Pawpaw: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar
How to plant a pawpaw tree?
Plant your pawpaw preferably in early spring while it is dormant, when the ground is workable and not waterlogged. A container-grown tree usually establishes more readily than one dug out elsewhere. Choose a permanent position with deep, fertile soil that drains well. Avoid a place where water remains around the roots.
Allow enough room for the mature tree and choose good sunlight for future fruit production. Young plants need temporary protection from strong sun during their first year or two. Use light shade rather than placing the tree permanently in a dark corner. If you want fruit, plan for two genetically different trees with overlapping flowering, such as two distinct varieties; two copies of the same variety are not an equivalent choice.
Water the container before removing the tree and keep the root ball intact. Its long, fragile roots dislike disturbance. Make the hole wide enough for the root ball, but no deeper than needed to preserve its original planting level. Keep the root collar at the surface and any graft union above the soil.
Backfill gently, water to settle the soil and spread an organic mulch, leaving space around the trunk. Check moisture regularly during establishment and water when needed without saturating the ground. Avoid repeatedly moving the tree after planting.
How to prune a pawpaw tree?
How to care for this plant
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Maintain the mulch
Check the ground cover around the base. If the mulch has thinned, top it up on moist, well-drained soil after removing competing weeds. Keep the trunk, crown and graft union clear; add nothing if the existing layer is sufficient.
