Indian banana: Plant, cultivate & harvest the pawpaw

The North American pawpaw is becoming increasingly popular. Here you can find out everything about the exotic Indian banana - from buying it to planting it and caring for it.

apples (penalty) or pears (Pyrus) almost everyone has it in their own garden. Are you interested in a new, still largely unknown and exotic plant? Then the Indian banana (Asimina triloba) might be right for you. Actually, the fruit of the Indian banana looks a lot more like a mango or papaya. In our article you can find out where the Indian banana got its name from, how it is best planted and cared for and how best to harvest and store this exotic fruit.

The Indian banana is a fruit of the Annona family (Annonaceae) and has many names: Derived from its Latin name Asimina triloba it is also called three-lobed papau in German. Other common names for the Indian banana are Michigan Banana, Poor Men's Banana (in German "poor man's banana"), Papau or Pawpaw. She owes the latter name to her resemblance to papaya. Both fruits look very similar, but the Indian banana is significantly smaller and lighter than a papaya. The name Indian banana comes from the North American origin of the plant and the fact that the flesh of the Indian banana is yellow and soft like that of a real one banana (Musa).

The flavor of the pawpaw can best be described as a mix of mango, pineapple, apricot and a hint of banana of vanilla are described, with the pulp being similarly soft and creamy to that of conventional ones bananas. If you also want to enjoy this special taste, you can grow and harvest the Indian banana yourself in your own garden. Another reason to give the pawpaw a place in the garden is its high value as an ornamental tree: especially in In autumn, the leaves of the plant turn a beautiful yellow, leaving your garden in the most beautiful colors shine.

Indian bananas (pawpaw): origin and properties

The Indian banana is actually native to North America. It is widespread in both the southeastern United States and southern Canada. Originally, the Indian banana was a lowland forest plant that felt most comfortable in swampy areas and on the edges of forests in the shade of larger trees. Even the native Americans appreciated this special fruit. Today the Indian banana is also cultivated in Europe, especially in Italy and in German-speaking countries. However, commercial cultivation of pawpaws is exceedingly low, so you will have a hard time spotting a pawpaw fruit in the supermarket. It is therefore all the more appealing to grow the special plant yourself and harvest your own fruits.

The Indian banana is a deciduous shrub and can grow three to five meters in height. The plant forms a closed crown that can be up to two and a half meters in diameter. It grows relatively slowly at around 30 centimeters a year. Its elongated leaves, which are up to 20 centimeters long, are impressive. From May, the Indian banana begins to bloom with purple bell-shaped flowers. The fruits then develop from this, which ripen from August to the beginning of October. In autumn the leaves turn golden.

Buy Indian banana

When purchasing your Indian banana, the size of the plant and the variety should be of paramount importance. The size of the plant determines whether you can plant your Indian banana outdoors straight away, or whether you continue to cultivate it in a pot for a year or two. Above all, the price is decisive here, because larger Indian bananas cost many times more than smaller specimens. On the other hand, seedlings (still small plants) usually bear smaller fruits, have a fluctuating yield and are often not recommended in terms of taste.
Another important decision criterion when buying should be the variety. Because only the two varieties 'Prima' and 'Sunflower' are self-pollinating. All other varieties are not self-pollinating and therefore require a cross-pollinator.

A detailed guide to Buying Indian bananas you'll find here.

Plant Indian bananas

The Indian banana is one of the few exotic plants that are hardy and can therefore be cultivated outside in our garden all year round. The choice of location and the correct procedure for planting are decisive here.

The perfect location for the pawpaw

If the pawpaw originally grows at the edge of the forest, one could assume that it prefers a shady location. But that's only half true. In their young development, i.e. in the first four years, the young Indian banana should under no circumstances stand in the blazing sun. A semi-shady location is ideal here. From the fourth year, the pawpaw begins to bear fruit. Then she wants to be in a sunny spot. If the fruits are sufficiently kissed by the sun, they can develop their aroma particularly well and become nice and sweet.

You should also differentiate between young plants and older plants when it comes to frost resistance: young plants should be protected from severe frost for the first four years. For example, you can use fleece to cover it. Mature plants, on the other hand, can withstand frost down to -30 °C and no longer need protection in winter. The pawpaw makes rather low demands on the soil: it should only be loose and rich in nutrients. The peat-free and sustainable Plantura organic universal soil is therefore ideally suited for your pawpaw. If the soil is very sandy, you can enrich the soil with compost or other organic material to improve soil structure and nutrient supply.

