Pawpaw 3g
Pawpaw 3g
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Pawpaw 3g

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The pawpaw tree (Asimina triloba) is a native fruit-bearing tree that grows in the eastern United States, from Canada to Florida, and as far west as Nebraska. The pawpaw fruit resembles a green mango, and the tree has many nicknames including “Hoosier banana”, “West Virginia banana”, and “wild banana”.

Pawpaw fruits ripen between late August and October, depending on the variety. Their flavor is sometimes described as a cross between a banana, pineapple, and mango. Each fruit contains two rows of several brown seeds. The skin and seeds are not edible. The fruit is very nutritious and can be eaten plain or used in desserts. Native Americans have long eaten and used the fruit.

Pawpaws have gained popularity among horticulturalists and researchers, and native plant enthusiasts because of their nutritional value and because the leaves, bark, and twigs produce anti-cancer and insecticidal compounds called acetogenins. Deer do not typically feed on pawpaw trees, though raccoons and squirrels are reported to enjoy their fruit. Pawpaws are not susceptible to diseases that we manage in our more common fruit trees. Fungus may grow on the skin of the fruit, but this does not prevent it from being edible. Japanese beetles may feed on their leaves, and should be controlled if damage is observed on young trees. Trees in the Asimina genus are the exclusive larval host plants for the zebra swallowtail butterfly (Erytides marcellus).

Pawpaw trees grow best in fertile, well-drained, slightly acidic soil (pH 5.5-7). Plan to provide ample water to pawpaw trees, especially during the establishment year. To train the tree to grow as a single stem, remove suckers that sprout during the early years. Or, leave suckers on the tree to train the tree as a hedge or screen plant. Trees started from seed will produce fruit in 5-8 years, and grafted cuttings can produce fruit in as little as 3-4 years.

The best time to plant pawpaws is while the tree is not actively growing- early spring or fall. There are a number of nurseries that raise and sell pawpaws, so it is possible to purchase saplings of different cultivars or even grafted trees. Pawpaws can be started from seed or vegetatively propagated through a variety of techniques. 

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