American pawpaw
Asimina triloba
Also known as: Pawpaw, Common pawpaw, Hoosier banana, Custard apple (US), Indiana banana, Poor man's banana
Quick facts
- Category
- fruiting
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Days to harvest
- 1825 to 2920 days
- Harvest type
- continuous production over weeks or months
- Spacing
- 360 cm between plants
Environment
- Temperature
- -25–32°C
- pH
- 5.5 to 7
- EC (hydroponic)
- 1 to 1.6 mS/cm
- Daily light
- 12 to 22 mol/m²/day
Climate and zones
- USDA zones
- 5 to 9 (winter low around -29°C or warmer)
- Frost tolerance
- very hardy (survives deep cold)
- Season
- warm (summer crops, frost-sensitive)
Viable growing environments:
- outdoor year-round (in zone)
USDA zone bounds reflect outdoor year-round survival. Anywhere outside the bounded zone range, this crop still grows as an annual in the warm months (outdoor_seasonal), under cover (greenhouse), or indoors under lights.
Growing systems
American pawpaw works in:
- soil bed
Root mass is very heavy - thin-channel systems (NFT, vertical towers) can't hold this crop mechanically, hence the system list above.
Growing media
The substrate the roots sit in. Choice depends on the system (clay pebbles don't fit NFT channels; rockwool isn't used in media beds) and the crop (american pawpaw works in the media listed below).
| Medium | pH effect | Water retention | Bacterial surface |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soil-based mix (Potting soil) | varies by source | high | high |
Bacterial surface area matters for aquaponics: clay pebbles, lava rock, and pumice double as biofilter substrate. Low-surface media (rockwool, perlite, pea gravel) work in hydroponics but need a separate biofilter in aquaponics.
Nutrient demand by stage
NPK ratios are relative weights at each growth stage; the nutrient mix calculator scales them to absolute grams or ml. EC targets shift through the plant's life: seedlings need a much lighter solution than fruiting adults.
| Stage | N | P | K | EC target (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 for pure aquaponics. Fish waste alone doesn't provide enough of the nutrients this crop demands (typically potassium, calcium, or boron). It can be grown in a hybrid system where the reservoir is supplemented with hydroponic-style nutrients, but expect to dose actively.
Care notes
Not a practical hydroponic crop. Pawpaw is a full-sized tree (5–10 m tall at maturity) that requires years to reach fruiting age (4-8 years from seed, 2-4 from grafted nursery stock). It needs winter chill hours (400-1000 hours below 7°C) to break dormancy and set fruit, making indoor hydroponic culture impractical. Included here because the species is increasingly popular with food gardeners and permaculturists, and understanding its requirements helps aquaponics operators who might want to integrate tree crops with their outdoor systems. Pawpaw does best in rich, well-drained soil with consistent moisture (it's naturally a riparian tree). pH 5.5-7.0. Full sun to partial shade; young trees need shade protection. Tolerates USDA zones 5-9. The trees are pest-resistant and rarely need spraying. For aquaponics integration, pawpaw trees planted near (not in) outdoor aquaponics systems can benefit from the nutrient-rich water used for irrigation. Direct hydroponic culture of pawpaw is not feasible.
Notable varieties
A starting shortlist of cultivars worth knowing about. Not exhaustive: the seed catalogs list hundreds of named varieties. These are the ones home growers commonly choose between.
| 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. |
Plan a setup with American pawpaw
Verified against: u-of-kentucky-cooperative-extension, cornell-cea, kentucky-state-u-pawpaw-program. Last reviewed 2026-05-15.