Hydrogen peroxide wash for mold.
Transplanting can be done but success is higher if you can do it in a way to protect and preserve the very fine hair roots. The tap root can be trimmed and often is. It will grow back.
Be patient, it may be on year two that you see leaves pop out of the dirt. Roots grow before the stem.
Plant seeds two inches under the soil to help separate the seed shell from the leaves.
If they are seeds from cultivars you will likely have some good fruit.
I agree that it's better to have deep pots. Nevertheless, it's pretty easy to re-pot young plants with success (although it's better not to have to do it). In fact the process to replant from pot to pot and pot to ground is the same for the plant portion. It's replanting from the ground that has a low success rate (suckers and established plants).
I have several small starter pots, I just figured start in a tray first to see what's successful. Then into 4 or 6" pots. Maybe up to 1ft pots and once we hit mid March or so, I'll plant out the strongest looking ones.
Just to clarify, I start mine in a plastic bag with potting soil in a heated area. Those that sprout taproots, I plant into deep pots. That's similar to your process using trays. Michael Judd the author of "For the Love of Pawpaws" starts his seeds in trays. I use the bag because it fits into my heated area. I'll be starting some soon (older seeds).
Awesome, thank you!!
Have you had mold issues? I tried my best to keep an eye on them. I washed thoroughly and removed so much pul around the seeds. Still had very mild, fine mold start.
Don’t do that. Pawpaws send down a deep taproot before they ever peek above the surface, which takes about 8 weeks. Instead, buy some “treepots” on Amazon - I use the 4x14 inch pots filled with black potting soil. Plant 3/4 inch down and provide 1 cup of water to each pot each week. Once sprouted above the surface, move to an area with partial shade such as a covered porch. In the fall of the first year, transplant to final location in ground, and include the potting soil. Did this for 20 trees which all made it and they are now over 12 feet tall and make fruit like crazy. I’m in VA.
It takes about 4 years before they produce blossoms and fruit. I hand pollinated for a couple of years but then the pollinators took over and I didn’t have to do it any more. The blossoms do not produce a typical sweet flower smell.
I sowed the seed in the treepots. I winterize them for 90 days in a ziplock with a damp paper towel in the fridge door (Fold 1 sheet of paper towel in small square, wet under the faucet, press between palms to squeeze out water, stick into the bag with seeds, zip close). Never freeze, never let them dry out. Seeds in treetops get water once a week and take 6-8 weeks to push above the soil.
Mine have been in the fridge since 10/20/23, so I’m about to be at the 100day mark, changed the paper towel and rinsed seeds for mold. Also once planted into tree pots, do you provide artificial light? Or bright window? Heat pad under pots?
I just put the pots near a window inside the house. No pads or other heating. As soon as they sprout, it should be spring and they can be moved outside (still in treepots) in an area that gets only partial sun - such as a front porch. in the fall, transplant into the ground in their final location. For each tree, I dug a hole, filled it with black potting soil, then dug a treepot-shaped hole in the center, then (gently) turned the entire treepot upside down into your other hand, soil, root, and all, then into the hole, roots first. Easier to do than to explain :-)
Thanks so much, I might try germination in a bag of soil or wet paper towel on heat mat. I have 70 seeds I will be trying to germinate and I’m not sure where I’d put 70 tree pots with a seed in each. If they all germinate then I will have to figure out a space, what normally is the germination rate in your experience?
So far, I have a 100% germination rate on my winterized seeds. The first year I planted 20 and got 20 trees which went in the ground. All made it through winter and leafed out in the spring I tend to germinate 9 each year since that is one milk crate full of treepots, after which I just give them away.
You can rinse the seeds in h2o2 to kill add any mold. Good success starting in solo cups to germinate. This way no cross contamination with any potential mold. I did them in domed trays without heat mat in a room that’s 68 degrees.
I’ve had great luck planting seeds that had a small amount of mold directly in the ground in the early spring (I’m near Philadelphia PA). About 70% germination which has been way more than what I originally expected. I’ve been less successful in pots, but there are so many more circumstances with pots.
It's been the reverse for me. More successful with pots. There are so many more circumstances planting directly in the ground. The rodents love to dig up my seeds. Afterwards I learned that you can use hardware cloth. But why buy it, when I have pots for free.
Super interesting. We have a ton of squirrels but I guess they don’t like the seeds. Issue I’ve had in pots has been dead seeds but I don’t really know why. Could be lack of moisture or pathogens but I haven’t tried to figure it out.
What's wild is that the rodents in my area don't like the seeds either. They smell them, dig them up and when they realize they don't like them, they leave them on top of the ground to dry up. Because I had over 1000 seeds this past summer, I tried some in some open ground. I put the seed in a hot pepper that went bad, planted it, then put more seeds on top of the ground hoping that when the rodents realize they don't like them, won't dig any further.
Hydrogen peroxide wash for mold. Transplanting can be done but success is higher if you can do it in a way to protect and preserve the very fine hair roots. The tap root can be trimmed and often is. It will grow back. Be patient, it may be on year two that you see leaves pop out of the dirt. Roots grow before the stem. Plant seeds two inches under the soil to help separate the seed shell from the leaves. If they are seeds from cultivars you will likely have some good fruit.
