Any of you guys have any experience with paw paw trees or have any? I live in Mobile and have heard a lot of the great taste of paw paw fruit but have never tried one. I’m thinking they are ripe this time of year!! I’d love to get my hands on some plants for my yard or some seeds from the fruit if anyone would be willing to help me out or point me in the right direction. I’d be willing to drive a reasonable distance from West Mobile or I would pay if someone could ship me some seeds. I’m also hearing to get good success each year with the fruit it’s important to have different species of paw paws close by.

Way down yonder in the paw paw patch.

https://www.willisorchards.com/prod...Ch1igQu5EAQYASABEgKLNvD_BwE#.W6mLqPlRddg

Just Google it.

Picking up paw paws and puttin em in his pocket!

They are an understory tree just like a persimmon tree. The PawPaw patch is an apt description as they spread through their roots and the original (4) I planted are now a dozen or more. I found mine at Petals From the Past down in Jemison, Al. The University of Kentucky has a PawPaw research program. Here's the website: LINK. Their FB page is also worth following.


I have left my trees as understory trees and haven't had any fruit since I planted them many years ago. As I understand it, the proper procedure would be to start them understory and then move them to a sunnier location once developed. Unfortunately, I don't have much sun where I live.

I'm going to be picking up 8 Paw Paws in the near future. The father of a guy I work with is a member of some Paw Paw growers association and does his own grafting, etc. Also sells trees for a WHOLE LOT less than the online orchards (Willis Orchards, btw, has terrible reviews. I've never bought anything from them, but their reviews would make me wary). Also, most online orchards sell bare root trees, and Paw Paws have a tender root system and a deep tap root...if you have to buy online, fastgrowingtrees.com is probably your best bet, although they will be more expensive than bare root trees. If you want, pm me and I can probably arrange to pick up whatever you need when I go get mine. Can't help with a fruit sample, though, and I've never tried them either. This late in the year, I'll talk to the guy to find out if it's best to wait until the trees are dormant before going to get them.

Thanks for replies guys and great info. These trees are very interesting! I have a couple places that I could plant a few where it would get shade until it grew taller to reach sunlight. Hearing the descriptions of what the fruit tastes like like motivates me to make this work.

William, are your trees grafted?

Their deep tap root doesn't lend itself well to transplanting. A better option is to plant it in full sun, and shade it for the first year or two.

I have no idea if mine were grafted or not. I got mine at Petals From the Past and my mom got me a couple from somewhere else. They are growing and spreading rapidly. A couple have even flowered, but no fruit.

Paw paws evolved without bees. They're pollinated by flies. In the spring when they first start blooming, catch a bream and hang it in the tree. If that's not an option for you, you'll have to pollinate by hand. Take a small dish and a fine artists' paintbrush, and with the brush tap the pollen from several flowers on one tree, catching the pollen in the dish. Move to the other trees and pollinate flowers with that pollen. When you're done with them, the brush theoretically has pollen from the subsequent trees on it, now, so go back and pollinate the first tree.

They grow wild around my house. Have 2 big ones in my yard. Mailed a bunch of seeds off them to a member here years ago. Can't remember who though.

I don't think I have ever seen one. What do they taste like? Do they keep in the refrigerator very long? Do ya'll make jelly or any thing else with them?

I always heard they have a banana taste to them. Never tried one myself. Squirrels love em. Had one of mine so loaded this Summer that two of the limbs broke. If I'd had noticed, I would have braced them up.

never had one, either, but I've read a TON on them, here ya go...
Depending on the cultivar, the flavor is variously described as banana, vanilla custard, hints of pineapple or mango, Boston cream pie. Banana is probably the most common. Texture is soft and creamy, like a custard.
They do not keep well, this is why you never see them in stores. In the fridge, you might, if you're lucky, be able to extend their time from a couple days (at room temp) to maybe a week and a half or two weeks.
Most often eaten fresh, scooped out of the skin with a spoon, but popular in ice cream, too.

Maybe this is why I haven't gotten any fruit from mine. I'll try this next Spring and see what happens.

Paw Paw's are good to me. There's a old stand of them on some property I used to hunt. They kids have the consistency of a fig and persimmon. . They are sweet. Makes a good snack during bow season.