Seriously, Murky, what you just suggested is brilliant! GREAT IDEA! For one, you are 100% right, I've already got fruit tree fever bad enough that I KNOW I'm going to learn how to graft this summer! I'll probably be doing silly things like taking scion from one tree and putting it on another and vice versa, even though I'll have both varieties in full, just so I can practice and learn to graft. Second, your plan would leave me with some good sized paw paws in a few years, at which time I can 1) do what you suggested and topwork them with better variety if I need to. Also, since I have plenty of space in my "orchard" I can still buy and plant some better varieties in the next few years if I want to. Then if the seedlings don't work out, I can either cut them down or rework them. In short, your suggestion would only cost me about $30 dollars now and would give me several options in a few years, whereas if I do nothing and/or just keep looking for the "right" pawpaw, I may easily let a year or two slip by with no progress. Can I please ask one related but slightly off topic question? I have a good looking mature, but healthy, crabtree that is probably 6-8 inch diameter trunk. I'd like to topwork it into a good fruiting apple, which I've read is very possible. But here is my question....which would be FASTER (in terms of getting a good fruit producing apple tree that is producing a good crop)....topworking my crabapple or cutting it down and just planting a new, potted, 5-6 foot apple tree? On one hand, the top worked tree obviously already has a large, well developed root system that could support a new top graft. But on the other hand, a 5-7 foot tall tree that already has SOME roots that are ready to start spreading/growing seems like it is at least 2 years ahead of the small scion I'd need to graft onto the 3-4 foot stump, and there graft would take some time to heal and start growing (I assume). I've wondered about this for a long time and for other situations I have. So, in short, is it faster to plant a good, tall, root balled tree or to cut down a decent tree and top work it with new scion. (This assumes I have both available, and that the topwork graft is successful). Thanks

This is a follow up. The original post was me, but I left for a while, and when I returned, it was with a different screen name. I did wind up buying 3 paw paw trees, from a local nursery. We finalized on the place in July, so that was when I bought them. Not wanting to wait until the next year. I planted carefully, and watered every week that first summer. I was surprised they survived, but they did. The varieties were Sunflower, NC-1, and Rebecca's Gold. I since read that RG is a bad choice due to being later, didn't know that then. At the end of the trees' 3rd fall now, NC-1 grew the best, now 5 feet tall, Sunflower a bit less, 4 feet tall. RG was eaten off twice by rabbits, but has grown to all of 18 inches tall now with a protective screen in place. This spring, NC-1 and Sunflower both bloomed, but neither fruited despite my playing the fly with a paintbrush. I still don't know if they will fruit at my place in Battleground WA, but it looks promising they survived. It was very foggy when I took the photo. It gives a general idea of the tree's growth compared to other species I planted the same year.

Thank you Brady. The cuts look clean, not ragged, which is why I first thought my husband has been cutting them off, but he swears he hasn't. We have a large lot (1/2 acre), but live in the city, so it's not deer. The little trees are in our fenced backyard along a fairly shaded southern fenceline area. Our neighborhood has WAY too many squirrels and rabbits, but I haven't noticed any critters I'd suspect of doing this. The trunks on the damaged trees are between 1/2 and one inch in diameter. If I'm ever able to grow the trees to maturity, it will probably only take the squirrels a couple of years to discover the fruit. They pick everything from the 3 plum trees, 3 pear trees, 2 peach trees, 2 apple trees and mature pecan tree currently in our yard. I would suspect the neighbor, but they don't spend much time in their yard or appear interested in gardening.

vendor list: Table 3. Suppliers of pawpaw cultivars. J.S. Akin Sherwood's Greenhouses P.O. Box 6 Sibley, LA 71073 Phone: (318) 377-3653 Cultivars: Davis, Mango, Overleese, Rebecca's Gold, Sunflower, Sweet Alice, and Wilson Send Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope for price list Annie Black Hidden Springs Nursery Rt. 14, Box 159 Cookville, TN 38501 Phone (931) 268-9889 Cultivars: Sunflower and Taylor Catalog $0.40 Corwin and Letha Davis 20865 Junction Road Bellevue, MI 49021 Phone (616) 781-7402 Cultivars: Davis, Overleese, Prolific, Sunflower, Taylor, and Taytwo Include Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope. Michael Dolan Burnt Ridge Nursery and Orchards 432 Burnt Ridge Rd. Onalaska, WA 98570 Phone: (206) 985-2873 Cultivars: Sunflower and Ford Amend Send Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope for free catalog J.H. Gordon, Jr. 1385 Campbell Blvd. Amherst, NY 14228-1404 Phone (716) 691-9371 Cultivars: PA-Golden, SAA-Overleese, and SAA-Zimmerman Louisiana Nursery Rt. 7, Box 43 Opelousas, LA 70570 Phone: (318) 948-3696 Cultivars: Mitchell, Overleese, and Wilson. Catalog $5.00 Northwoods Nursery 28696 S. Cramer Rd. Molalla, OR 97038 Phone (503) 651-3737 Cultivars: Mary Foos Johnson, Prolific, Rebecca's Gold, Sunflower, and Wells Oregon Exotics Rare Fruit Nursery Jerry Black 1065 Messinger Rd. Grants Pass, OR 97527 Phone: (503) 846-7578 Cultivar: W.L.W. Mason Robert Seip Lennilea Farm Nursery R.D. 1, Box 683 Alburtis, PA 18011 Phone (215) 845-2077 Cultivars: Mango, Sunflower, and Sweet Alice see link below for info on seed propogation best, mindy www.cottonarboretum.com/ Here is a link that might be useful: good pawpaw info-purdue