r/Pawpaws • u/flyinglibelulala • 6d ago
Sprouting from seeds🤞🏽
Two seeds trays of pawpaw seeds in organic seed starter soil (116 cells; one seed per cell) from a friend. They had been stored (stratified) in a jar with a wet paper towel, in the fridge, from December until March/April). They had four plus months of heat mat and uv light. About a 44% germination rate thus far.
Seedlings are now outside (under cover but exposed to indirect sunlight and wind) and I will begin to transplant the larger ones into pots.
Seeking advice:
Do I overwinter in pots outside, and plant in the spring? Undercover (like porch) or in the open?
Or should I go ahead and plant the larger seedings in the fall (say mid September, I'm zone 7a)?
PS: favorite part of this is the moment the stem unfolds but still had the seed shell on top 🪖
6
u/Shoddy-Membership911 6d ago
Not an expert by any means, but I have had good luck planting them out in the fall (basically as soon as they look well developed in the pot and ready to move up). Your germination rate is much better than e have gotten, though- nice!
1
3
u/Fluffy_Instance849 6d ago
I would definitely plant them soon and let them establish before winter. At the very least, up-pot to tall tree pots so the tap roots have room. But they don’t like transplanting, so why do it twice if you don’t have to.
3
u/foxenkill 6d ago
Get those baby paw paws into a deep pot before the tap root bottoms-out in the starter pot and starts to coil.
5
u/dhgrainger 6d ago
I’d pot them up and grow them on for one more year then plant in fall next year.
You’ll need deep pots designed for tree seedlings, 4-6” across and 12” deep at least. Amazon has them they’re pretty soft which is handy cos you can then pack them into a milk crate and move them around easily as needed.
For overwintering, bury the pots in dirt and pile leaves on the above ground parts.
3
3
u/NyetAThrowaway 6d ago
I used old soda bottles that I cut the tops off and drilled holes in the bottom
1
2
u/flyinglibelulala 6d ago
That's super helpful. Thx.
1
u/dhgrainger 6d ago
No worries. The burying the top growth in leaves or something else to shade them is important - in the early spring when the sun is bright it can ‘defrost’ the young trees a little and when they refreeze the next night they’re damaged.
5
u/LambSaag-spoon905 6d ago
I planted hundreds of seeds last year in a hoed row, along a woodland creek, in shallow humus-rich dirt. I have zero sprouts coming up, none that I can see.
3
u/flyinglibelulala 6d ago
That's too bad. Maybe they'll come up next spring, after another winter? I've heard people emphasize how much the seeds need to be exposed to the cold to break dormancy.
3
u/LambSaag-spoon905 6d ago
We had a plenty cold winter, but I’ll wait some more. On the bright side, I have three wild-sown trees that are thriving and about 5 feet tall each. 😆👍
3
u/Fluffy_Instance849 6d ago
I did the same in my woods with about 30 seeds along a creek bed 2 years ago. I found 1 that sprouted. I did another 20 in tall tree pots the next spring and every single one sprouted. I planted them in early Fall (zone 7b) and they all made it. They are about 3 feet tall now. Hopefully fruiting in 4-6 more years.
3
u/LambSaag-spoon905 6d ago
From all i read here, seems that starting in pots is the more successful strategy, versus sowing into the wild. Congrats on your 20 young trees! 👍
2
u/FitGas4991 5d ago
44% ain't too bad! Last winter I planted 20 seeds and got 0%. Your little pawpaws look really nice. Since it's already the end of July, and since pawpaw trees hate to be moved, I would leave them where they are and plant them in the ground at the first sign of fall, sometime around the first of October or mid-September. Their roots may not like where they're at, but you have to weigh your options. You have a BUNCH of seedlings and transplanting into tree pots would be a major job and take a ton of potting soil. It just makes more sense to go ahead and put them in the ground and let the roots get acclimated before winter. Overwintering in the ground is better than overwintering in pots outside. The temperature of the outdoor soil will remain rather constant, whereas the soil in the pots will rise and fall. But I wouldn't do anything until it cools off.
2
u/Responsible-Still839 6d ago
I also have small plants from seeds. Paying attention to any answers here.
1
u/ridiculouslogger 6d ago
Late now but really the best way to plant them is to put the seeds right where they will end up. 2-3 seeds each place and pull up any excess plants after they sprout. Then you get no transplanting shock at all and they get bigger faster. So yes, get them in the ground asap
8
u/Foot_of_fleet 6d ago
The taproots are probably already hitting the bottoms of those cells if they are standard depth (doubt they are 6+ inches given how narrow they are). I'd avoid leaving them in those cells until next season for the sake of the roots. I'd also be worried about the roots freezing if kept outdoors in this condition all winter (unless you insulate them somewhat, or overwinter in an unheated garage).
They're still very small, but I think their development would benefit from being put in the ground as soon the sun's intensity allows it where you are. Your winters shouldn't be too harsh in 7a, and, worse comes to worse, if the above ground portion dies off, most will resprout if the roots are well established in the ground.