News and knowhow for farmers

Farmer selling 40-fruits-per-tree pawpaw seedlings

A farmer in Nairobi, Joseph Wanyama, is on a mission to popularize
the cultivation of a super-yielding pawpaw variety, which is popular in South
Sudan.

The variety yields up to 40 fruits per tree and takes eight
months to mature.

Mr. Wanyama who travelled from the young East African
country with a handful of seeds, which he distributed to farmers free of
charge.

The stock has since run out but Wanyama recommends that farmers
who are keen on cultivating the high-yielding variety contact a Mr. Tony
Ochieng, who he says has hundreds of seedlings for sale.

Mr. Ochieng sells the seedlings at Sh80 a piece and he can be reached through phone number 

0710876547 or email tochieng@moloriverroses.co.ke

Growing pawpaw from
seeds

Pawpaw seeds take long to germinate, but germination is not
difficult if proper procedures are followed. First the seed should not be
allowed to dry out, because this ends up damaging the immature dormant embryo.
To break dormancy, the seed must be kept in a cold area (termed
“stratification”) for 90 to 120 days. The seed can be stratified in a
refrigerator at 0-5°C.

After 3-4 months, the seed should be removed from the
refrigerator and sown in well-aerated soil, with a pH of  5.5-7.0 and temperatures of  25-30°C. It takes 18 to 24 days for the root
to emerge, which then grows 10 inches before the shoot rises from the seed coat
after 50-60 days.

Transplanting

The pawpaw is very difficult to transplant. Pawpaws sucker
from the roots, transplanting rootsuckers  is extremely difficult and often leads to
failure. The rootsuckers generally do not have secondary roots, making the
shock of transplant unbearable. Seedling trees, though, can successfully be transplanted.
After a successful transplant the pawpaw grows vigorously and is easy to
maintain. The key to successful transplanting from the wild:

 • Transplant
seedlings for best results.

• Keep the roots and soil intact as much as possible.

• Plant in a well-drained site, and keep trees well watered
the first year.

• Provide partial shading for the first year or two.  

   

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