I read John Salveit's article on growing Paw Paws. I have been doing research and this is the first time I've read anything regaurding the difficulty of growing Paw Paws in clay soil due to they're haviing a tap root. He mentioned specia soill preporation was needed but not what was done. How is this problem dealt with?
Hello Mikraft,
You want to arrange the soil as much as possible so that the plant can move with as little change from the pot to the hole. Therefore, make the hole all ready with the opposite shape of the potted plant. (This is assuming that it is not potbound. That will be more difficult.) I would do some amending to it, and have the pot right next to the hole. Gently lift it out and place it in the hole with as little movement as possible. Then cover it up and keep it watered, especially if you live in the West and it doesn't rain in the summer.
Many times in the literature they mention that many/most paw paws will die upon transplanting. I have not had that be true with this method. If you have other questions, fire away.
John S
PDX OR
The brown clay here is hard and cracks when dry, but is a sticky mess that won't drain when rainy season visits. Two 'generic' paw paws with 4 ft heights were planted in the tall tree shade where there is a sloping mound of sandy soil on top of the clay. Starting at the house wall/slab that borders this garden area,the 15 foot wide slope of sandy soil is 2 foot tall at the wall and tapers down to zero inches tall at the 15 ft mark. Both paw paws are planted parallel to the wall and 10 feet from the wall, where the sandy soil is 1 foot tall. Planted 12 years ago, both have grown well w/o fertilizer, being fed by the decaying mulch. Both have 4" trunks and reach up to 17-18 ft, having a full set of symmetrical branches. Both have spread roots all over the sandy soil area and sent up numerous 'babies', which I mow down. Because the fruit is so terrible on the 2 trees, I allowed 11 of the pups to grow up and am grafting to them the best scions that I can get. Neither tree has sent up root-generated pups where the sandy soil is very thin or where the clay has no sand on top. . I believe that the tap roots of these have grown well into the underlying clay, but the other roots 'choose' to start new trees only in the preferred areas with sandy soil that is mounded 1 ft to 2 ft above the clay.
Idyllwild
simplepress
jafar
Marsha H
Viron
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