Pawpaw (275-56)

$39.99

275-56 is the one pawpaw growers call Benny’s Favorite: medium fruit of 6 to 8 oz with excellent sweet flavor and a smooth, creamy texture. It ripens mid to late in the season.

Sweet flavor and smooth, creamy flesh, which is the whole point of a pawpaw.
Medium fruit, about 6 to 8 oz, on a tree of 15 to 20 ft.
A Jerry Lehman cross of Prolific and Sam Norris-15, out of Indiana.
Ripens mid to late season, September into October.
Needs a second, genetically distinct pawpaw to set fruit.

Arrives healthy, guaranteed. Problem within 14 days? Send a photo and we replace it or credit you.

Ships in 1 to 4 business days from our nursery in Washington state, in a 36 inch box.

Description

Jerry Lehman grew out more than five hundred pawpaw seedlings on his farm at Terre Haute and put his name to only a handful of them. 275-56 is one, a cross of Prolific and Sam Norris-15, and growers know it as Benny’s Favorite.

The fruit is medium, around 6 to 8 oz, and what it is grown for is the eating: sweet, smooth and creamy, the custard texture that makes people plant a pawpaw in the first place. It comes in mid to late in the season, and the tree stays at 15 to 20 ft and takes pruning well, so the crop can be kept within reach.

Overview

Excellent sweet flavor with smooth, creamy flesh.
Medium fruit, about 6 to 8 oz.
A Jerry Lehman cross of Prolific and Sam Norris-15.
Mid to late season on a 15 to 20 ft tree.

Growing Details

Latin Name: Asimina triloba ‘275-56’
Site and Soil: 1/2 day to full day of sun; well-drained soil with steady moisture
Hardiness: Hardy to USDA Zone 5
Rootstock: Grafted onto pawpaw seedling rootstock
Bearing Age: 3 to 5 years after planting
Size at Maturity: 15 to 20 ft tall and wide, manageable with light pruning
Ripening Time: Mid to late season; September into October
Pollination: Needs a second, genetically distinct pawpaw within about 30 ft
Pests & Diseases: Few problems; deer and most insects leave the foliage alone

Additional Notes

Grower’s Insight: Head the tree at 8 to 10 ft while it is young. A pawpaw left alone puts its best fruit where you cannot reach it.
Regional Insight: Pawpaw wants warm summers to finish its fruit, and young trees do best with some shade for their first two years before they take full sun.
Explore more pawpaw trees in our collection: Pawpaw Trees

Planting & Care

At a Glance – 275-56 Pawpaw

Sun: 1/2 day to full day of sun
Soil: Well-drained soil that never dries out hard
Water: Steady moisture, especially for the first two summers
Size: 15 to 20 ft tall and wide, manageable with light pruning
Pollination: Needs a second, genetically distinct pawpaw within about 30 ft
Harvest: Early fall
Hardiness: Hardy to USDA Zone 5

Planting & Care – 275-56 Pawpaw

Site Selection

Full sun ripens the heaviest crops once the tree is established.
Give young trees light shade for their first two years.
Shelter from hard wind; the leaves are large and tear.

Soil Preparation

Well-drained ground that stays evenly moist suits it best.
Work in compost, and mulch to hold that moisture steady.

Planting Instructions

Dig a hole twice the width of the root ball and no deeper.
Handle the roots gently; pawpaw roots are brittle and resent disturbance.
Keep the graft union a few inches clear of the soil line.
Backfill, firm gently, and water thoroughly.

Watering & Fertilizing

Never let a young tree dry out; that is the commonest cause of loss.
Water deeply through the first three summers.
Feed lightly in early spring once it is growing away.

Pollination

Needs a second, genetically distinct pawpaw within about 30 ft.
Pawpaws are pollinated by flies and beetles, not bees; the trees must be close.
A soft brush moved between two trees at bloom lifts the set a long way.

Pruning & Training

Head the tree at 8 to 10 ft while it is young, and take off suckers.
Thin heavy clusters so the tree carries fewer, larger fruit.

Harvest & Use

Pick when the fruit softens and comes away at a touch.
Eat fresh with a spoon, or freeze the pulp for baking.

General Tips

Ripe fruit keeps only a few days; refrigerate it or freeze the pulp.

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