Some of the seedlings I'm keeping inside are showing something similar. But none of the outdoor ones are....they are getting the typical yellow leaves.

I'm guessing you're seedling is starting to go dormant for winter. My theory: When they are inside at this time of year, the short daylength is telling them that fall is coming, but the warm temperature tells them otherwise, and this results in an uncoordinated entry into dormancy. This weekend I will move my indoor seedlings to a shady spot outside so they get cold and go dormant.

If you've got a spot ready, planting it in the ground now will simplify winter care. It seems like keeping trees in pots over the winter is a balancing act between too wet and too dry.

Interesting pot, seems like the narrow opening on top will make it tricky to get the tree out?

Alex

As sorry I am to hear you're having the same occurrence, I'm glad someones on the same boat.

That's an interesting theory and makes complete sense to me. But my plant isn't affected by the day light, I have it under artificial light from about 6am-9pm. Which is probably a bit much now that I think about it.. So do think your theory would still be correct in my case? I mean there is a window in the same room as it, so I guess it gets some very indirect sunlight, but I wouldn't think that would be enough to affect anything.

I will probably just go plant it outside, I got a spot for it I think. But haha yeah it is quite the pot.. it was the only thing I could find around the house that could accommodate the pawpaws long taproot and have holes easily poked in the bottom for drainage. But yes it should be fun trying to get the seedlings out with the dirt intact haha. Probably will end up trimming the can down.

The artificial light should be telling the tree that it's still summer....for my idea to be correct, the plant would have to be getting some signal that fall is here. If the room is getting cooler with the weather for example. Who knows, maybe paw paws have a seasonal circadian rhythm or can count the months somehow.

Alex

I have an small pawpaw outdoors but I am not an expert about it.
Leaf symptoms are shared by many plants. The leaf in the picture seems to be a drought stress.
Unfortunately, the signs for too much water can be the same as the signs of too little water, but according to your words I opt for the drought stress.
Is the artificial light very near the plant?
Is any heating radiator near the plant?
Pawpaws are hardy plants and, at the current date, it should be outdoor, acclimating to cool temperatures and short length days. It is not good for a hardy deciduous plant to be indoor in winter. It needs cold in winter.

The leaves on all my seedlings have fallen off already...they started falling a couple weeks ago. I have some oak tree seedlings and they seemed to have dropped around the same time.

Yeah I get what you mean Alex, but it really isn't affected by ANY outdoor elements. So who knows. But I did go ahead and plant it outside.

And axier, it is about a foot away from artifical light. There is no heating radiator nearby.