The American Pawpaw is a cold hardy fruit native to North America. It is perhaps one of the most cold tolerant tropical-tasting fruits around. Flavour varies fruit to fruit but it generally tastes somewhere between a mango and a banana. It grows with ease in almost all of New Zealand when provided with reasonable drainage and shade while young.
Taste: Pawpaw generally tastes like a mix of pineapple, banana and mangoes. It has a creamy custard-like texture. The exact taste varies between trees and people; however, most people love them and almost all trees grown from good seed will make a tasty fruit.
Time to fruiting: Pawpaw trees grown from seed generally take 5-7 years.
Pollination: Two trees are required for cross-pollination. Single trees may not be very productive.
Preferred conditions: These are commonly started in deep pots for a year or two (to accommodate the long taproot) or directly sown into the ground and protected from direct sun in the first couple years. These will tolerate clay but prefer well-draining soils and can tolerate heavy shade but will fruit more with a higher level of sun. Avoid starting these trees in full sun; they will grow much better in shade to begin with.
Cold tolerance: High. These trees go dormant through the winter and require a degree of coldness to fruit (though there are very productive trees in Northland). They enjoy cold winters and hot summers.
Maintenance: The tree grows into an upright pyramidal shape and requires little pruning except to your desired size. This is best done while the tree is dormant for the winter.
Plants in New Zealand are capable of being highly productive and producing sweet, delicious fruits under the right conditions. They can be planted in the ground where drainage is perfect and there is full-sun, with no risk of frost. If perfect drainage or a frost-free environment cannot be provided, dwarf papayas are an excellent option to grow in a container. These low-bearing types can begin fruiting at as little as 60-70cm which makes them a great container grower — simply move the plant to shelter when winter begins, then back again in spring for fruit production.
Transplanting: Once the seedling has formed good roots in its current pot (you will usually see roots coming out the bottom) then you can gently transfer it to a larger container or plant it out if the season is right (Spring or Summer). Be sure not to upsize it too much, a larger container can stay wet too long potentially causing overwatering-related issues. Papaya love water but they should dry out moderately between watering.
Climate: In warmer areas of the North Island they may be planted outside if in a draining position and protected from frost. Places protected from the excess winter rain will do best as our rainy winters plus cold often kill them – they can usually survive the cold, but not cold and super wet conditions together. If your climate is not ideal or your soil does not drain very well then I would highly recommend growing in a pot/container. These varieties are low-bearing and are suited for this.
Pollination: The seeds we plant are especially from hermaphrodite fruit – this means, roughly, 66% should be hermaphrodite (both male and female on the same plant) and 33% should be female. Both are capable of holding fruit, but a female will not fruit on its own without a hermaphrodite nearby. For this reason, you should plant at least 2-3 trees (papaya of any variety, including mountain pawpaw and oak leaf, can cross-pollinate).
Container growing: The key to container growing is to not overwater, especially when you have just up potted it and the roots haven’t had a chance to settle in. Water only when the soil appears dry; you can try poking your finger in the soil if uncertain and if it feels too moist then leave it a day or two. A pot provides the opportunity for excellent drainage which can be provided by using a quality potting mix of personal preference. Slowly upsize your papaya as it grows, they can eventually fruit well in a 30 litre, 50 litre, or larger container. You can fertilise with what you would for a normal fruit tree – I personally use slow-release fertilisers available at most garden-related stores as these typically can feed the trees for 6 months at a time making it very easy.
How long does it take to fruit? Flowers should appear at approx. 70cm (about 9 months). The best fruit is usually developed during spring/summer. Winter fruits can often fall off prematurely or not reach a desired sweetness and are best used for salads while green.
Dwarf (low-bearing) varieties we grow:
Red Lady 786 F1: Our most popular variety. Deep red flesh, very sweet mild flavour. Flowers around 70cm. Reportedly slightly more cold tolerant than other types.
Tainung #2 F1: Produces long and narrow sweet, yellow-fleshed fruits. Thai origin, flowers around 70cm.
Hawaiian Solo Sunset: One of the sweetest, pink fleshed, small fruit. Flowers around 70-80cm.
Red Nemesis F1: Similar to Red Lady but has a stronger flavour and reportedly more disease resistance. Flowers around 70cm.
Waimanalo: Produces very small, extra sweet fruits with a deep-yellow flesh. Hawaiian origin, flowers around 70cm.
Flowers beginning to form on one of our Red Lady plants at just 60cm in height:
Below: basic example of a structure to prevent rot due to excess rain during winter, using cheap polycarbonate roofing panels and PVC pipe.
Jackfruit has been successfully fruited in the North Island by numerous people. The trees thrive in a frost-free, full sun and excellent free-draining soil. In the absence of all these conditions, plants should instead be grown inside greenhouses or containers and moved to a protected spot over winter. Ideally, seedlings of small fruited and/or early flowering types are best suited to our climate — for their ability to maximise our subtropical weather. Some large fruited selections have been known to have issues bringing fruit to maturity.
