The Pawpaw Tree - A Complete Profile

This video is a comprehensive, exhaustive profile on the Pawpaw Tree (Asimina triloba), a native deciduous tropical fruit-bearing tree found in Eastern North America.
This video is quite long, so I am including the following digital table of contents below. If you are only interested in one specific aspect of this tree, then please click on the jump link below:
01:48 What is a Pawpaw tree
02:40 How to Identify a Pawpaw tree
05:51 Pawpaw Tree growing conditions
06:18 How to find Pawpaw trees in the Wild
07:07 Native Range of Pawpaw Tree
07:50 Companion Trees
08:38 How to spot Pawpaw Trees from far away
09:41 Examples of Pawpaw Trees in the woods
12:23 Pawpaw lookalikes
13:00 Opposite vs Alternate leaves
15:37 When to harvest Pawpaws
17:05 Shelf life of Pawpaws
17:20 How to eat Pawpaws
20:07 How to save Pawpaw seeds
21:07 How to grow Pawpaw trees from seed
24:25 Landscaping with Pawpaw trees
26:07 Where to buy Pawpaws online
Useful links/videos
How to test soil drainage
• How to Test Soil Drainage
Where to buy native plants in north America - a directory by state/province:
growitbuildit.com/where-to-bu...
Tree Shelters - amzn.to/3sVld5U (affiliate link)
10% OFF your orders from Prairie Restorations, Inc. Use code: GROWIT10. They now ship plants, in addition to seeds. zurl.to/QGlX (affiliate link)

[@tomphillips612]

Excellent I have a paw paw Farm. I viewed this video with a critical eye. I found no errors

[@growitbuildit]

I don't know if there is any better compliment I could receive. Thank you very much for your honest opinion and critical eye.

[@terresanharu7107]

Good evening...are you able to sell paw paw seeds and courier to South africa.i really need these

[@mr-vet]

I have hundreds of Paw Paw trees on my 3 acre Loudoun County, Virginia property. I’ve only found about a half dozen that produce fruit, though. Picked one just the other day and ate it. The fruit was very sweet and the aroma was quite strong. The fruit was pale yellow inside and very creamy. The taste was a combo of mango, vanilla, and banana. The aroma was similar to trim or fruit loops cereal.

[@growitbuildit]

Nice - maybe try hand-pollinating the fruits next Spring,. You might get more yield.

[@wood4life]

A pawpaw tree has to be pollenated with pollen from a different unrelated pawpaw tree. For short term results, you could try self pollination on a couple specific trees and see what happens. Long term, if you plan on living on that property for a long time, you could go get seeds from pawpaws somewhere away from your property, sprout them and plant those trees throughout your property. That way you’ll have a diversity of trees for better pollination rates in the long run. Down here in SE Virginia we have a lot of paw paws. You have to go out and look for spots where there’s a bunch of trees. I’ve got some spots I’ve found in the Dismal Swamp that I go to every year and there’s always a lot of fruits. Some years are better than others depending on the weather. The bears like them as much as I do.

[@chk3700]

Naahhh cap Mine are nowhere ready yet

[@thetrumpnewsnetwork7503]

I'm in Wood County and they are across the street from me at the edge of the forest.

[@anasazirose]

​@77thTrombone paw paw sed up shoots from the roots. If the patch is large, it could be genetically one tree.

[@benjaminbrown1179]

Growing up my dad would sing a little jingle every once in a while. It would end with "Way down yonder in the paw paw patch." I never knew they were an actual tree that produced paw paws until a year after he passed away. I was in my early 30s. I had visited a friend and one of his sons came walking up from the creek with a bag. He started eating this fruit and asked if id like a paw paw. All i could think was REALLY!!!! THIS WHOLE TIME DAD!!!!....... Great video

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you Benjamin - that is a great story

[@haroldjames8057]

This long video kept my wife and me hooked for its entirety. We learned of Asimina Triloba about 4 years ago and are hooked and hooking others. We've germinated very many from seed and share the seedlings. We've also had success this year with cross pollinating wild pawpaws with a domesticated cultivar. We check on the 33 fruits progression biweekly.

