Brandon7 writes: "I can't imagine why maintaining them in pots would be preferable to growing in-ground" In my experience I've found that pawpaws are more adversely affected by shipping bare-root than many other types of fruit trees - it appears that their root systems, consisting of many fine rootlets are more vulnerable to the various stresses inherent in this process, and transplantation shock to a greater or less degree is the rule. The focus should be to prevent, or if necessary, to decrease the severity of the shock. So buying container grown plants shipped in their container would be best; these can be planted directly in the ground with good results. But if the tree is sent bare-root, there will of necessity be root damage and transplantation shock, and this setback can reduce the vigor of the plant for years. The best remedy I've found to lessen the shock is to provide an optimal environment for the stressed and damaged roots to allow quick recovery. This goal is much better achieved in a pot, where growing conditions, including most importantly the medium and the moisture content, are more readily controlled. It really makes no sense to plant a struggling shocked pawpaw in topsoil with resultant loss of many of the damaged roots and prolongation of the shock state. The focus here is on the short term problem of allowing roots damaged by bare-rooting to recover; once this has occurred, evidenced by vigorous vegetative growth, the tree is ready for planting in the garden.

It could be desperately thirsty or drowned depending on the state of the soil. The symptoms are similar. Also, as you are in Canada, maybe your temps are already starting to drop at night and it's got cold? The Fuchsia in the next pot looks even sicker. They are both trained as standards. The droopy one is not dead imo and even the one which is a stick might be OK. Does it snap dryly or do the twigs bend and have green inside? You can keep them over winter in a dormant state in cool place like a porch or basement. I wouldn't attempt to keep them growing inside in winter. They're likely to end up weedy and bug ridden. Where I am I can leave them outside against the house wall covered in leaves. But I doubt that'll work for you. This post was edited by florauk on Mon, Sep 2, 13 at 17:11

The pic looks like regular P. nigra, but it's difficult to tell from that pic. How soon do the culms turn black? As Alan mentioned above, you can narrow down the varieties of nigra by looking at the mature culms, but even then the are several to choose from if they are solid black. There are a few solid black P. nigras that have different growth habits and are different in size, but geography can cause these to vary also. Is your 'timber' bamboo a clumper? Kt

TY! I knew the green ones can be brown sometimes but wasn't sure about the other way 'round. The stripe is very distinct. So do you think this was an attempt at amorous activities? I've not seen the 'raised hackles' or deepened eye sockets during such before, but have only caught that activity in person twice (when there was no question what they were doing.) You can see how into their fight they were, (or foreplay, if that's the case.) I was so close to get those pics. Took this pic 9/21, can't remember if I've showed it to you elsewhere or not. I think it had just hatched. It had grit all over it & is officially the smallest one I've seen. It was cool to the touch so I assumed that's why it was brown. Maybe it's an invader. I didn't see a stripe, but wasn't looking.