Pawpaw care — light, water, toxicity and hardiness
Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) wants partial shade and a drink about every 4 days once established. It is hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9.
| scientific name | Asimina triloba |
|---|---|
| family | Annonaceae |
| category | fruit |
| plant type | perennial |
| light | partial shade |
| water cadence days | 4 |
| mature height cm | 600 |
| min zone | 5 |
| max zone | 9 |
| frost tolerant | true |
| edible | true |
How often should I water Pawpaw?
Native understory tree; needs two for fruit.
Is Pawpaw toxic?
We do not have a verified toxicity record for this species, so we will not say either way. Treat it as unknown around pets and children until a vet or a poison-control source says otherwise.
Who eats it
Palatable to browsing animals such as deer: low. Palatable to grazing animals: low. Palatable to people: yes.
What it needs
Its shade tolerance is low. Its moisture use is medium. Its drought tolerance is low. It wants at least about 36 inches of rain a year. Above roughly 80 inches of annual rain it struggles. It tolerates soil down to pH 4.7. It tolerates soil up to pH 7.2. Its fertility requirement is high. Adapted to coarse, sandy soils: yes. Adapted to medium, loamy soils: yes. Adapted to fine, clay soils: no. Its tolerance of waterlogging is low. It needs at least 160 frost-free days. Its tolerance of chalky soil is medium. Its fire tolerance is medium. Fire resistant: no. It has been recorded down to -27°F. It suppresses neighbours chemically: no.
How it grows
It grows as a single stem form. Its growth rate is slow. Its lifespan is short. It puts on most of its growth in spring and summer. It spreads by seed at a slow rate. It resprouts after damage: yes. Coppices: yes. Its tolerance of hedging is low. At maturity it reaches about 25.0 feet. By twenty years it is about 25 feet. Its roots go down at least 20 inches. Its shape is erect. It holds its leaves through winter: no.
What it looks like
It blooms in mid spring. The flowers are purple. Conspicuous in flower: no. The foliage is dark green. The foliage texture is coarse. In summer the canopy is moderate in porosity. In winter it is porous in porosity. Fall colour: yes. The fruit or seed is brown. Fruit begins in spring. Fruit finishes by summer. It fruits medium. The fruit persists on the plant: yes. The fruit is conspicuous: no.
Growing more of it
Propagated by seed: yes. Propagated by cuttings: no. Propagated by container: yes. Propagated by bare root: yes. Propagated by bulb: no. Propagated by corm: no. Propagated by tubers: no. Cold stratification required: yes. Seedling vigour is medium. Commercial availability: routinely available.
Source: Drafted from US Cooperative Extension horticulture guidance; pending HUMAN-05 review (issue 280) · 2026-09-02