dense shell that protects them from frost.

Reproduction of pawpaws

Pawpaw reproduces generatively - by seeds, and vegetatively - by parts of the rhizome, basal shoots and grafting.

In the photo: Pawpaw fruits on a tree

Pawpaw seeds before sowing, it is necessary to undergo stratification at a temperature of 0-4 ˚C for 3-4 months, and only after that 1-2 seeds are sown to a depth of 2-3 cm in peat pots with seedling soil: seedlings have a very sensitive root system, therefore It is advisable not to disturb her once again by picking or transplanting. Contain crops at a temperature of 18-22 ˚C.

If you decide to sow pawpaw directly into the ground, then do this before winter, in October, and in this case there is no need to engage in preliminary stratification: the seed will be hardened in the soil. Seeds sown in pots can germinate in as little as 7 weeks, while winter garden crops will sprout only next spring. In the first year, seedlings grow up to 10-15 cm. Pawpaw from seeds will begin to bear fruit only after 5-6 years.

A piece of rhizome for propagation of pawpaw can be broken off from the base of the tree. It is planted in the hole, sprinkled with a nutrient substrate, and in a little over a month you can already expect the first shoots to appear. In the same way, you can plant root shoots if your pawpaw forms them.

In the photo: How pawpaw blooms

Vaccination of pawpaws carried out using the “split” method, using lignified cuttings as a scion. The rootstock is split to a depth of 1-1.5 cm, and a pointed cut of the scion is placed in the gap so that the cambial layers of both parts coincide. The grafting site is wrapped with film to protect it from moisture. You should know that Grafting is the only method that preserves the varietal characteristics of pawpaw.

Pests and diseases of pawpaw

Pawpaw, which is resistant to diseases and pests, can be affected by root rot as a result of excessive watering, causing the growth and development of the plant to slow down and the leaves to turn brown. Therefore, it is very important that pawpaw hydration is balanced. The pawpaw is extremely rarely affected by viral and bacterial infections, as well as harmful insects.

Pawpaw collection and storage

At the end of summer or early autumn, pawpaw fruits stop increasing in size and begin to ripen. Ripe fruits emit a strong aroma, become soft, and their green skin turns yellow. If you are going to store the pawpaw fruits for a while, you will need to remove them a week before they ripen, before they fall off on their own.

Pawpaw fruits cannot withstand long-term storage: they can be stored in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator for up to three weeks, and in room conditions - only 3-4 days, so most often they are frozen or processed: jam and compotes are made from them.

Pawpaw fruits also do not tolerate transportation well, so they must be transported unripe, trying to protect them from mechanical damage. The fruits will be stored better and longer if each one is wrapped in paper.

Types and varieties of pawpaws

There are eight species of pawpaw in nature, one of them is a natural hybrid. Only pawpaw triloba, or three-lobed pawpaw, is cultivated, but thanks to the tireless work of breeders, today there are over 70 cultivars of this plant. The most famous of them are:

  • Davis– a plant with high quality aromatic fruits with yellow sweet pulp;
  • Martin– a variety characterized by cold resistance and high quality fruits;
  • Overlease– pawpaw, the fruits of which are similar in quality to the Davis variety;
  • Victoria– a variety with fruits weighing up to 380 g with sweet and aromatic yellow pulp.

Such varieties of pawpaw triloba as Autumn Surprise, Dessertnaya, Strickler, Sunflower, Prima, Balda, Zimmerman, Potomac, Taylor and others are also in demand among gardeners.

Properties of pawpaw - harm and benefit

Useful properties of pawpaw

Pawpaw fruits, also called Mexican bananas, contain vitamins C and A, which have antioxidant and rejuvenating properties, so the pulp of the fruit is used not only for food, but also for preparing facial masks. In addition to vitamins, fruits contain mineral salts of calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus and potassium, amino acids, sugars, fats, pectin and fiber. Pawpaw has a unique antimicrobial and antitumor effect: acetogenin contained in the fruit helps prevent the development of certain types of cancer cells and stop the growth of already formed tumors. Pawpaw extract has a strengthening effect on the immune system, increasing its protective function, protecting body cells from free radicals and the negative effects of stressful situations.

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Pawpaw triloba or pawpaw triloba- a plant of the Annonaceae family. Since the fruits look somewhat reminiscent of banana and papaya, another name arose: “banana tree” or “American paw-paw”. For the first time they learned about pawpaw in North America. Today, the fruit has spread almost throughout the world and can most often be found in wet lands near rivers.

