Well, it sort of depends on the quality of the plant. I bought some years ago from a mass-market type mail order nursery, and they were pathetic little shoots with minimal to no root system, and they didn't take. I got some from a much more reputable specialty nursery that also came bareroot, but had a good root system with a lot of fine feeder roots, and these took and did fine, and buds are now breaking on them. I've also dug up and spread around a lot of the suckers produced by my two mature trees, and they generally take as long as you get at least four or five inches of the taproot that comes off of the parent root. Personally, I don't see a problem planting them in the wet ground, I think that actually would help them to get established, since drying out would be the main reason for failure, assuming the plants were sound to begin with. I would just augment the native soil with some good compost and sand, and go for it. However, if you want to pot them up, that will work just fine, too. I've done this three or four times for friends, using a standard soilless potting mix, and letting them get established for a year prior to giving them away. So, whatever you think will work best for you. Dennis SE Michigan

I agree pawpaws are generally slow growing and I also have found the variety 'mango' to be the fastest growing variety, it grows much faster than others. I have had pretty good luck using fish emulsion every 2-3 weeks and keeping the trees mulched heavily with organic mulch of some kind and kept watered well, at least an inch per week. I also heavily amend my soil when planting with well rotted compost and/or manure. I have red clay but I think this would be just as beneficial in a sandy soil too.

I have 2 big, old trees and a lot of their suckers that have been grafted with different varieties. This is the first year that some of the grafted branches have set fruit. Of the different varieties here, Wabash has been the one that I prefer. I will soon be sampling some new ones to see if they compare well or not. You can send me an email to get the phone if you want to either check out the trees or fruit. Although some people LOVE pawpaw fruit, others have a problem with the smell or taste. If I were you, I would try to test drive the auto before buying it.

I don't know about clay but our vet let us know that the place that cremated our Chelsea when she died would make a paw print in plaster of paris for us at a small cost. They put it in a nice double frame. You can buy plaster of paris at Michaels or other craft stores. It isn't hard to do, I have used it for children's handprints before. I read about your loss. I hope you find out why you lost her.