[@growitbuildit]

That is cool - I'm really glad you enjoyed it. That is cool you are trying to breed new varieties too.

[@av1421]

where do you live?

[@haroldjames8057]

@@av1421 Zone 6b.

[@jimmyfreeze3782]

This is the best pawpaw tree video on youtube.

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you Jimmy. I appreciate that

[@wordsofaction-christianfic4102]

A note about the pawpaws you have that are about 2 years old - you have them surrounded by Japanese stilt grass, which employs toxins that targets surrounding trees from growing well. It may be affecting the growth rate of your pawpaws.

[@growitbuildit]

Hi - I actually pull all of that stilt grass every year. Hopefully it will be gone in another 3 years or so.... But the stilt grass is only around those two shown, and one of those was the 4' tall one. But I take your point. Japanese Stilt Grass is a never ending battle in PA, and everywhere else too.

[@GrownByHand]

Thank you for that, I will have to look up some research on them as it is my primary weed here in Central Pa.

[@Yhoshua_B]

Hey, I really want to say, thank you for all of the content you've put out and continue to put out. I've learned a lot from you all and I appreciate you sharing your time and experience with me so I don't have to go through the same trials you went through 😅 Seriously! Thank you both for the information you share so freely.

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you so much Yhoshua - I'm very happy to hear that you find them helpful!

[@tarawatterson4188]

Another fabulous, thorough resource. Appreciate your content!

[@growitbuildit]

WOW - Thank you SO MUCH Tara! That was very generous of you!

[@aprilwest3752]

​@@growitbuilditI think so but w you have to

[@KimblesTheBrave]

Here in southern Ontario, pawpaw trees are very rare to find growing in the wild, but they are around. I just planted some bare root grafted trees this year and I'm looking forward to seeing how they do! If they survive long enough to produce fruit, I'm hoping to "accidentally" spread the seeds to some local park spaces, hehehe.

[@growitbuildit]

Awesome Kimberly. I hope you can spread some

[@gioknows]

I'm going to do that, too up here in Ottawa😀

[@tacticalnuke8233]

Love the content Joe! Great resource for anyone interested in ecological landscaping. I'm in northeast Ohio so it's great to see someone who is also in zone 6. Native food webs are critical for my small organic no till farm structure. Appreciate the work on your channel and mission for education about native ecology.

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you! I'm glad I can help you out. Good luck!

[@HenhousetheRed]

If you like curd jam, especially lemon curd, adding pawpaw pulp makes it taste so nice and tropical. In our area, there's pawpaws all over the place, at just about every stream bank. It's like a local tradition to go out and hunt during pawpaw season.

[@growitbuildit]

Thanks for the tip - I've not tried curd jam. I mainly just eat them plain, as I like the taste. I have heard of people using them in bread and have seen Pawpaw salsa too.

[@moirahaarhoff5286]

South African pawpaws are completely different. The leaves are palmate, the trunks are hollow and rot if the top of the tree is lopped off. The fruit is like a large papaya and very yellow when ripe. The birds love them, so it's quite a feat to harvest a ripe one unscathed. It is the only tropical fruit I know which is low in sugar, thus ideal for diabetics. The seeds are very small and one only has to grab a spoonful from the centre of the fruit and plant them very close to the surface to be able to choose between plants within weeks and keep the strongest only. We used to liquidise the fruit with the pulp and juice of two oranges and have wonderful smoothies.

[@bryanguest2807]

You are referring to a different species of plant c. papaya. PawPaw are in the anona family. There are anona family of fruits that grow in South Africa referred to as African Custard Apple.

