When Do Paw Paws Bloom?

Flowers

• The flowers of the pawpaw tree start to develop within the axils of the previous year' foliage. The velvety textured buds are dark brown in color and open into dark red or maroon, down-hanging flowers with a diameter of about 2 inches. The blooming time lasts for about six weeks, starting in March and ending in May, depending on climate. The flowers have two whorls, each with three petals with three sepals in the calyx. Every flower has numerous ovaries and eventually produces several fruits.

Tree

• Pawpaw tree is deciduous with a narrow, conical mature form and a full height of 12 to 20 feet. The tree suckers profusely that eventually leads to the establishment of a pawpaw patch if left to grow naturally. Young tree have a slow growth rate but usually pick up speed once established and provided optimal conditions. The 12-inches-long foliage is drooping and oblong, assuming yellow shades in the middle of fall.

Fruit

• The pawpaw is the largest, edible fruit native to the United States. The fruit weighs anywhere between 5 and 16 oz. and ranges between 3 to 6 inches long. Ripe fruit is greenish yellow in color, thin skinned and creamy fleshed with a flavor that is a combination of mango, banana and citrus. Each fruit contains two rows of 10 to 14, brown to black, lima bean shaped, 1/2 to 1 1/2 inch seeds. The fruit grows in clusters of up to nine fruits.

Cultural Conditions

• Plant pawpaw in a well-drained, fertile soil with a preferred pH of 5 to 7. The tree does not thrive in poorly drained or alkaline soils. Younger plants require partial sun during the first two years of growth and established trees grow best in full sun. Avoid planting in a windy sites. Irrigate regularly during active growth season and apply a potassium rich fertilizer twice a year. The tree requires at least 400 winter chill hours and 160 frost-free days for good fruit production.