Edible Landscaping Pawpaw

My Edible Landscaping asimina triloba had a rough start. It began to grow, then the new growth turned brown/black, dried, and died. I think the plant may have been getting too much sun. I could be that the plant was experiencing shock from being shipped and planted outside when it was originally in an indoor greenhouse. Regardless, I think the plant is rallying now. She has began to grow again.

Asimina Triloba

My asimina triloba plants have all leafed out. They are beautiful.

Asimina Triloba Fruit Set

Same fruit cluster from May 2 to May 19

In the past, I have seen tiny pawpaw fruitlets that seemed to be pollinated. Each day I would search for the fruitlets, hoping that they were still present. Within a week or two, I would return to those trees and discover that the little fruitlets had disappeared. Now that I have cross-pollinated some pawpaw flowers, I have noticed some early indicators of potential fruitset.

Successful fruit set is most readily achieved by cross-pollination. Although there is a slight possibility that self-pollination might result in fruit set, my experience with self-pollination shows otherwise. All self-pollination attempts resulted in aborted fruitlets within 2 weeks after petal drop, save one little self-pollinated fruit borne in 2012. A fruit cluster that has been successfully pollinated will plump slightly while each fruit/finger slowly spreads apart. This plumping and spreading of the tiny fingers takes about 1-2 weeks. Self-pollinated and cross-pollinated fruitlets both undergo this process for the first weeks. Do not be fooled into thinking this is an indicator of fruitset.

Fruit set is indicated by steady growth of the fruitlets. After week 2, successfully set fruitlets will continue to plump and elongate. The increasing size of the fruitlets should be visible on a daily basis. The fruits grow quickly and unmistakably. However, self-pollinated fruitlets will stop growing after the fingers have spread apart and abort within the week. Pawpaw fruit can grow from the size of a dried pea to the size of a marble in a week. I'm sure that the fruit will stop growing at some point and focus on maturation and ripening of the seeds and pulp, but the first couple months after pollination will result in steady growth.

What is it?

This visitor was on my asimina triloba tree.

Growing Pawpaw Fruit

The asimina triloba trees aborted most of the fruit clusters. However, there are two fruit clusters that remain and are growing. I hope that the fruit is able to make it to maturity. I would like to take the seeds of the fruit, germinate them, and grow seedlings.

Edible Landscaping

The little plant has grown a lot in a week.

Gnat Party

The gnats are loving the yeasty smell of the male flowers.

Broad River Pawpaw

The little pawpaw is really looking beautiful.

Edible Landscaping Asimina

The little pawpaw settled in quickly.   She is growing rapidly now.

Thinning peaches

I pulled 40 fruitlets from the tree today. The tree is loaded with fruit and I don't want to over burden.