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Oops...was gonna' say you must have grown up around my part of the country - but I see you're in TN.
(I'm native WV hillbilly...lol).
Yep. Grew up in Southeast Ky. My Poppy had paw paw trees all around the edge of his garden, by the creek we all played in. There was always a bunch of cousins there and we were free to eat all the paw paws we wanted. And we were told over and over not to shoot seeds at each other as, according to my mother, grandmother and various aunts, there was apparently a little boy who shot a paw paw seed at his cousin and hit him in the eye which blinded him (never explained how one seed in one eye left the kid totally blind) For the rest of his life that little boy had to help his aunt take care of his poor blind cousin all because he didn't listen when he was told not to shoot paw paw seeds.
Happily I never made the connection my mother and my aunts were going for and could hit a kid's ear and leave a mark at 20 feet.
I have a whole grove of paw paw trees, the oldest about 20 years. Every year they are covered with the little red elf hats blooms, but few set and fewer make it. I had three last year. I think they are not getting some pollinator they need.
The odd thing about Paw Paws is that they need flies to pollinate them. Bees do not go near them. Their blooms smell of rotten meat to attract the flies. The bad thing is that flies are poor pollinators. Some people put meat at the base of the tree and let it rot in order to bring more flies to the tree.
Paw Paws are actually the only tropical plant that can stand the cold and grow in north America. It is an ancient species, and that is why it is not pollinated by bees. It was a big deal during colonial times and is only now coming back into favor.
Oops...was gonna' say you must have grown up around my part of the country - but I see you're in TN.
Yep. Grew up in Southeast Ky. My Poppy had paw paw trees all around the edge of his garden, by the creek we all played in. There was always a bunch of cousins there and we were free to eat all the paw paws we wanted. And we were told over and over not to shoot seeds at each other as, according to my mother, grandmother and various aunts, there was apparently a little boy who shot a paw paw seed at his cousin and hit him in the eye which blinded him (never explained how one seed in one eye left the kid totally blind) For the rest of his life that little boy had to help his aunt take care of his poor blind cousin all because he didn't listen when he was told not to shoot paw paw seeds.
Happily I never made the connection my mother and my aunts were going for and could hit a kid's ear and leave a mark at 20 feet.
I have a whole grove of paw paw trees, the oldest about 20 years. Every year they are covered with the little red elf hats blooms, but few set and fewer make it. I had three last year. I think they are not getting some pollinator they need.
The odd thing about Paw Paws is that they need flies to pollinate them. Bees do not go near them. Their blooms smell of rotten meat to attract the flies. The bad thing is that flies are poor pollinators. Some people put meat at the base of the tree and let it rot in order to bring more flies to the tree.
Paw Paws are actually the only tropical plant that can stand the cold and grow in north America. It is an ancient species, and that is why it is not pollinated by bees. It was a big deal during colonial times and is only now coming back into favor.