The oblong-shaped fruits can reach a length of about 12 cm and a width of about 5 cm (see photo). A thin skin covers beige flesh, which is very juicy. Sweet pawpaw has the aroma of a mixture of strawberries and pineapple.

Pawpaw varieties

Today there are about six dozen varieties of pawpaw. Almost all of them were bred in countries such as Canada and the USA, which, however, is not at all surprising, since North America is the historical homeland of this exotic plant for us. Thus, almost all varieties that are currently grown in Russia are of North American origin.

The most common varieties of pawpaw:

  1. Davis - the fruits of this variety are of quite high quality; They have a pleasant yellow flesh and a sweet taste.
  2. Martin - a distinctive feature of this variety is its high cold resistance.
  3. Overlease - this variety has characteristics similar to the Davis variety.

In nurseries you can also find pau pau of the following varieties:

  • Green River;
  • Rebecca's Gold;
  • Mitchell;
  • Taylor and many others.

However, one should not think that domestic breeders are not at all interested in the banana tree. This is wrong! There are several varieties bred in the post-Soviet space. One of them, for example, is the dessert pawpaw. The plant itself is medium-sized, its fruits are mid-ripening, weighing up to 270 grams. The pulp of the fruit is up to 95% yellow. It has a very pleasant mild taste.

Another domestic variety of pau pau is called “Sochinskaya 11”. This plant is vigorous and its fruits are early ripening. The fruits of this variety are large in size; they can weigh up to 350 grams. The pulp of the fruit is yellow-orange. Its taste is extremely pleasant.

Beneficial features

The beneficial properties of banana tree fruits are quite extensive. Thus, pawpaw (Pau Pau) has the ability to remove bad substances and decay products from the body, which means it will be useful to use for poisoning. It has been proven that regular consumption of fruits has a rejuvenating effect on the body. Due to the acetogenin content, the fruit slows down the growth and prevents the spread of cancer cells. In addition, these substances have the ability to destroy cancer cells that were not killed by chemotherapy courses.

Paw paw extract (Paw Paw) has a positive effect on the immune system. It also increases protective functions and reduces the negative effects of stress and free radicals on the body. The fruit extract also helps cope with nervous disorders and psychosis.

Beneficial properties of pawpaw are used for cosmetic purposes. For example, at home you can make a mask from the pulp that not only refreshes, but also tightens the skin. In addition, such masks have a rejuvenating effect.

It contains pawpaw and potassium, which is necessary for the normal functioning of the cardiovascular system. Due to the huge number of beneficial properties, this plant is used in the pharmacological industry for the manufacture of drugs that are aimed at combating cancer.

Use in cooking

Pawpaw (Pau Pau) is used in cooking not only in fresh, but also in processed form. In order to preserve the fruits for a long time, they are canned, and also preserves and jams are made. You can make syrup, marmalade and various drinks from the fruit. In addition, the pulp is used as a filling for baked goods, and many delicious desserts can be made from it.

Harm of paw paws (Pau Pau) and contraindications

Pawpaw (paw paw) can be harmful to people with individual intolerance to the product, as well as to diabetics, because its fruits contain a lot of sucrose. Pregnant and breastfeeding women have contraindications to consuming the fruit.

Growing and caring for a plant

Growing a banana tree in Russia is possible in those regions that have at least 160 frost-free days per year. The most suitable territories are Crimea, Krasnodar Territory and the Caucasus. In addition, with additional watering, pawpaw can be grown in the Volgograd and Astrakhan regions, Kalmykia, and also in the Saratov region. If, in addition to watering, you also provide the tree with light shelter for the winter, then you can also plant it in the Kursk, Voronezh, Belgorod, Orenburg and Samara regions.

The soil for a banana tree should be slightly acidic and light. Clay and alkaline soils are not suitable for this purpose at all. In addition, you need to take into account that pawpaw does not tolerate stagnant water, and therefore it is best to equip the bottom of the planting hole with drainage.

When planting a plant, you also need to be careful when choosing a site. It should be sufficiently warm and well-lit, as well as reliably protected from the winds.

The plant can be grown using seeds, root suckers and cuttings.

Let's consider the first option first. Since pawpaw is a tropical plant, it it is better to stratify the seeds at a temperature range from +5 to +7 degrees (stratification is the process of keeping the seeds of a particular plant at a certain temperature so that they germinate faster, in addition, such manipulation allows you to increase germination). Before planting, the seeds should be soaked in water for five days. At the same time, the water is changed daily. After five days, the seeds are planted in the ground to a depth of about three centimeters. The first shoots, if everything was done correctly and the specified nuances were observed, should appear a month after planting. In addition, we draw your attention to the fact that seedlings grown in this way should not be disturbed or replanted, since pawpaw has a very delicate root system that is easy to injure. Thus, it is better for a tropical tree to immediately determine its “permanent residence” on the site.