If you only have nutrient-poor material to enrich the soil, such as straw, we recommend additional enrichment with organic long-term fertilizer. Our Plantura organic universal fertilizer with organic long-term effect not only improves the soil structure in the long term, but also releases the nutrients gently and over a longer period of time to the Indian banana. A pH between 5.5 to 7 is optimal for the pawpaw. The soil should be sufficiently moist and never dry out completely. However, waterlogging must not occur under any circumstances, as this can lead to root rot.

Site claims of the Indian banana at a glance:

• In the first four years, a semi-shady location and protect from severe frost in winter
• From the fourth year: Sunny location
• Frost tolerance down to -30 °C
• Nutrient-rich, moist, loose soil
• pH: 5.5 to 7
• Absolutely avoid waterlogging

Procedure for planting the Indian banana

The best planting time for the Indian banana is from the end of September to October or in spring in March. It is important that the plants have formed a good root system when they are planted out. If you buy plants that are still small in a 3-litre container, it makes sense to cultivate them in a pot in a partially shaded location for two more years. If the plant has grown sufficiently over the next few years and the root ball has developed well, you can place the plant outdoors.

If you buy a larger plant in a 6 liter container, it can be planted outdoors immediately. Once the ideal location has been found, the planting hole is prepared. Remove weeds, stones or roots and enrich the soil with compost or other organic material. Alternatively, you can also use organic long-term fertilizers for this. The planting hole should be at least twice the diameter and depth of the plant's root ball. The plant should be as deep in the planting hole as it was in the container or pot before. Then fill the planting hole with the enriched soil and water the plant well. The planting distance to the next neighboring plant should be at least three meters.

Indian banana plants at a glance:

• Choose the ideal location
• Enrich soil with compost or organic slow-release fertilizer
• Dig a planting hole with twice the diameter and twice the depth of the root ball
• Plant Indian bananas as deep as they were previously in the pot or pot. container was
• Water well
• Planting distance to neighboring plants min. 3 m

Tip: Since the Indian banana grows very slowly, you should keep a circle around the trunk of the plant with a radius of 50 centimeters free of weeds and grass. So the competition for water and nutrients is not too high for the pawpaw. A mulch layer can also be applied here, which suppresses weeds and also ensures less evaporation. For example, you can use leaves or grass clippings as mulch material.

The Indian banana can also be cultivated in a pot on the balcony or terrace. Since the pawpaw is a taproot, the planter must be sufficiently large and deep. The planter should therefore be able to hold at least 40 liters. Also, make sure the pot has a drainage hole and put a drainage layer on it. When planting in a pot, make sure that the substrate is sufficiently loose and rich in nutrients. In summer, the plant can be in partial shade for the first few years, later in the sun. The Indian banana should spend the winter in a cool place so that it can hibernate sufficiently. Heated rooms are not suitable for this. Indian bananas cultivated in a pot can grow up to three meters high.

Plant Indian bananas in pots:

• Sufficiently large planter with drain and drainage layer
• Loose, nutrient-rich substrate
• Partial shade in the first few years, later sunny location
• Overwinter in a cool place

Grow Indian Bananas

Propagating Indian bananas yourself is not that easy, but not impossible. There are two methods of doing this: Propagation by seeds or by grafting. When propagating pawpaw by seeds, you can either take seeds from your own fruit or buy appropriate seeds. In the next step, the seeds must be stratified, i.e. made germinable. In the Indian banana, this happens through exposure to cold. To do this, plant the individual seeds in seed pots and then place them outside over the winter until next autumn. The seeds need the cold stimulus to germinate. With Indian bananas, it takes about nine months for the seeds to germinate and for a small above-ground plant to appear in the pot. During this time you should always keep the substrate sufficiently moist. The little plant survives the first winter indoors or in a greenhouse. In the second year it can then be repotted into a larger pot and in the following years, as soon as it is big enough and has formed enough roots, it can be placed outdoors.

Procedure for propagation via seeds:

• Obtain or buy seeds from your own fruit
• Stratify seeds (cold stimulus)
• Germination takes 9 months
• Always keep the substrate sufficiently moist
• The first winter in the greenhouse or house
• Repot in the second year

The second way to multiply Indian bananas yourself is grafting. During grafting, a scion of the Indian banana is grafted onto a seedling pad. Seedlings or root suckers of the pawpaw itself can be used as a seedling base. Other rootstocks are not yet known to refine Indian bananas. The most commonly used grafting method for Indian bananas is chipping. For this purpose, a piece of just three to four centimeters long is removed from the scion, the so-called chip. This is then placed on a prefabricated depression in the base. Very clean work is important here. Chipping can be carried out between March and October - the only requirement is that both a scion and the rootstock are available at the same time.

