American pawpaw
Asimina triloba
Also known asPawpaw · Common pawpaw · Hoosier banana · Custard apple (US) · Indiana banana · Poor man's banana
Environment
The bounded range this crop tolerates.
Climate and zones
- USDA zones
- 5–8 (winter low around -29°C)
- Frost
- very hardy (survives deep cold)
- Season
- warm (summer, frost-sensitive)
Growing systems
Root mass: very heavy. Thin-channel systems can't hold this crop.
Growing media
| Medium | pH effect | Retention | Bacterial surface |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soil-based mix (Potting soil) | varies | high | high |
Nutrient demand by stage
NPK ratios are relative weights. EC targets shift through the plant's life.
| Stage | N | P | K | EC (mS/cm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| seedling | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.7 |
| vegetative | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1.3 |
| flowering | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1.4 |
| fruiting | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1.4 |
Aquaponics suitability
Not recommended
Fish waste alone doesn't supply enough of what this crop demands. Grows in hybrid systems with supplemental dosing, but expect active management.
Care notes
Not a hydroponic crop. Pawpaw is a full tree, 5–10 m at maturity, and takes years to fruit, about four to eight from seed or two to four from a grafted nursery tree. It needs a real winter to break dormancy and set fruit, so indoor culture is not workable. It is listed here because food gardeners and permaculture growers increasingly plant it, and outdoor aquaponics operators sometimes want tree crops nearby. It prefers rich, well-drained soil with steady moisture, in keeping with its riparian origins, at pH 5.5-7.0. Give full sun for best fruiting, though seedlings want shade their first year or two. It suits USDA zones 5 through 8. The trees are notably pest-resistant and rarely need spraying. Planted beside, not inside, an outdoor aquaponics setup, pawpaw can be irrigated with the system's nutrient-rich water. Growing it directly in a soilless system is not feasible.
Notable varieties
| Cultivar | Type | Days | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunflower | open pollinated | 1825 | Kansas cultivar, 1970 selection. Large yellow-fleshed fruit with few seeds, sweet aromatic flavor. Reported self-fertile (unusual for pawpaw), but still produces more reliably with a pollinator partner. The most popular home-orchard cultivar. |
| Shenandoah | open pollinated | 1825 | Kentucky State University pawpaw program release. Mild custard flavor, low seed count, good for people new to pawpaw who find traditional cultivars too tropical-tasting. Zones 5-8. |
| NC-1 | open pollinated | 1825 | Canadian cold-hardy selection from Douglas Farms, Ontario. Earlier ripening than most cultivars, useful for short-season climates. Zones 4-7. Medium-sized fruit, yellow flesh. |
| Susquehanna | open pollinated | 1825 | Penn State release. Large fruit (300-400 g), low seed count, considered one of the best-flavored cultivars. Slightly later ripening than Sunflower. Zones 5-8. |