The next option for growing pawpaw is growing using root suckers. So, the root shoot needs to be broken off, planted deep in the soil, and then watered thoroughly. The first shoots will appear a month after planting.

As for planting pawpaw cuttings, it is carried out as follows. The cuttings are cut in the spring and then buried, leaving only one bud. After this, a mini greenhouse is built for the cuttings. It is constantly ventilated, and the plant is watered abundantly. After a month, the first shoots should appear. It will be possible to plant such a seedling for permanent residence next year.

Caring for pawpaw is not difficult. The main thing is sufficient watering, since the plant is moisture-loving. As for feeding, it is not needed at all in the first year of life. Then nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizers should be applied to the soil. In addition, you need to loosen the root zone, but under no circumstances dig it up, so as not to damage the root system.

In some regions, which were discussed earlier, the tree will have to be insulated for the winter.

Since natural plant pollinators, such as hummingbirds, do not live in our latitudes, then the pollination process will need to be taken into your own hands. For this you will need a piece of cotton wool attached to a rigid wire. Using this simple device you will need to transfer pollen from one flower to another. However, you don’t have to do this, entrusting the pollination process to the wind.

To summarize, we note that by following all of the above recommendations, you can please yourself and your loved ones with delicious and very healthy fruits.

In the USA, the three-lobed pawpaw is called “paw-paw”, “Nebraska banana”, “banana tree”. These popular names of the plant are associated with the shape of the pawpaw fruit - they are elongated, like those of the pawpaw, but much smaller in size.
The main advantage of the three-lobed pawpaw is its wonderful fruits, for which it is grown. The taste of its fruits is extraordinary - it really resembles bananas, but softer, and the pulp of the pawpaw fruit has a strong and very pleasant aroma.

I must say that the pawpaw fruits seemed to me the most delicious of all that I had ever tasted. And so one day, when an acquaintance treated me to them, I really wanted to have such a crop on my site.

Having accumulated many years of experience in propagating and growing this plant, I would like to supplement the information posted on the site.

Pawpaw in nature and in the garden

The pawpaw genus includes 8 species distributed throughout the United States. Of these, six species grow in Florida, one is found in Texas. And one of the most common types of pawpaw grows throughout almost the entire territory of the country right up to the Canadian border - it is this one that is of the greatest interest for cultivation in our country. The botanical name of this common species is pawpaw three-lobed(Asimina triloba).

Pawpaw three-lobed (hereinafter - pawpaw) is a small deciduous, slow-growing tree that lives on loose soils in floodplains. According to literature data, this plant tolerates frosts down to –25 C.
In the region where my garden is located (Tuapse), such severe frosts do not occur. But my friend, who lives near Krasnodar, during the harsh winter of 2005/2006, when the temperature dropped to -28 C, the flower buds on the pawpaw trees froze (although the wood and growth buds were not damaged).

Pawpaw propagation by seeds

Pawpaw's seeds are very large, like those of.
I decided that pawpaw seeds needed because this plant comes from the subtropical and temperate zones.

Immediately after removal from the fruit, I placed the pawpaw seeds in loose, fertile soil, planting them in separate seedling cups. Then I buried the cups with seeds in the elevated areas of the garden, at a shallow depth.
During the winter, I made sure that water did not stagnate in the glasses with semans.

In April, some pawpaw seeds began to germinate, and I began to plant the seedlings in a permanent location.
During the spring, I carefully monitored the soil moisture, preventing it from drying out.

Since the soil on my site is heavy and clayey, before planting the seeds I completely replaced it with wood humus (I took it from the rotted trunks of edible chestnut, which is abundant in our forest).
I made planting holes for pawpaws of different sizes, placing them both in partial shade and in sunny areas. I made the largest hole about 1 meter deep and about half a meter in diameter - about 20 buckets of humus went into it.

Development of pawpaw seedlings and care for them

Pawpaw seedlings appeared from May to August, and out of the 14 seeds planted, 11 sprouted. In the first year, I did not feed the plants, I only watered the seedlings as needed. The growth of pawpaw seedlings during the first season ranged from 10 to 30 cm. In October, their leaves turned yellow and fell off; young trees went into a dormant state.

The following spring, in April, sap flow began among pawpaw seedlings, and buds began to bloom on their tops. At this time, I fertilized the young plants with nitrodiammophos (about 20 g per bucket of water), but did not detect any particular reaction to the fertilizer in the plants.
At the end of summer, I fed the young pawpaw trees, and did not fertilize them with anything else that season.