Cultivate Indian banana

Indian bananas also need proper care. Of course, this includes proper watering, cutting and fertilizing. A distinctive feature of caring for Indian bananas is pollination. Although some Indian banana varieties are self-pollinating, the fruit yield is significantly higher if at least two plants of different varieties are planted. Indian bananas are pollinated by insects. We don't have many of the typical pollinators that Indian bananas depend on in North America. Unfortunately, bees disdain the blossoms of Indian bananas, with us they only pollinate a few species of flies. Therefore, you can also become a "bee" yourself and pollinate your Indian bananas. To do this, take a brush and use it to carefully remove pollen of one genotype from the stamens of one plant. You now apply these to the pistils of the plant of the other variety with the other genotype.

Pour the Indian banana

Originating in the lowland forests of North America, the Indian banana does not tolerate drought at all. Therefore, the soil should also be kept moist outdoors by regular watering. If the pawpaw is cultivated in a pot, you should always keep the substrate moist. However, no water should collect in the cachepot - then you have clearly watered too much. It is better to water twice less on hot days than too much at once.

Cut Indian banana

In the first three years, pruning is not necessary for the slow-growing Indian banana. Only when the plant begins to bear fruit can it be cut from time to time. Branches that are too steep can be removed, as can dead or diseased wood. If your potted plant is too big for you, you can cut off the leading shoot at a height of three meters. Otherwise, it is advisable to remove leaves that cast shadows on the ripening fruits. Because sufficient sun is absolutely necessary for a good ripening of the delicious fruits of the Indian banana.

Fertilize Indian banana

Fertilization with organic long-term fertilizers in spring is recommended for Indian bananas. For example, there are compost, horn shavings or an organic fertilizer with a long-term effect. Our Plantura Organic universal fertilizer with organic long-term effects optimally covers the nutrient requirements of Indian bananas and is also more environmentally friendly than mineral fertilizers. Potassium-rich fertilization is also important during the growing season. This promotes fruit formation. For example, it can be applied as a foliar fertilizer.

Indian banana overwinter

A tropical fruit plant that will survive our frigid winters? That is impossible. Yes - the Indian banana can do just that. When fully grown, it can withstand temperatures down to -30 °C. Snow and cold don't bother her. On the contrary, they even need the cold spells for their well-deserved hibernation. Potted plants should therefore spend the winter in a cool place.

However, young Indian bananas are less tolerant of cold. These should be protected from severe frost. To avoid frost cracks on the trunk, you can paint the trunk white in good time. Alternatively, you can also protect the trunk with fleece. Young pawpaw plants survive the winter well.

Harvesting and storing Indian bananas

Seedlings take about seven to ten years to bear fruit for the first time. Grafted plants usually bear fruit for the first time in the third to fourth year after planting in the garden. These ripen from the end of August. However, it can take until November for all the fruits to be ripe. That depends a lot on the variety. A sign that the fruit is ripe is when the skin changes colour. The green, unripe fruits slowly turn light green or even slightly yellowish as they ripen. Another indication is that the shell can be dented easily. In addition, the ripening fruits begin to smell. When harvesting, you should proceed carefully so as not to damage the sensitive fruits. Indian bananas get bruises very easily. Therefore, you should only touch them very carefully and then turn them slightly. This is how the fruit comes off. The fruits of the pawpaw are very perishable and can only be stored at room temperature for three days. On the other hand, fruits that are harvested when they are still unripe ripen very well. Half-ripe pawpaws can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four weeks. Alternatively, ripe fruit can also be stored in the freezer.

Taste and use of the Indian banana

The fruits of the Indian banana are reminiscent of a still green mango or a small unripe papaya. If you cut the fruit lengthwise, you will see yellow flesh interspersed with brown-black, thick seeds. The pulp tastes like a whole tropical fruit cocktail put together: it is reminiscent of a mixture of banana, pineapple, mango and passion fruit with a hint of vanilla. The flesh is very soft and can be scraped out with a spoon or scooped directly out of the fruit. You can simply enjoy pawpaws on their own or use them for quark dishes, smoothies or fruit tarts. A delicious ice cream can also be made from Indian bananas.

The fruits are rich in unsaturated fatty acids and also contain many vitamins and minerals such as iron, calcium and vitamins A and C. The Indian banana is therefore a real super fruit that, as long as it is cultivated by us, also has a super ecological balance.