COOPERATIVE KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY FACT SHEET
Information about the Kentucky State University Cooperative Extension Program 2020
Sheri Crabtree, Horticulture Research and Extension Associate Dr. Kirk Pomper, Interim Dean, College of Agriculture, Communities, and the Environment, Land Grant Director
“Where, oh where, is dear little Nellie? Way down, yonder in the pawpaw patch.” This traditional American folk song was quite popular once, and fall hunting for pawpaws in the woods is still a cherished tradition for many families in Kentucky. In 1990, Kentucky State University (KYSU) began a research program with the aim of developing pawpaw as a new tree-fruit crop for Kentucky. With a unique mango, banana, and pineapple flavor, and a tropical fruit-like aroma, this fruit has fresh market appeal for farmers’ markets and direct sales to restaurants, and processing potential for the orange-yellow pulp to be used as an ingredient in gourmet items such as ice cream, wine, and pies. Pawpaws are found throughout Kentucky’s forests as a native understory tree, often along streams and rivers. The trees produce root suckers, forming large patches of often over 500 stems. Patches serve an important role in ecosystems around rivers and streams, providing fruit and cover for animals (deer, raccoons, squirrels, etc.), reducing erosion, and enhancing insect biodiversity. Zebra swallowtail butterfly larvae feed exclusively on pawpaw foliage. If you are a woodland owner in Kentucky, you may want to consider either: 1) planting pawpaw seedlings to assist in erosion control, attract wildlife, and diversify your current woodlands area, or 2) planting grafted pawpaw varieties in an orchard adjoining your current woodland area or timber planting.
Native pawpaw patch near stream.
For a woodland planting site, pawpaws will thrive in areas with well-drained soils that are often moist, especially near streams, but are not frequently waterlogged. Pawpaw orchards should be planted in well-drained soils in areas near woodlands or timber plantings which will serve as windbreaks for the orchard. Pawpaws will grow in shaded areas; however, fruit production will be greatest in areas of full sun. Fruit set can be low in native patches due to shading, lack of pollinators (flies), and failure of cross pollination (which requires at least two genetically different pawpaw trees). Low areas in valleys have poor air drainage and pooling of cold air can lead to spring frost damage to pawpaw flowers in April and May and cause crop failure.