Simultaneously with the buds opening, 2 more pawpaw seeds sprouted on the overwintered plants, which had not sprouted last year.
In the second year, the growth of pawpaw seedlings also ranged from 10 to 30 cm.

In the third year, the last pawpaw seed sprouted, and the plants that sprouted in the first year grew from 20 to 40 cm.

It became obvious that young pawpaw trees growing in the shade developed worse than in the sun. Therefore, they had to be replanted, to which they reacted very painfully - growth stopped for 1-2 years.

In the fourth year, the pawpaw seedlings began to form lateral branches.

An interesting feature of the pawpaw tree is that its skeletal branches are formed strictly in one plane, i.e. represent a classic palmette.


In the photo: a small pawpaw tree in summer; Pawpaw in the fall.

Due to lack of free space in the garden, I kept only three pawpaw trees for myself, and gave away the rest of the seedlings.
As the pawpaw grew, over the years I began to increase the amount of fertilizing and the dose of fertilizer, and I only used.
It turned out that pawpaw is responsive to fertilizing, especially nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizers.

Flowering and fruiting of pawpaws

In the sixth year of cultivation, fruit buds began to form on one pawpaw tree. They were the size of a match head, and became clearly visible after the leaves fell.

The following spring, pawpaw fruit buds began to bloom in March, long before the leaf buds opened.
In April, flowers of unusual shape and color bloomed from them - light brown, with 6 petals and a large number of stamens. Pawpaw flowers have a faint and very unpleasant odor, reminiscent of rotten meat. This smell attracts carrion flies, which are the main pollinators of pawpaw flowers in our conditions. And bees are not at all interested in pawpaw flowers.

Pawpaw can be pollinated by its own pollen, but pollination within the same flower is excluded. The fact is that in a pawpaw flower, the stigma of the pistil ripens first. After 1-2 days, pollen begins to fall out from the anthers of the stamens, and by this time the pistil withers. This is why the first pawpaw flowers do not produce ovaries.

In the first year, only 3 flowers bloomed on one pawpaw tree, and pollination did not take place.
The following year, one pawpaw tree had about 100 flowers, and the other about 70. Moreover, their flowering continued for 3 weeks, which made it possible to carry out both cross-pollination and pollination of flowers with their own pollen.

Pawpaw flowers are drooping, they are easy to pollinate - just tie a stiff wire to a piece of cotton wool and transfer the pollen from one flower to another.
Despite the pollination of pawpaw flowers by carrion flies, artificial pollination increases the percentage of fruit set. Even with artificial pollination, the ovaries produce about 60 percent of pollinated flowers, and about 80 percent of the formed ovaries fall off - this is a normal phenomenon.

Pawpaw flowers are often visited, but their participation in pollination is unlikely - these beetles are attracted only by the pollen of the plant, which they happily eat along with the stamens, but do not touch the ovaries.

Immediately after pollination of the ovary flowers, the pawpaws began to grow very actively. Within a month and a half, the ovaries reached half their final size.
In pawpaw fruits, from 2 to 8 fruits were formed (usually 2-3 fruits). There were also single fruits, but they were few.
Some pawpaw fruits reached considerable weight, so supports had to be placed under the heavy branches.

At the end of August and beginning of September, shortly before the pawpaw fruits ripened, they grew a little more and began to change color to lemon yellow.
When fully ripe, the pawpaw fruits fell off. And if they were damaged when dropped, they deteriorated very quickly - after only 3-4 hours at room temperature.
Intact, ripe pawpaw fruits tasted best immediately after falling from the tree, but the next day they tasted like burnt coffee...
I tried picking pawpaw fruits from the tree shortly before they ripened. When they ripened in storage, their juiciness was very low.

It is interesting that in pawpaw fruit the fruits do not ripen at the same time. But the infructescence falls off only after the last fruit in it has ripened, which is why the first ripened fruits become overripe on the tree. Therefore, it is necessary to regularly check the degree of ripening of each fruit in pawpaw fruit after the fruit begins to change color.
Ripe pawpaw fruits easily come off when you touch them, while unripe ones hold on firmly.


In the photo: ripening pawpaw fruit; pawpaw fruits removed

Pawpaw fruits should be used immediately after they ripen. Their skin is very thin, translucent; it peels off easily, like a banana.
There is evidence in the literature that jam and compotes are made from pawpaw fruits. But I only used them fresh due to small yields.

