My Wilson’s have been exceptional this year, both in flavor and quantity. Here’s a photo of today’s ‘drops’. Minus 4 or 5 that went with my son, and another couple of 3 or 4 personally dispatched.
Hope the picture doesn’t come out sideways (working from an apple tablet). The thumbnail indicated it was skewed, attempted a 1/4 rotation on edit after a try of mechanical rotation of the machine…both left a quarter turn rotated thumbnail. Returned machine to the landscape mode and from edit function, accessed the rotation button again for a full 360 degrees- voila! the thumbprint seems properly oriented. Thanks Rooney for the tip about tablets having some sort of gyroscopic misrepresentation (I’m sure that’s not what you said, but it’s what I can get to) sort of thought I’d give it a whirl. We’ll see what happens when I submit. Here’s hopin’.
Looks good James. My biggest pawpaw tree is a mistake. It was supposed to be Wells, because that's a variety that was supposed to have not very much of that stuff that might be bad for you in pawpaws, that they aren't sure about yet. However, I bought the tree from a company that no longer exists (Miller Nursery), and later found out that Wells doesn't taste very good. Then I realized that pawpaws are delicious, cool, and interesting, and they add diversity, but they arent' a big part of my diet, so I'm not worried about that whatever chemical is in pawpaws that might damage something so much anymore. Anyway, I'm eating a lot of them and they taste good, but it is a mystery variety/ seedling.
JohN S
PDX OR
Looking good James, I'm a bit jealous, mine are growing super slowly.
John, pawpaws are pretty straightforward to graft. Having an established, producing tree is a big headstart.
I'd rather have an established seedling than the very best young, grafted tree. Because the seedling is a quicker path to harvests of whatever variety you want.
Jafar,
Did you do a whip and tongue graft on your pawpaws?
I haven't grafted a pawpaw yet. I keep growing seedlings from my fruit.
John S
PDX OR
That's encouraging.
I've almost given up on my pawpaws. I have had three die above the graft, although their rootstocks are growing. One of those rootstocks might be big enough to bloom next year. Of the remaining two, the bark is peeling on the NC1 like the Sunflower did before it died, and Mango has never thrived - 5 feet tall at 7 years old. I have a few seedlings that I just planted in a shady place but have my doubts.
The one year when they produced, I liked them a lot.
Daniel, Thinking back, I’m pretty sure my Mango was near that size at that age. I only have the two to compare, Wilson and Mango. Wilson was earlier to flower and was alway a bit more vigorous. I had considered that light exposure was a factor, but now seem to remember that Mango was described as being of smaller stature. Wilson now stands about 22’ and Mango some 17-18’, although Mango has a V split or widow maker as used to be called, about a foot and a half above the soil line… that might have some effect I’d suppose. Wilson is planted maybe 14’ South of the Mango, their leaves touch. M was shadowed more in the early years from the East. West direction for both has always been over story of Camilia or Walnut and 2story garage. Both of these Pawpaw are taller than the seedling trials from the early 90’s at the germ plasm repository in Corvallis despite probably being in the ground maybe 15 years less. I don’t do any particular feeding, might have put some homemade compost in the planting hole. After they were already mature, every few years I’d mulch with Hawthorn litter from the hardscape of the driveway,(Hawthorn is no more, took out the last remaining last spring), or shredded material from the homestead, to deter grass and weeds and condition the soil.
Don’t give up on them just yet!
James, I'll continue trying.
My pawpaw seedlings got bad bad treatment this year. I didn't water most of them enough. Maybe they will survive in the shady place where I planted them. They are only a foot tall. If next year is good, I will have a better chance to take better care of them.
It's strange I have had three die above the graft, with the rootstocks staying alive. I wonder if there is some sort of borderline delayed graft incompatibility that causes that in my not ideal for pawpaw microclimate.
Daniel, I believe I recall overhearing a discussion of a question on grafting pawpaw where the direction seemed to suggest that (maybe because of Pawpaws brittleness?) the approach of bark grafting, as possibly being a better option. This overheard discussion was from an old Home Orchard Society Open House at the arboretum, the year the NAFEX general meeting was held in the Portland area. Participants included Dr. Ron Lastname escapesme, then president of both the National and Ohio Pawpaw Growers association.
I would defer to Jafar about his experience with his whip & tongue results, if he’s noticed anything similar over time.
Recently a friend looking for both Pawpaw and Ume to plant was having no luck with the local nursery’s/outlets; maybe due to graft failures I conjecture. (He dug quite a few seedlings from my place to get a start anyway)
James, maybe that was Lon Rombaugh. I couldn't find much on him and pawpaw - here is a link regarding pawpaw propagation. Rombaugh was mainly the guru of grape growing.
