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

In other words you want to know of any success stories buying chance seedlings. I bought 2 healthy paw paw seedlings from a nursery at a farmers market. It was a decision I would never regret. It was said that they were selected from commercial parents and would probably be okay. When they grew and fruited I became impressed with the one that didn't have so many seeds and ripened so early. So in Sept last year I lined some up and took pictures and e-mailed them back to the nursery. Early Okay Paw Paw I know you can't see the seeds. At the time I never thought to open one because I never knew until October the other one had so many. It was when I was home (SW Washington state) from Alaska.

I can't help you but I would like to do the same thing. I planted two paw paws about three years ago and they are the same size as when I planted them. Obviously, they must be unhappy, but I put them at the edge of the woods because they are supposed to be understory trees. Also, they are supposed to be native to my neck of the woods. I have never seen nor tasted a paw paw. Looks like I won't be getting any fruit from my little sticks for a long time. What have I done wrong??

shelma, NJ is definitely within the original native range of A.triloba. I'm pretty sure I've seen some articles mentioning that in suburban areas of the northeast - and I'm thinking that the one I read was specifically regarding an area of NJ, that virtually all understory plants have been virtually decimated by the overpopulation of whitetail deer...except for pawpaw, which is not on their 'desired' browse list. Perhaps you just don't recognize them... I spent my youth ranging the forests of Alabama, and never knew what a pawpaw was... became interested in them in my late 30s... when someone finally pointed one out to me... I'd been seeing them all my life, but just didn't recognize them for what they were- and had never noticed one with fruits. Pawpaw