[@OsirusHandle]

papaya is also called pawpaw in some places

[@sueknee8813]

Loved this video.I went with my grandpa every year to pick paw paws.He knew the woods and where they grew.I wish I had paid more attention to all he tried to teach my sister and I.I haven’t tasted one in 60 years but have wonderful memories of them.Loved the big seeds .

[@growitbuildit]

That is awesome Sue - thank you for sharing. I feel like I missed out on learning from my grandparents too.

[@joeyank2451]

Me And My Grandpa Did That To, I Was Just Young Little Feller. It Was So Exciting To Me And I Loved The Paw Paw. That Why I’ve Planted Them On My Property,And There Finally Fruiting YA!

[@truetexan2011]

I watch a TON of KZbin videos to learn about plants/gardening, and I can honestly say that this is such an incredible video!! It answers so many questions that I didn’t even think I’d have!! Plz keep making videos!! And I appreciate all the work you did to put this together 🥳🥳🥳

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you! I will keep making videos. I just do it at a slower pace, as it is quite the time commitment. But thank you so much for the kind words!

[@evaborho2554]

I appreciate the quality and depth of your Papaw Pawpaw information! Thanks!

[@growitbuildit]

You are very welcome Eva!

[@sarah_farm]

You're doing such a great job at showing everyone the way you see the world! Thank you for this!

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you so much Sarah - I really appreciate your kind words.

[@amythurman7604]

We have about a half dozen pawpaw trees (SW Ohio residents) and want to propagate them more than they've produced over the years. Glad we came across this video. Thank you for sharing and posting!

[@growitbuildit]

Excellent - I'm glad I could help you out Amy!

[@kylemarkwardt529]

You’ve done it again Joe. If I had a channel it would have all of the EXACT content you produce. Thanks

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you Kyle!

[@taylormallory8705]

The video alone was good enough for a sub. Your map with native tree nurseries is more than enough for a little cash on the side. I'll be tracking down and starting pawpaws myself, but it's always nice to know where a native focused nursery is and your map is an invaluable resource. Keep up the great work!!!

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you Taylor! I'm happy you are enjoying the resources/video. And thank you so much for the tip!

[@2.7petabytes]

Just went on a hike today with my wife and we found several excellent examples of its fruit. Just now getting home and can’t wait to dig in. Great video and I subbed. I’m in Missouri where paw paws are everywhere!

[@growitbuildit]

Awesome! Congrats on finding some, and I hope you enjoy them.

[@fayprivate7975]

Thank you for this info. I was recently given some Pawpaw seeds but didn’t know anything about growing them. Your video is very detailed and will help me.

[@growitbuildit]

You are very welcome - good luck starting your seeds

[@doubledforge]

We have a couple dozen pawpaw trees on our property, but in the 30some years we've been here, we've never used them, but the animals have always enjoyed them. We've collected a few this year and plan to use them in bread. Thank you for the great video, sharing your knowledge and experience with pawpaw trees and their fruit it's greatly appreciated!

[@growitbuildit]

I'm glad you enjoyed the video - and good luck making your pawpaw bread!

[@flgardener1155]

What an incredible video. This is a masterclass on pawpaws.

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you!

[@christiridley1009]

I heard that sweet voice at the end 😊 Thank you so much for sharing your thorough research and the wisdom from your experience! I have about 8 seedlings from seeds that i kept in the fridge over the winter. I lucked out having them germinate from the sparse info that i found on the internet about them. Your videos are soooooo helpful to native plant enthusiasts!

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you Christi - good job getting the seeds to germinate. And yes, that is a sweet voice at the end.

[@c.j.taylor7325]

I've planted 7 pawpaw trees on my property in Western NY near the Niagara river. Hopefully ill have some fruit in a few years. I also managed to grow 21 from seeds using the winternsowong method this past winter. I'm sharing thr sapplings with local organizations and native plant stores. As always, great video and i really appreciate the work you put into them!

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you CJ - and nice work germinating them and for sharing them.

[@zoenightshade2332]

Another banger of a video, excellent work!