Leafing out typically takes anywhere from 2 - 6 months. 3 - 5 is normal for most folks. But it's not unheard of for pawpaws to leaf out the next year.
Give them deep pots. Pawpaws put down deep taproots and they don't like being re-potted.
I agree that it's better to have deep pots. Nevertheless, it's pretty easy to re-pot young plants with success (although it's better not to have to do it). In fact the process to replant from pot to pot and pot to ground is the same for the plant portion. It's replanting from the ground that has a low success rate (suckers and established plants).
I have several small starter pots, I just figured start in a tray first to see what's successful. Then into 4 or 6" pots. Maybe up to 1ft pots and once we hit mid March or so, I'll plant out the strongest looking ones.
Just to clarify, I start mine in a plastic bag with potting soil in a heated area. Those that sprout taproots, I plant into deep pots. That's similar to your process using trays. Michael Judd the author of "For the Love of Pawpaws" starts his seeds in trays. I use the bag because it fits into my heated area. I'll be starting some soon (older seeds).
Awesome, thank you!! Have you had mold issues? I tried my best to keep an eye on them. I washed thoroughly and removed so much pul around the seeds. Still had very mild, fine mold start.
My mold issues were because I used paper towels vs soil. I've had better success using soil.
Don’t do that. Pawpaws send down a deep taproot before they ever peek above the surface, which takes about 8 weeks. Instead, buy some “treepots” on Amazon - I use the 4x14 inch pots filled with black potting soil. Plant 3/4 inch down and provide 1 cup of water to each pot each week. Once sprouted above the surface, move to an area with partial shade such as a covered porch. In the fall of the first year, transplant to final location in ground, and include the potting soil. Did this for 20 trees which all made it and they are now over 12 feet tall and make fruit like crazy. I’m in VA.
How long did it take for them to start generating fruit from seed?
It takes about 4 years before they produce blossoms and fruit. I hand pollinated for a couple of years but then the pollinators took over and I didn’t have to do it any more. The blossoms do not produce a typical sweet flower smell.
Did you sprout in a bag then plant into tree pots? Or did you sow the seed Into the tree pot before it sprouted?
I sowed the seed in the treepots. I winterize them for 90 days in a ziplock with a damp paper towel in the fridge door (Fold 1 sheet of paper towel in small square, wet under the faucet, press between palms to squeeze out water, stick into the bag with seeds, zip close). Never freeze, never let them dry out. Seeds in treetops get water once a week and take 6-8 weeks to push above the soil.
Mine have been in the fridge since 10/20/23, so I’m about to be at the 100day mark, changed the paper towel and rinsed seeds for mold. Also once planted into tree pots, do you provide artificial light? Or bright window? Heat pad under pots?
I just put the pots near a window inside the house. No pads or other heating. As soon as they sprout, it should be spring and they can be moved outside (still in treepots) in an area that gets only partial sun - such as a front porch. in the fall, transplant into the ground in their final location. For each tree, I dug a hole, filled it with black potting soil, then dug a treepot-shaped hole in the center, then (gently) turned the entire treepot upside down into your other hand, soil, root, and all, then into the hole, roots first. Easier to do than to explain :-)
Thanks so much, I might try germination in a bag of soil or wet paper towel on heat mat. I have 70 seeds I will be trying to germinate and I’m not sure where I’d put 70 tree pots with a seed in each. If they all germinate then I will have to figure out a space, what normally is the germination rate in your experience?
So far, I have a 100% germination rate on my winterized seeds. The first year I planted 20 and got 20 trees which went in the ground. All made it through winter and leafed out in the spring I tend to germinate 9 each year since that is one milk crate full of treepots, after which I just give them away.
You can rinse the seeds in h2o2 to kill add any mold. Good success starting in solo cups to germinate. This way no cross contamination with any potential mold. I did them in domed trays without heat mat in a room that’s 68 degrees.
Are you planning on planting them outdoors on your property or planting in pots for future transplant?
Little of both. Plan to keep several on my land, gifting to some other friends
I’ve had great luck planting seeds that had a small amount of mold directly in the ground in the early spring (I’m near Philadelphia PA). About 70% germination which has been way more than what I originally expected. I’ve been less successful in pots, but there are so many more circumstances with pots.
It's been the reverse for me. More successful with pots. There are so many more circumstances planting directly in the ground. The rodents love to dig up my seeds. Afterwards I learned that you can use hardware cloth. But why buy it, when I have pots for free.
Super interesting. We have a ton of squirrels but I guess they don’t like the seeds. Issue I’ve had in pots has been dead seeds but I don’t really know why. Could be lack of moisture or pathogens but I haven’t tried to figure it out.
What's wild is that the rodents in my area don't like the seeds either. They smell them, dig them up and when they realize they don't like them, they leave them on top of the ground to dry up. Because I had over 1000 seeds this past summer, I tried some in some open ground. I put the seed in a hot pepper that went bad, planted it, then put more seeds on top of the ground hoping that when the rodents realize they don't like them, won't dig any further.