It must be said that the yield of pawpaw in comparison with many other fruits is very low. Even in mature trees, the yield ranges from 25 to 40 kg of fruit per tree. But this drawback is compensated by the excellent taste of the fruit and the absolute resistance of this plant to.
In 26 years of growing pawpaw, I have not noticed any damage to my plants. And I have not heard from any of my friends who grow pawpaw that it was damaged in any way.

Pawpaw selection

Pawpaw was introduced into cultivation a little over 100 years ago, and therefore there are few varieties of it.

In total, about 60 varieties of three-lobed pawpaw are known. Different varieties of fruits differ in terms of ripening, size, and the size of seeds in the fruits. Obviously, in the near future, breeders will eliminate such a disadvantage as the low yield of pawpaw.

Now I grow five varieties (more precisely, varieties) of pawpaw in my garden. Of these, two varieties were obtained by me from the Institute of Mountain Horticulture in Sochi, where pawpaw breeding is carried out in Russia. One variety of pawpaw was purchased at the market, and its origin could not be established. Another variety of pawpaw was obtained from near Sukhumi, where pawpaw selection was carried out during Soviet times. And another one grew from the rootstock that was left after the death of the varietal pawpaw graft.

It must be said that the taste of the fruits of different varieties of pawpaw is very different from each other. The sweetest fruits turned out to be pawpaws from my rootstock, the graft on which died. And the pawpaw varieties from Sochi have the most unsweetened fruits; but they ripen later than others, which allows you to extend the period of consumption of fresh fruits.

At the end of August, the first pawpaw fruits ripen - on the tree that I received from near Sukhumi. They are sweet, but rather dry, and their weight rarely exceeds 100 g.
At the beginning of September, the fruits on the pawpaw tree that I bought at the market, as well as on the tree that grew from the rootstock, begin to ripen. In these two larger-fruited pawpaw varieties, the fruit weight reaches 200 g.
And finally, in October the fruits on the trees of Sochi selection ripen; their weight is also about 200 g. Below I will give the characteristics of these two varieties of pawpaw.

Three-bladed pawpaw “Sochinskaya-17”- fruits up to 200 g, harmonious taste (but, in my opinion, they have little sweetness), average yield.

Pawpaw three-lobed “Dessert”- the taste and size of the fruit is practically no different from the previous variety. But it has very small seeds, which increases the volume of pulp in the fruit. Productivity is average.

Pawpaw grafting

I would like to say a little about pawpaw grafting. In one of the articles I read that it is difficult to plant pawpaw - I cannot agree with this. From my own experience, I can say that grafting a pawpaw is no more difficult than a pear tree.

I graft pawpaw at the beginning of sap flow (in March) with a lignified cutting of a splitting tree. I cut the rootstock and split it lengthwise by 1-1.5 cm, and sharpen the scion into a wedge shape and insert it into the split of the rootstock. The cambial layers must coincide on at least one side.
I wrap the graft tightly with a polymer film, and cover it with a polymer cap on top to protect it from moisture.

The pawpaw graft usually takes root within 2 weeks, which can be judged by the time the buds awaken in the scion. After this, I remove the cap, but at first I do not completely open the place where the scion grows together with the rootstock (I just loosen the binding). Only after a month and a half, when the graft has taken root well, do I completely remove the bandage.
Out of six pawpaw vaccinations, five took root.

As a result of the grafting, I now have five varieties of pawpaw on three pawpaw trees: one tree has three varieties, and the other trees have one variety each.

Placing pawpaw trees in the garden

For better fruiting of pawpaws, it is important to choose the most suitable place for planting the tree.
As for the optimal placement of the pawpaw in the garden plot: it seems to me that, at least in the southern regions, the pawpaw should be placed in partial shade.

In my garden, one pawpaw tree grows near the forest on the border of the plot, where the sun is about 4 hours a day.
Another pawpaw grows next to a tree that shades the pawpaw in the first half of the day.
The third pawpaw tree grows between trellises with vines that protect it from the early morning and evening sun. As a result, this tree is in the sun for no more than 3 hours in the middle of the day, and it is on it that the best fruiting is observed.

In the gardening season of 2015, when September turned out to be dry and hot (daytime temperatures were no lower than +30 C), on a pawpaw tree that was in the sun for half a day, all the fruits on the sunny side were baked. And on the remaining pawpaw trees the fruits were not damaged.

So far, the yield of my pawpaw trees is low: it does not exceed 10 kg per tree. But I believe that over time my trees will be able to produce more.
I believe that pawpaw deserves wide distribution in household plots, at least in the south of our country.

Vladimir Vasilievich Chernyak (Tuapse, Russia)

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