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you Zoe! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@shelleyhender8537]

Thank you for including us CANCUCKS/Canadians in your video! Pawpaws have become popular throughout Canada! I live in Western Canada in zone 4b/5a, and they do great! The scientific info (jargon) - I especislly appreciate - along with cautions and encouragement to delve further, and conduct a “personal” investigation into ANY plant/food you intend to eat or share with others - including your darling Fido! Hope you are having a great summer! Currently, my homes province, British Columbia, and the Northwest Territories are in a State of Emergency due to forest fires burning down homes, towns, and now it’s trying to rip through the capital city of Yellowknife, as fire fighter and volunteers alike are doing their utmost to save the city! We sent many Canadian fire fighters and First Responders south to the US, to help with California, and other fires, floods, massive mudslides, etc. Hopefully, we will receive some American help in kind. Let’s HOPE and pray that you will NOT experience anything on the scale of what we are coping with! Just trying to find temporary homes for the animals/pets belonging to the TENS of THOUSANDS of evacuees is a challenge ! Then we hav3 all the wildlife running scared into communities. Bears, moose, cougars, deer, elk, every kind of creature is fleeing the fires and have to go somewhere! Finallly, I feel for the farmers that tried to evacuate their animals, and those who had too many to relocate,, took turns as neighbours to feed, water, and provide shelter for every farm animal they could! I hope the majority made it, and somehow, this CRISIS and the others we have had in North America this year will wake up those who choose put their blinders on and pretend the world will be a much better place for the dear little ones, both human and animal! Not to be political, but I hope no one endures what we Canadians are enduring…AGAIN! In the meantime, I wish you a fantastic summer - may You and your daughter get your fill of PawPaws! Cheers🇨🇦😊🇺🇸

[@growitbuildit]

It has been a terrible year for wildfires everywhere. And I hope Canada gets some relief soon. And thank you - my daughter and I will be hunting pawpaws soon enough!

[@shelleyhender8537]

@@growitbuildit Thank you! I wish you and your daughter an enjoyable feast! Cheers🇨🇦😊🇺🇸

[@bythepiece]

Excellent information and you have not left anything out. Thank you.

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you! I'm glad you found it helpful.

[@GrowCookPreserveWithKellyDawn]

I was gifted a dozen or so small saplings and some just started to flower after about 5 years. I'm hoping next year is the year for fruit!

[@growitbuildit]

You are getting close! I would try hand pollinating them if you get flowers on multiple trees. I've done it with Squash plants plenty of times, but never tried it on Pawpaws yet.

[@GrowCookPreserveWithKellyDawn]

@@growitbuildit I will definitely try that next year!

[@jeaniewelch9198]

LOVE YOUR VIDEO!!? I found a group of Paw Paws once in Louisiana. They are absolutely DELICIOUS!!! I am now in Missouri, where they SHOULD be ABUNDANT, however I have never been able to find any! I am still looking.....now I know a GREAT DEAL more, hopefully I will be able to identify some!!

[@growitbuildit]

Excellent - good luck Jeanie! Now is the time to find them too.

[@SandraSnowdenElam]

So thorough! Thank you.

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you Sandra

[@DeserieDrew]

Moving to North Carolina on 5 acres. Looking into types of edible tree I can grow. This popped up on a google search. Thank for this informational stream. I found it very helpful.

[@growitbuildit]

Excellent - I'm very happy you found it helpful. Congrats and good luck!

[@wendywilliams2669]

Terrific information!!! Thanks so very much!

[@growitbuildit]

You are very welcome Wendy - good luck!

[@TheGratefulGarden]

Spreading knowledge of the pawpaw is so important!!!!

[@growitbuildit]

I fully agree!

[@okboomer6201]

I have two fruit producing trees, and three smaller ones on my property. Now that you have reminded me I will go and check them today.

[@growitbuildit]

It's time right now!

[@tazzyslady]

Great video that has given me the confidence to go out to identify and hopefully harvest some Paw Paws!

