Maria's Joy Pawpaws Description

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Maria's Joy Pawpaws are of excellent quality. Winner of many pawpaw contests over the years. Maria's Joy Pawpaws won for texture, taste and size. More cold hardy than the average Asimina Triloba, mid ripening and proven in UK climates! Considered not only one of the best cultivars in general Maria's Joy Pawpaws  also have good potential for developing other superior cultivars. Fruit texture and flavour is of excellent quality, buttery with a bubblegum flavour and very sweet.

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Pollination: Other freestone pawpaw or any other grafted or seedling pawpaw tree will pollinate. For good pollination, plant trees 8-15 ft away from each other only. Pawpaws are not male and female, but rather have “male and female” flower parts on each flower. Every tree is capable of bearing fruit if pollinated well with pollen from another genetically different pawpaw tree. Hand pollination results in heaviest fruit set.

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Pawpaws are generally remarkably disease and insect resistant. See our pawpaw growing article for full information.

Ripening of Maria's Joy Pawpaws Mid/late Season. 

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Site requirements: Full sun location for best fruit production. Pawpaws will grow in shade but produce much less fruit. Pawpaws tolerate a range of soil types provided the planting location is well drained and there is heavy mulch and plenty of fertilizer and water. Protected locations, such as on the South, East or West side of a building is ideal on very windy sites.

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Maria's Joy Pawpaw size at maturity: 15-20′ tall and wide, depending on location, care and pruning to reduce height. We recommend heading them at about 10″ and removing suckers, both of which keep the trees very manageable and small.

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We are often asked "What is the best tasting pawpaw?". There is no definitive answer to this question, it depends on your climate and individual taste buds! 

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Pawpaws (Asimina Triloba) are related to custard apples and cherimoya, in the sugar apple family, and yet they grow in the temperate zone, having moved north as Ice Age glaciers receded. Flavours of mango, melon, banana, raspberry and pineapple come from this creamy fruit. Like many fruits, if you don’t know what you’re doing and you let them get bruised, or you pick them under-ripe they won't taste very good!

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Other cultivars worth growing include: British Bulldog, Summer Delight, Honeydew, Kentucky Champ, Prince Caspian, Marshmallow, Halvin, Benson, Chappell, Overleese Pawpaws, Lehman's Delight and Prima 1216. Some later variety pawpaws include Tropical Treat Pawpaws and Sunflower Pawpaws.

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Flowers: Dormant, velvety, dark brown flower buds develop in the axils of the previous years' leaves. They produce maroon, upside-down flowers up to 2 inches across. The normal bloom period consists of about 6 weeks during March to May depending on variety, latitude and climatic conditions. The blossom consists of 2 whorls of 3 petals each, and the calyx has 3 sepals. Each flower contains several ovaries which explains why a single flower can produce multiple fruits.