I hope these photos show. Anyone know if this is a pawpaw seedling? Or is it a mango? 3" tall. Hoping to graft pawpaw scion in March. You know, if it's a pawpaw 😉
Many of my OGW nursery pawpaws failed to break dormancy. One of the staff there confirmed that the grower gives them plants with weak grafts. Was hoping to buy one with green leaves on it, but the one in stock had no leaves in September 🙁 The staff person said he was pretty sure they could provide me scion in the spring so I could rookie graft my own, provided I could get a seedling of course 😉 So, I'm not sure if I'm seeing a pawpaw here because I'm wanting to see a pawpaw 😉
(the nursery did not stand behind their guarantee of bud break by, I think it was, June 1)
... let me try again. Photos:
I agree it looks like a chestnut. If you dig it up you might see the nutshell still there. I believe the pawpaw leaf is rounded on the tip, like an Indian plum leaf.
Edit: Pawpaw and Indian plum have pointed tip but wider past the middle of the leaf. I took pictures of my pawpaw leaves.
Chestnut:
Pawpaw:
Yeah, the seed is pretty big. It's shaped just like a small avocado seed, but split in two pieces. Yeah, y'all are right; it's definitely not a pawpaw.
Wait, I just googled Avocado seedling images and now I think this is an avocado seedling.
Anyone in Portland, OR got some extra pawpaw seeds ya want to sell me?
Also, Does anyone in Portland want an avocado seedling? I also have one papaya seedling to give away.
Oh that's weird, I didn't get your PM I'm set to receive PMs and get an email alert. I just Tried sending you a PM, but got error "unable to update PM thread" so you probably didn't get it. Boo, hiss. Maybe I'll remember what that other forum you're on is. EDIT: hah! I remember now. PM sent (on that other forum)
Oh that weird, I didn't get a PM.
John S said
Greg-I PMed you.JOhn S
PDX OR
I just sent a PM to you Greg.
My experience with the Private Messaging here is that PM's must originate from your own membership page. accessed successfully via your 'inbox' button, then... 'compose' button.
Ive not had success trying to PM from the buttons on the intended recipients member page. Supposing that maybe a security gate.
sweepbjames said
John S said
Greg-I PMed you.
JOhn S
PDX OR
...My experience with the Private Messaging here is that PM's must originate from your own membership page. accessed successfully via your 'inbox' button, then... 'compose' button.
Ive not had success trying to PM from the buttons on the intended recipients member page. Supposing that maybe a security gate.
Ah! Two mysteries solved!
Ha! John S had generously given me some pawpaw seeds last fall. He had told me to stratify them in the fridge till the spring, ensuring that they neither dry out nor get moldy. And to also ensure they don't ever freeze, all of which would kill them. Then, in the spring, pot? the seeds up and grow them on. He said if I'm successful that I'll see seedlings in July. Well, despite being a rookie, it turns out that I can, indeed, follow directions, as I have paw paw seedlings from John's paw paw seeds! YAY. A big thank you to John S.
I just wanted to come back here to give an update, especially seeing that I've been successful (with John's help, of course.)
I should probably add that I think? John had suggested I put the seeds in a ziplock style bag with moist, but not wet Spaghnum moss. I had started the seeds in said ziplock bag, but with moist seedling mix instead of the peat moss, but the seeds soon got moldy :(. So I switched out the seedling mix for moist Spaghnum moss instead, and the mold stayed away after that. (Just in case anyone googling for how to germinate pawpaw from seed finds this thread 🙂
Oh and one last thing that I found immensely helpful: John said you don't have to use named varieties of pawpaws. He said he had gotten a seed grown pawpaw, and gave me some of the fruit to taste. I can firmly attest that his seed-grown pawpaw tree's fruit was at least as good as the more? common grafted named variety pawpaw trees' fruit. So that, obviously, let me know that I can go ahead and skip that extra step of grafting a named variety of pawpaw onto the seedling(s). Instead, I can simply grow my seedlings on and plant them out as is. And, of course, they'll cross pollinate with each other and my one existing OGW Prolific pawpaw tree.
Congrats.
I've taken to throwing the seeds of particularly notable (good) tasting pawpaws, in a direction where they might take (moist, not exposed) .... conversely, the sort of so-so pawpaw seeds might find their way to the yard debris bin. I'm feeling that here anyway, in the Portland area, the seeds are not really so particular about stratification. I think that might just be a convenience on our behalf, so we can think about and get ready for how we perceive our planting/propagation/preparation plans are to progress. Believe we get enough chill hours to take care of the needs.. I started noticing seedlings under my pawpaws several years ago. Had been thinking that I wasn't leaving much in the way of dropped fruit to entice the tree rats, but yes, even, I imagine from under ripe squirrel rejected fruit, and overlooked drops or occasionally squashed fruit, spring forth pawpaw sprouts and seedlings. I suspect most are not root suckers, although could be some I'm guessing. I've a rotating compost tumbler that doesn't but get infrequent additions, just enough to keep the worms ravenous, so I don't rotate it as often as if there were frequent additions....anyway, there are quite a few sprouted pawpaw seedlings in there that are basking in the worm castings if anyone nearby is interested. They'd be available for the asking. Maybe even a seedling from the ground (there's a couple that escaped the mower) if your adventuresome, said transplanting is touchy 'cause of the taproot... but, unless my friend is putting me on... said his transplants from my place were mostly successful.
Just my thoughts.
Oh, if it matters at all, parentage is Mango and Wilson; couldn't tell you whose the pollen and whose not.
I bought two seedlings of pawpaw from a good nursery in the area almost 30 years ago. Both are still going on really well however this is the only year I don't see fruit.
The main thing that I would like to pass onto those trying to succeed with your seedlings (as advised by that nursery I bought mine from) is to protect your young NW grown pawpaws from slugs that eat the leaf buds year round. The best natural remedy for slugs are setting your freshly started seedlings in containerized potting soil where the containing device is either pure metal or copper, or if plastic that it is elevated from the ground with a metal or copper frame.
Also through lots of learning from everyone else is to try and imitate natural beds that wild pawpaws are accustomed to. By that I mean that pawpaws are not very adapted to our NW dry and hot summers. So the best advice there is lots of rich soil and good watering. And the best place will be where there's mid afternoon shade.
After that critical first year or two then slugs and mid-afternoon sun (summers) isn't so much a problem due to sheer volume by that time and they can be planted out in the ground. Mid-afternoon sun will still kill if watering is too infrequent.
Yes, I've mostly grown the trees from seeds I've planted in the soil in October, say. Then you get a nice July surprise. I echo Rooney's point about water. It rains a lot where they are native. The opposite of here. I've seen their leaves get burned many times in our summers. Now I biochar and deep mulch them so I don't have to water as much.
Congrats, Greg!
John S
PDX OR
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