How to Graft Pawpaw
Pawpaw is a perennial shrub that is considered a tree by most. It is known botanically as asimina, and in common parlance in different locales as prairie banana, Hoosier banana, Kentucky Banana, Michigan banana, Missouri banana and Ozark banana. Mature pawpaws can grow to 40 feet tall, with deciduous varieties in colder climates and perennials in warmer, southern climates. Pawpaw is grown for its buttery fruit, which matures in late summer or fall, and is technically a large edible berry that grows up to 7 inches in length and 2 inches in width. Its flavor is like a combination of mango and banana, and the fruit is ripe when the green skin turns yellow or brown. Pawpaw is most commonly grafted with a whip grafting method that only requires a few basic tools and grafting supplies. Collect scion wood in the winter and store it in the refrigerator until grafting in early spring, after any threat of frost has passed. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Pawpaw stem scion cuttings
- Sealable plastic bag
- Root-stock tree
- Grafting wax
- Grafting tape or rubber bands
- Sharp, clean knife
- Screwdriver or grafting tool
Instructions
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Harvest your pawpaw scions in the winter or early spring, when temperatures have been above freezing for at least 48 hours. Look for straight, smooth branches with healthy, round buds that are 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter. Make sure each scion length has at least three buds, and is between 10 and 12 inches long. Allow at least three scions per graft. Make the cuts with clean, sharp secateurs.
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Wrap the cut scions in a damp (not wet) paper towel and place in an air-tight resealable plastic bag. Store in the refrigerator crisper drawer until you are ready to graft. Check the paper towel every week or so, and do not allow it to dry out completely. Do not over wet the paper towel, or add water to the bag, as this can encourage mold.
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Cut a 2 1/2 inch long, narrow, V-shaped slice out of the top edge of the rootstock and a matching cut on the bottom of the scion with your knife so that they fit together snugly. Apply warm (not hot) melted grafting wax over the scion and stock graft, sealing all open wounds on the wood. Repeat this process two more times on the same stock so that you have three scions grafted onto the root stock and spaced evenly around the root stock.
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Allow the wax to cool and set, then apply grafting tape or grafting rubber banding all the way around the root stock, binding the base of the grafts to the root stock to stabilize them in place. Check the grafts at least once a week to ensure that the wax is still in place, completely sealing the graft, and that the scions have not been knocked out of place.
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Allow the scions to merge with the root stock plant for a year, or so. Prune back one or two of the scion grafts, leaving the third to be the main trunk of the new pawpaw. Consistently water and fertilize the root stock base.
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Tips & Warnings
Pawpaw tends to colonize easily, creating dense thickets if left completely in its natural state. Occasional maintenance pruning will help prevent excessive overgrowth that may affect fruiting and harvest access over time.
References
- Photo Credit Scott Bauer, USDA
