Pawpaw Trimming Guide: Learn How To Prune A Pawpaw Tree
Pawpaw trees are the most common fruit trees native to North America. These medium size hardwoods were popular fruit trees for home gardens in yesteryear, and are making a comeback in modern days. Pawpaw trees grow best in a shady location with excellent drainage. Pawpaw pruning may sometimes be useful but it is not an essential. To find out if and when you should cut back pawpaw trees, read on.
About Pawpaw Tree Pruning
Pruning pawpaw trees is not something a gardener should worry about on a daily basis. These are native trees. They have been growing in the wild in bottomlands and along creek banks for centuries without assistance, staying healthy and producing fruit. Pawpaws in the wild are usually understory trees, slender trees with slender branches widely spaced. In sunny locations, they are shorter and denser. While pawpaw trimming can assist in keeping your tree healthy, pruning pawpaw trees should be done sparingly.
When to Cut Back Pawpaw Trees
Consider undertaking pawpaw tree pruning on an annual basis. The best time to do this is during the tree’s annual dormancy, in late winter or early spring. The primary reason to cut back pawpaw trees is to remove branches that might cause problems. For example, dead or diseased branches can fall, injuring the bark on the pawpaw trunk. Removing problem branches will assist your tree to thrive. However, you may also want to cut back pawpaw trees to shape them. Pawpaw trimming can also help a tree produce more fruit.
How to Prune a Pawpaw
If you are wondering how to prune a pawpaw, it should be done with sharp pruners or else with a limb lopper. Which tool to use depends on the size of the branches involved in pawpaw trimming. The first step in pawpaw pruning is to identify all problem branches. These include dead, diseased or broken branches. Crossing branches can also present a problem, since they may rub on each other. Pruning pawpaw trees can also stimulate new growth on older trees. Since the fruit appears on new growth, an annual pruning can result in more of the sweet fruit. To accomplish this, consider pruning pawpaw trees to remove older, less productive branches.
Gardening tips, videos, info and more delivered right to your inbox!
Sign up for the Gardening Know How newsletter today and receive a free download of our DIY eBook "Bring Your Garden Indoors: 13 DIY Projects For Fall And Winter".
Teo Spengler has been gardening for 30 years. She is a docent at the San Francisco Botanical Garden. Her passion is trees, 250 of which she has planted on her land in France.
-
Electric Composter Guide: Are Countertop Food Recyclers The Future Of Sustainability?
Discover how electric composters work, their benefits and limitations – and whether they're worth the investment as a sustainable easy win.
By Melanie Griffiths
-
Coco & Seed - Garden Kits Made Beautiful
Give people a gift they actually want - easy to grow and easier to harvest garden kits from woman-owned small business Coco & Seed.
By Caroline Bloomfield
-
Pawpaw Pie - Dessert Ideas To Use Pawpaw Fruit This Thanksgiving
The bold flavors in pawpaws make excellent desserts. If you are new to this fruit, learn how to prepare it for a variety of delicious recipes.
By Bonnie L. Grant
-
How To Plant Pawpaw Tree Seeds: Tips For Germinating Pawpaw Seeds
With the many dark brown seeds produced in each pawpaw fruit, gardeners may naturally wonder: Can you grow a pawpaw tree from seed? Click on the following article to learn how to plant pawpaw tree seeds.
By Darcy Larum
-
Suckering Pawpaw Trees: What To Do With Pawpaw Suckers
With pawpaw seed propagation, a slow and demanding activity, many gardeners may wonder, "Should I keep my pawpaw tree suckers for propagation instead?". This article will answer that question, as well as other questions about pawpaw sucker maintenance.
By Darcy Larum
-
What Sex Are Pawpaw Flowers: How To Tell Sex In Pawpaw Trees
One reason this delicacy is not commercially grown has to do with pawpaw flower sex. It is difficult to know what sex pawpaw flowers are. Are pawpaws monoecious or dioecious? Is there a way to tell the sex in pawpaw trees? This article will help address the issue.
By Amy Grant
-
Using Pawpaw As Cancer Treatment: How Does Pawpaw Fight Cancer
Natural remedies have been around for as long as humans. For most of history, in fact, they were the only remedies. Every day new ones are being discovered or rediscovered. Click here to learn more about pawpaw herbal medicine, specifically using pawpaws for cancer treatment.
By Liz Baessler
-
Tips For Propagating Pawpaws – How To Propagate A Pawpaw Tree
The pawpaw is a strange fruit that deserves more attention. Reportedly Thomas Jefferson's favorite fruit, this North American native sprouts up in groves in the wild. But what if you want one in your own backyard? Click here to learn more about pawpaw tree reproduction.
By Liz Baessler
-
Do Deer Eat Pawpaws – Tips For Keeping Deer Out Of Pawpaw Trees
I have been considering planting and growing pawpaw trees, but I have a bit of trepidation about the whole deer issue. Are pawpaws deer resistant? Is there a way of keeping deer out of pawpaw trees? Let's find out more together in this article.
By Shelley Pierce
-
Pawpaw Cutting Propagation: Tips On Rooting Pawpaw Cuttings
The pawpaw is a tasty and unusual fruit. But the fruits are rarely sold in stores, so if there are no wild trees in your area, the only way to get the fruit is usually to grow it yourself. A common question is if you can propagate the tree from cuttings. Find out here.
By Ilana Goldowitz Jimenez