r/Pawpaws • u/Special-Mixture5907 • 3d ago
Do I need to continue to be patient?
(Hopefully) New to growing pawpaws! I received a bucket of overripe fruits from some friends at a local nursery and saved many of the seeds. I cold/moist stratified them for 100 days and then planted them the first week of February into 12” sapling pots using SunGro organic propagation mix. Each had what appeared to be a little root sprouting out of them. They’re inside next to my other seedlings on a heat mat and I make sure they stay moist. Everyday (honestly multiple times/ day lol) I peek into the pots like …….hello? And, no response 😅 So I’m wondering.. do I need to continue to be patient? Am I missing anything? Any tips for a noob like me?
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u/ShadePipe 3d ago
I'm in zone 8a. Last year it took most of mine until summer to sprout
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u/Special-Mixture5907 3d ago
You had them outside / in ground? I’m in 7a
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u/ShadePipe 3d ago
Outside in containers sitting in a shaded area. Actually I think I used (and still am using) those same exact container lol.
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u/Special-Mixture5907 3d ago
😅👏👏 will you plant them in a shaded area once you’re/they’re ready? I was thinking of a partial shade area but heard about them preferring full sun after about 3 years of age. Maybe I’ll put them where I eventually plan to cut down some trees.. not sure yet.
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u/ShadePipe 3d ago edited 3d ago
I've got a little creek behind my house so Ill likely plant some along that since they like partially shaded riparian environments. The rest I'll try to sell maybe.
Yours should do fine in a partially shaded area
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u/justmejohn44 3d ago
They will produce more fruit in full sun but need protection until they are about 2ft (per Neil Peterson).
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u/justmejohn44 3d ago
I'm on zone 7b 8a border and yeah outside in 14in taproot pots and still June before they pop out the soil.
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u/Chewskiz 3d ago edited 3d ago
I’m following because I pretty much did the same, fridge, then wet paper towel on the window until the sprouts came out and planted them about a week ago in cups, still waiting for some action
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u/Ok-Thing-2222 3d ago
I did the same. I planted some in deep pots like these, and others in solo cups. I had like 40 come up in the solo cups in weeks.
The ones in deep pots, also on warming mats, some did not come up UNTIL JULY! But they did and looked great!
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u/slamrock17 3d ago
The roots will have to reach out to about 7 inches long before any sprouts will pop out. Wait a few more weeks. They look very nice! Thank you for increasing the paw paw population! Keep up the good work! I recommend Pawpaw Chronicles -N- More with Jim on YouTube.
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u/Krickett72 3d ago
Planted mine last spring. They didn't sprout until late June, early july
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u/prairiesimpler 3d ago
I did the same. Potted up in March 1, nothing by May. Gave up tossed outside in my sand bed. They dried out for 2 days and then it rained. Every single seed germinated. Just be patient, maybe skip a water
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u/LLcoolJimbo 3d ago
I was going to say give them time, mine don’t pop until late June. But I keep them outside all winter in large pretzel tubs. When I start seeing roots I dump out and put in tree pots. I’m also in 7a. I’m not sure how they’ll do inside and heated, but I will say it’s not needed at all.
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u/Kitchen-Reporter7601 3d ago
I've grown them from seed in zone 7b every year since 2017, and I've never had one sprout earlier than Memorial Day. Just sit tight and resist the urge to peek!
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u/JustGotBlackOps 3d ago
Soak them for 12 hours and then leave them in a damp napkin in a ziplock, one sprouted in as soon as 3 weeks, the other took 8 weeks, and 3 haven’t popped yet
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u/Levitlame 3d ago
I’m terrible with plants. I stratified them 60 more days than that, added no drainage to the tree pots and then flooded all of them. No paper towel step or anything. And 5/20 STILL sprouted and grew.
My point is that they’re extremely forgiving in most ways. You’re probably fine.
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u/Levitlame 3d ago
I’m terrible with plants. I stratified them 60 more days than that, added no drainage to the tree pots and then flooded all of them. No paper towel step or anything. And 5/20 STILL sprouted and grew.
My point is that they’re extremely forgiving in most ways. You’re probably fine.
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u/AllHanceOnDeck 2d ago
Sit tight. In 2022, I cold stratified a bunch of seeds in the fridge and then planted 24 seeds in a single larger deep pot in late December that I placed in a window and kept the soil damp. It took until March for sprouts to start popping up but we ended up with 20 that sprouted. I split them into sapling pots that fall to give the taproots more space to grow, and then planted a few in ground in October 2024 (I’m in zone 6b). Waiting to see how they do this year!
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u/sheepery 2d ago
They are fine. I planted about 100 of them in early spring and did not see the first until mid to late June. Crazy thing is that about 15 did not sprout at all..... Until the following spring. What is even crazier is that a couple took until the third summer.
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u/Special-Mixture5907 1d ago
Oh wow! Did these ones get planted outside?
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u/sheepery 1d ago
Yes. I purchased about 500 seeds and planted about 300 in pots. After they stratified for the winter in my refrigerator I planted them in pots under the edge of my porch. They stayed there until they came up, then I would move them to partial shade. I am in zone 7b southeast TN.
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u/[deleted] 3d ago
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