[@growitbuildit]

Excellent - that is exactly what I like to hear. Good luck!

[@mpc72367]

Fantastic job with the info in this video. Thank you.

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you!

[@fayepreuss5180]

This was absolutely excellent!

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you so much Faye!

[@NicheCraftwithKassi]

Great video! Thanks so much for taking the time!

[@growitbuildit]

You are very welcome Kassi! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@TrickleCreekFarm]

I heard that sweet voice and I was just as excited when I had my first paw paws this year! I was happily able to clean up a gal’s yard and that included many wasted fruit and later hours worth of black walnut harvesting! I have planted many paw paw seeds, but could not find anywhere the reference to keep them moist, so glad I found your video. Likely many will not germinate, but hopefully I’ll get some! It was quite a treat for me and I appreciate gleaning more from this thorough video, I am now a new subscriber and it looks like I have so much more to learn from your videos and blogging! Thank you kindly for all your efforts…

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you so much! It was really special gathering Pawpaws with her that day. I'm glad I could help you out regarding germinating the seeds - good luck!

[@hortaeartenaamerica8420]

Thank you!!! I love pawpaw and I’m anxiously waiting for my trees to bear fruit. I have some from a nursery and some from seed. ❤

[@growitbuildit]

You're welcome! Good luck with your trees. I've got a lot more to plant this year!

[@marymathis9299]

Wow! Who would'a thought!!! Nice video, excellent info and photography. You, Sir, have done a very good job in getting the Pawpaw tree out to all of us primary students! Thank you so much!!!

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you Mary! I'm very happy you enjoyed it and found it informative, as that was my goal.

[@purpleangeltrumpet1]

Lol

[@AncientHippie]

As a long time paw paw owner (3 trees are more than enough fruit for us) I always throw my overripe fruit in my mulch bin and each spring pull handful of saplings out as they sprout.

[@growitbuildit]

Sounds like a great way to germinate seeds!

[@sqwrrl]

Did you mean compost bin?

[@AncientHippie]

@@sqwrrl yes but I use my compost as my mulch so I often interchange them....sure incorrectly but I'm ok with that.

[@Ma1ingo]

Quality video as always, thank you. I have 3 pawpaw that we bought and planted 2 years ago. I saw a talk by one of the University of Kentucky growers that said they are fine in full sun once they get to the size of a sapling that the nurserys sell. So we planted ours in full sun, but I grew beans round their base to give them a little shade as insurance. One is struggling due to being ran over by a landscaper :/ but the other 2 have grown quickly. I understand it can be 7 years before you get any fruit, but we got our first flower this year which was magical to see!

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you! Congrats on getting your first flower. It is exciting. I will probably be trying to hand-pollinate my trees once I have the opportunity.

[@user-sb5lx8xb1g]

Nobody cares jack

[@gwmattos]

❤😊 when I was an elementary school around the age of eight to 10 years of age we sang a song call where oh where is dear little Mary? Way Down Yonder in the Paw Paw Patch picking up pawpaws putting them in a basket. The school I attended was located in Charleston California. We had 2000 English walnut trees, 10 pecan trees, and fewer than 1000 black walnut trees. The fruit Of the pawpaw tree sounds delicious. You are website is fantastic. Thank you for sharing.😊

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you! I'm very happy you are enjoying our videos.

[@joemccall8991]

I heard that. Longtime gardener but new subscriber, always learning and your topics hit close to home (being just South of you). Going back through your catalog and looking forward to new videos. Best!

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you so much! Hope you enjoy the older videos!

[@fugueine]

amazing amount of information, very well presented. Thank you so much!

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@jeffphillips2270]

Great profile, I purchase 2 bare root trees this spring and both are doing well. I live in the Niagara Region in Canada and we are the northern most region for the Paw Paw to grow naturally. With your information I hope to grow a few more from seed. Thanks Tara & Joe for the great work you both do! Jeff

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you Jeff! Very happy you are enjoying our work. Good luck starting some from seed!