They had trouble growing them at Oregon State, some mysterious disease killed most of their trees.
It was mysterious and seemed like it was worse for grafted trees if I understand correctly. Wilson was disease resistant.
I would love to see fruit from my current trees, even if from the rootstock. The rootstocks are just seedling pawpaw, possibly from named varieties, so who knows.
I remember reading on the Kentucky State website, I think, about how t-budding wasn't effective for pawpaws.
Maybe the bark isn't good for that?
John S
PDX OR
I must be full of it, again.. Reading in Andrew Moore’s ‘Pawpaw in search of America’s forgotten fruit’ copyright 2015, probably just around the time of that NAFEX meeting in the NW, gives anecdotes of Ron Powell (my Dr. Ron) teaching whip & tongue grafting of pawpaws at the Ohio Pawpaw Festival, while a Marc Stadler, identified as “another OPGA member and experienced horticulturalist” teaching the cleft graft as meeting two important criteria, first, it’s effective and secondly- very easy. Maybe I should have stood closer to the conversation eluded to. Sorry for the potential misdirection.
In the second Pawpaw genetics study by Huang (Huang et al 2003), the cultivar "Wilson" c. 1980's is extremely close to Davis' "Taylor" c. 1968. They only differ by 2 genetic markers out of a usable 49. It is reasonable to conclude that the "Wilson" currently in circulation is either a self-fertilized seedling or cutting bud-sport of "Taylor".
DanialW, thanks for the links to the Oregon trials, fills in a bunch of background I didn’t know I didn’t know.
FruitGardener, thanks, there’s the more I had no idea of.
The Wilsons have been on and good, again this year. Seem to probably be wrapping up over the next week or two.
I believe Mango, I have not before noticed its differentiated later habit, has Mostly held off and is just about to start to drop the berries. There were four larger dropped from the heights as they do, and shattered from impact when I returned home today. Previous drops from same were mostly small, sparse and under ripe (tree rats/squirrels. They jump from the nearby Spruce tree.)
As noted, I had previously not recognized the ripening time lag sequencing between the two. That'd be the reason for this posting. Perceivably distinct, this year anyway. I guess it's possible there is some impact of the taller Wilson being South of and shading the Mango. We'll see as time goes by. Always thought of them being more simultaneously in sync, with the Wilson usually having the last word, the last few fruits to drop.
My Mango Pawpaw has been rather disappointing for the last few years. Not in terms of output, but quality of the fruit. Taste being subjective to a point. The Wilsons have really come around to be my favorite of the two. Wilsons flesh is more yellowish while Mango seems pale greenish cream color, in comparison. Externally the Wilsons skin may pick up a little yellowish tinge, while Mango is seldom seen as other than pale green. I think the Mango is the reason that a few years back I determined that for my fruits to be optimal they had to be consumed asap or at least within the day they dropped, else wise their deterioration was highly perceivable. I pretty much only let the fruit drop and pick it up from the ground, seldom if ever pluck one from the tree, the bruised tissues seem to transmit an off flavor soon after the injury. The last couple years my adamant pronouncement is having to be changed. Presently the Mango is going to follow that pattern. The Wilson has some more leeway; even to the point where 3-4 days or maybe more and they've transitioned in color, even to the point of what I've called in conversation "golden" recalling the first time I was able to get into the seedling trials area of the USDA germ plasm repository in Corvallis...anyway breaking open one of those golden's, noting the flesh has continued to coloring more richly yellow and a slightly drier appearance, another taste dimension develops, that I have categorized as 'caramel tones'.
Highly delightful in my ken.
These revelations coming into focus to me only now, with the seemingly, more clearly differentiated ripening cycles. Very likely much easier to see since the Wilson pollination and fruit set has caught well up with the Mango.
James let me taste one of his Wilson pawpaws. I found it good and indistinguishable from my seedling pawpaws.
John S
PDX OR
John S said
James let me taste one of his Wilson pawpaws. I found it good and indistinguishable from my seedling pawpaws.
John S
PDX OR
John, I'm glad you got a good one. I pretty sure there must have been at least one Wilson in the hallock box you carried in as we said adios. That collection was fresh drops from under the trees, gathered as Roony picked me up on his way over there.
Looks to me like the Wilsons are on the right of the container pictured above including the squirrel gnawed one, although their flesh can achieve a bit more color in their 'open' time, as can the skin.