Soil requirements: Jackfruit is not particularly fussy when it comes to soil, provided that drainage is adequate. Like many trees, poor-draining and waterlogged soils can be deadly – container growing is recommended in these cases. Otherwise, any rich soil, clay or sandy/loamy soil will suffice. If growing in a container/pot any well-draining potting mix is suitable. Try not to put it into a super large container immediately as they may hold too much water. Gradually pot it up, for example going from its current pot to one that is around 15L.
Sun requirements: Full-sun is much preferred though they can tolerate some degree of shade, fruit production would be reduced. These seedlings have been acclimated to full sun already but their young trunks can get a ‘sun tan’ fairly easily which won’t do any harm to the tree unless very prolonged – try and angle the tree in a position that the top gets full sun but the sides may be protected if this occurs, such as between two plants.
Cold hardiness: They can be hardy down to approximately 0c, however around this range some leaf drop is likely to occur. Younger seedlings will not tolerate frost, but they become more tolerant as the trees mature and therefore could be suitable for planting in the ground after being container grown for a few years in many locations. Container growing can assist as they can be moved inside, into a garage or more sheltered position when extreme cold is to be expected while young seedlings.
Time to fruiting: Jackfruit are fast fruiters from seed compared to most fruit trees. They can set fruit in as little as 3 years (likely 4-5 in NZ). They may fruit faster or slower depending on your location and degree of warmth/container size/planting spot.
Pollination: These trees are self-fertile, but cross-pollination with another tree could increase fruit set but is definitely not required. This is because every single tree contains both male and female flowers (with the females developing into fruit, if pollinated by a male).
Varieties we grow:
Black Gold: Enhanced cold tolerance, dwarf growth habit, firm yellow-fleshed fruit weighing around 6 kilos.
Gold Nugget: Dwarf growth habit, firm yellow-fleshed fruit weighing around 3 kilos.
Nangka Mini: Known for its ability to fruit young, with fruit as little as 1 kilo! Pictured below.
Amber: High quality orange-fleshed selection, makes small-medium sized crunchy fruit. Very highly regarded.
J33: Also known as the honey jackfruit. One of the sweetest types, early flowering, reportedly cold tolerant. Medium-large fruits from around 7-20 kilos, but unlikely to reach that size in New Zealand.
Below: a gold nugget fruit we harvested seeds from, weighing around just 2 kilos.
Despite its very tropical looks, it is a plant that is well-adapted to growing in subtropical climates. Aside from frost protection, excellent draining potting mix or soil is the key to them thriving in the warmer months and surviving the wet and cold winters. I personally know of trees fruiting in Gisborne, Tauranga, Auckland, Kerikeri and of course in the Far North. In colder regions we HIGHLY recommend growing these in containers.
Sun: Starfruit can tolerate full sun to semi-heavy shade. Trees in heavy shade seem to fruit quite well but fruit production is heavier in full sun. They benefit from moderate wind protection, such as being planted among other trees.
Fertiliser and Watering: Seedlings can be fertilised lightly after a few months of age and from then on like a regular fruit tree with a standard fertiliser. They are not particularly prone to root problems from overwatering but for best chances don’t water them when the soil is still quite moist.
Cold Hardiness: They can tolerate to about -1c. Possibly colder when more mature but make sure to protect trees from frost especially while younger. I know of various trees fruiting in the North Island, but there is potential for them to even grow in the South Island using pots or greenhouses. Cold hardiness will increase as the tree ages – if you are in a colder area and would like to plant the tree in the ground rather than in a container, then growing the starfruit in containers for the first few years may help.
Pollination: Lone trees can fruit well but benefit greatly from pollination – any two seedlings will pollinate each other perfectly. Seedlings vary in degrees of self-fertileness.
Time to fruiting: Generally, they begin to flower/fruit at about 3-5 years from seed. This is variable and happier trees tend to fruit sooner, while on the flip side heavy pruning may also trigger fruiting on more mature trees.
Container Growing: These are very suited to containers. I would recommend growing all of these in pots for the first few years (or permanently). Once they are a few years old they are hardier and will respond better to being planted in the ground. Any quality potting mix will do but add an amendment such as perlite if they appear to be holding water too long and always check soil is properly dry a few cm below the surface before watering. Gradually pot them up.
Varieties we grow:
Kari: Possibly the sweetest type. Juicy, sweet, citrus-like flavour.
Fwang Tung: Very sweet Thai selection known for its pale-coloured fruits that taste of green apple.
Giant Siam: Produces extra-large fruits with a good typical starfruit flavour.
Sri Kembangan: A Malaysian variety that produces very sweet and dark-yellow fruits. Similar to Kari but larger.
Below: A cluster of Kari starfruit in a tree we took seed from in NSW, Australia.