[@watskilug]

I'm north of you in line with Ottawa, and mine are surviving up here, got the seeds from around your area so they are the northern variety, looking forward to the fruit......

[@grammadonutsquashdog431]

As a child my Dad worked putting in pipelines in Southern Michigan. On a visit with him ,he brought home Michigan Bananas, I later learned these were Pawpaws. And yes it was in Pawpaw, Michigan. :)

[@growitbuildit]

That is awesome - I've heard them called Appalachian bananas before, but not Michigan Bananas.

[@redboneexcellence6041]

Excellent information. Thank you

[@growitbuildit]

You are very welcome!

[@scotthudson3654]

Excellent information. Thank you! I am growing 6 from seed right now in Western NY.

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you - good luck getting your trees started

[@AmericanMike815]

Great video! We are getting two of these trees next week!

[@growitbuildit]

Congrats and good luck! And thank you for the kind words.

[@ZeroCarbDaddy]

One of the best videos an Paw Paw trees. Thanks

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you!

[@darrelllancaster9554]

Very educational. Thorough. Thank You. 🌿

[@growitbuildit]

You are very welcome - glad you enjoyed it

[@billturner2370]

This is Great information . Thank You for posting!

[@growitbuildit]

You are very welcome - glad you enjoyed it!

[@midwestribeye7820]

This was fascinating! It's on my Bucket List to see a real Pawpaw and eat the fruit.

[@growitbuildit]

Now you are closer to being able to find them! I was in the same boat as you 4 years ago.

[@gypsywoman6369]

What a fantastic video! Not only do you present rich content, you also are a well organized speaker. I am a retired teacher and recognize a very professional, clear presentation.

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you so much - your words mean a lot!

[@traceykinsman7727]

A great place in Canada to buy Pawpaw trees for colder temps is called Green Barn Farm. You buy them over the winter for Spring and their trees are rated for -40C. We plan to buy some this year and plant them. Your video just reminded me! Thx for all the info too.

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you for sharing that place in Canada. That is incredible that they are rated for -40C

[@jobird354]

Awesome information. Thank you so much.

[@growitbuildit]

You are very welcome!

[@chuckkatz1824]

Well done and very informative video! Thank you!

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@loriball8900]

Excellent video, thank you!

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you Lori!

[@naturewithgabe]

Very thorough. Well done as usual!

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you Gabe!

[@wordsofaction-christianfic4102]

Amazing presentation/narration

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you!

[@Laryanka]

Very useful info, thank you

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you!

[@kangtani_indonesia]

Thank you for sharing information about mango farming which is very useful

[@growitbuildit]

Hi - this is a different type of fruit. It is native to North America.

[@Growplantss]

thank you for sharing❤

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you!

[@katedavy6272]

Thanks so much for the info. Just what I needed to know!

[@growitbuildit]

You are very welcome Kathleen!

[@NotGoddess]

I heard that! I have two paw paw trees and while I hope for fruit in a few years, I find they pretty unusual landscape trees as well.

[@growitbuildit]

Patience is a virtue when waiting for trees to grow

[@yaddahaysmarmalite4059]

this video is an excellent resource to learn about pawpaws. well done. my local county cooperative extension did a seminar on pawpaws. they invited local tree nursery growers to sell some pawpaws they've been propogating. of course i bougth a few trees.

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you! And I think you made a good decision buying a few trees

[@natureman494]

thanks for the informational video! I might give this a try this fall.

[@growitbuildit]

You are welcome. Even if you are unsuccessful finding them, it is always fun to take a walk in the woods.

[@-D3D3]

I found a wild patch below our cabin near the river. Sadly I couldn't find any pawpaw fruit this season. Good video full of interesting details.

[@growitbuildit]

Your wild patch could be the same tree - just clonal offsets! But if you found one patch, they are most likely more in the area.

[@carolbulmer8253]

Great information! Thank you😊

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you Carol!

