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Pawpaw seed is slow to germinate, but germination is not difficult if certain precautions are followed. Do not allow the seed to dry out, because this eventually destroys the immature dormant embryo. To break dormancy, the seed must receive a period of cold temperatures (termed “stratification”) lasting 90 to 120 days. Stratification may be accomplished by sowing the seed outdoors in the garden bed in the fall and letting the seed overwinter there; the seed will germinate the following year in late July or August. Or the seed may be stratified in the refrigerator at 32-40°F (0-5°C). The seed should be stored in plastic bags containing slightly moistened sphagnum moss to keep the seed moist and to suppress fungal/bacterial growth. After 90-120 days, the seed should be removed from the refrigerator and sown in a wellaerated soil mix of pH 5.5-7.0 with an optimum temperature of 75-85°F (25-30°C). On average the root will emerge from the seed coat after 18 to 24 days, develop into a taproot about 10 inches (32cm) long, and then send up a shoot after 50-60 days. Germination is “hypogeal,” meaning that the shoot emerges without cotyledons.