[@joshuapersaud1659]

thanks for your hard work

[@growitbuildit]

You are welcome Joshua - glad you enjoyed it!

[@gangofgreenhorns2672]

5:40 KSU has good info on pawpaws and I've heard them say that if you want a good chance at transplanting a sucker you should cut it in the ground with a shovel then leave it a whole year before digging it up. I have several pawpaws I transplanted as seedlings and I am suspicious that two were suckers because they had a really long, eventually severed tap root. They've both been very productive the one has put on nearly 4 foot in its first year.

[@growitbuildit]

That sounds like good advice if one were to transplant a sucker...cutting then leaving in the ground for a year.

[@katiekane5247]

I'm convinced there's several near me in north Georgia. I purchased a small tree but it hasn't done very well. Hard for me to find any flowers & I never see fruit. My forbe ID is much better than my tree ID skills. Thanks for this! Edit: the homeowner practices of removing understory trees to "decrease the competition with canopy trees" has done tons of damage IMO. The purpose of understory trees isn't taught, it should be!

[@HenhousetheRed]

You need at least two genetically different pawpaw trees to produce fruit. Seems like they need to be in the ground for 5 years to begin fruiting.

[@growitbuildit]

Maybe go take a hike and see if you can positively ID the trees. If not, go drive backroads and keep your eyes peeled. Most people don't even know what they are. I'm a big fan of understory shrubs and trees. They never grow thick enough to make an area impassable - it is the Buckthorn/Bush Honeysuckle that does that. I love the Spicebush, native brambles, and viburnums. I've been trying to get an easy, repeatable method for growing Virburnums for a couple years now - very difficult in containers.

[@barrybri]

On my property in North GA,there are a couple of smaller bush pawpaw varieties that grow wild.The pawpaws on them are about a whole peanut to thumb size and mostly seeds.Early Spring is a good time to spot their flowers to locate them in the woods.The leaves are smaller than other varieties.I started growing pawpaws from 2 seedlings about 1996 and started new patches by transplanting the suckers when they are dormant,the end of Winter.I started grafting other varieties onto my trees to get better pollination and better sized fruit a few years ago.The fruit on my Mango variety grafted tree started getting ripe about 3 days ago. There are wild Viburnam trees, Carolina Buckthorn,Carolina Spicebush(that I transplanted from my homeplace about 30 miles away),and plenty of wild blackberries.

[@trishaplescia9234]

very helpful! thanks

[@growitbuildit]

You are very welcome - good luck!

[@davidchicelli538]

I heard that, and it made me smile!

[@growitbuildit]

LOL - excellent! It made me smile too when she said it.

[@christopherlaws3077]

This was a GREAT video, I'm in Prince William co Va and in wooded areas near streams ,ponds etc,this is very common.The Zebra swallowtail is seen alot in the spring in my area due to the abundence of this small tree and is s very BEAUTIFUL butterfly.I encourage people to plant this native fruit tree more.

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you! That is awesome - you'll notice I didn't get a single shot of the Zebra Swallowtail. They are in the area...but I've never been able to capture one on film.

[@s.leeyork3848]

Thank you for this!!

[@growitbuildit]

You are very welcome!

[@Gruin]

SO WELL EXECUTED, As The Saying in New England is Spoken: "The Finest Kind" ~♡~ Thank You

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you! I really appreciate it!

[@rafika816]

Excellent video!!!

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[@JerryCochran-hi7mz]

Learned about these from my stepdad while fishing. Good stuff

[@growitbuildit]

Absolutely good stuff

[@mdcampbell7360]

There are a number of uses for pawoaws. I made pawpaw muffins this year & have made frozen custard & quickbread in the past.

[@growitbuildit]

I have some friends who make pie and breads from them, I just never have done so. And, since this video was already so long....But you are absolutely correct.

[@mtdogluvr6880]

Great presentation!

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you!

[@infinateU]

Great clip. PawPaw sounds so delicious, that's unbelievable.

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you - they are one of my favorite fruits.

[@trilobES.]

An excellent video, thank you very much!!

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you - I'm very happy you enjoyed it. Nice handle by the way.

[@vickiwestlund1837]

I’m in Eastern Washington- they actually grow well here! I just collected a few from a local friend to attempt to germinate the seeds!

[@growitbuildit]

@vickiwestlund1837 that is cool they grow out there. Good luck starting them!

[@holzlastname1976]

Thanks you! You were super thorough. My husband can spot paw paws very easily but I always have a hard time

[@growitbuildit]

You're very welcome. Glad you enjoyed it. You'll get fast at spotting them in no time

[@Pawpawtrees]

Love this video

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you Madison!

[@gioknows]

Outstanding. I currently have 5 saplings which are all under 9 inches tall so I have a long way to go. I've grown a lot of tropical fruits from seed including mango, avocado, orange, lemon, passion fruit, lulu and a few others and Pawpaw's are as difficult as I have seen LOL. I'm in Eastern Ontario which may be too north for them to grow but I'm going to try. Great information. Cheers from Ottawa, Canada🍁

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you - good job getting some to germinate. Lord knows I had some trouble. But I bet you will be ok - maybe just place a bit of mulch in Winter

[@tamalyn9210]

Thank you ❤️

[@growitbuildit]

You are very welcome Tamalyn!

[@robgilbert4556]

I taught my son what the look like and he went on a field trip and said there was a huge grove . Every year I can pick 30 lbs or more here in va. It is fairly popular hiking trail and most don’t know what they are. Probaly 300lbs or more rot every year when they fall to the ground

[@growitbuildit]

Wow - that sounds like an awesome patch!

[@gartengeflugel924]

That was very interesting to watch, lots of good information. As you described the pawpaw's native growing conditions I kept thinking that they'd feel right at home in parts of Germany. The forest right outside our village contains many of the genera you mentioned, though some of course are not native here. Downhill the forest also gets progressively wetter, ultimately ending in a moist, shallow valley. It's nice to think what could grow there. Thanks for sharing this detailed video, cheers

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you - it is fun to imagine what plants could be used in a given area. I do that all the time, contemplating the best choices to replace the current invasive species in my back yard.

[@haroldjames8057]

I've found that damp sand is great for cold stratification in the refrigerator without mold.

[@growitbuildit]

Sand works well too. I find that a good sterilization pretty much keeps everything away. But good tip nonetheless.

[@robgilbert4556]

Green moss has tannins in it that keep mold from growing on seed when stratified in the fridge. Also scarifying the seed coat around the seed helps it start faster. You can sand or take a knife and trim the border around edge of seeds. The seed inside looks wrinkly like a grub worm

[@cheesefries7436]

I learned a lot, thank you

[@growitbuildit]

You are very welcome

[@vickiwestlund1837]

Thank you!

[@growitbuildit]

You are very welcome

[@ronc7743]

Best paw paw vid Ive seen.....and I still haven't tasted one!

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you Ron - maybe go try to hunt some up this season!

[@butzbach1]

EXCELLENT! Thx

[@growitbuildit]

You are very welcome!

[@alistairlivingstone5274]

Good video. Thank you. I heard that!☺️

[@growitbuildit]

Hahaha - Thank you!

[@davidturner2358]

Very professional. Thank you very much. Please do one on persimmon native to the US😊

[@growitbuildit]

I can do that at some point. I actually located my first patch of trees last Fall. I was able to collect some fruit, and germinate the seed. They really do taste good once they get very soft! I probably won't be making any video on Persimmon until next year at the earliest, as I just don't have that much footage. But I did write a thorough article on the tree. Hopefully you find it helpful. growitbuildit.com/american-persimmon-diospyros-virginiana-l/

[@williamwoodhouse5711]

GREAT!

[@growitbuildit]

Thank you William!