Happy Families (Cooperative Plant Guilds)

A Happy Pawpaw Family

Nothing herein or in any related content should be taken as medical advice or as personal advice, nor as a diagnosis or a prescription in any form.

As we support or intentionally plant guilds of native plants, we nurture our natural capital.  Connecting with a site prior to taking action helps us determine how to best support the land and work with her optimally. 

Pawpaws (Asimina triloba), hardy to zones 5-9, are clonal, understory species that typically grow approximately 15-30’ tall and 15-20’ wide.  Although they have “perfect flowers” (with both female and male parts), pawpaws are not great self-pollinators, so it is helpful to have at least two different varieties in proximity to each other for optimal fruit production.  Blowflies and carrion beetles do help pollinate the flowers, and pawpaws can be hand-pollinated as well.

Preferring well-draining soil rich in organic matter and benefitting from natural mulch (such as decaying leaves), pawpaws are often found in open woods or along woodland edges.  They frequent stream-sides, displaying their preference for moist conditions.  Pawpaws spread well in some shade, but like many fruiting plants, they need sufficient sunlight in order to set abundant fruit. 

Almost all plants need water, and determining how that will be supplied across a planting area is important for overall plant health.  For pawpaws, I love to work within or along the edge of an existing woodland area when possible, where the soil is often rich in organic matter, which helps retain moisture, and natural mulch is often plentiful.  I also love to work along streams.  In areas where these are not possible, creating swales along contour can help channel and retain moisture, or ponds can capture water for later use.  If none of these are options, then identifying and securing a water source is important.

Pawpaws are fairly tolerant to juglone (primarily emitted by black walnuts and butternuts, plus some from hickories (ex. bitternut and shagbark), and pecans) and tend to grow free from deer browse.  Where apples and pears do not tend to grow well, consider pawpaws!  Also suitable to fence rows and well-crafted riparian buffers, pawpaws offer us some native versatility when adding small fruiting trees to the landscape.

If young pawpaws are destined to be planted on a site that is lacking good organic matter, it can be helpful to prepare the site first.  The options here are many, and could include planting pioneer or nurse species to create biomass and enrich the soil, or (for smaller sites) bringing in clean wood chips and rich soil and compost.  I prefer using nurse and pioneer plants, but this does call for site preparation (usually) several seasons prior to planting our target species.  I have, for smaller sites, brought in clean wood chips and spread them ~ 10 inches deep overtop lawn grass. The next year, I planted trees into the soil.  For seeded plantings and shallow-rooted plants (or plants with more horizontal roots like elderberries), I added good soil.

Young pawpaws tend to fare better with some shelter from strong summer sun, and many plants or structures can provide that protection in pawpaws’ early years.  For example (in the northern hemisphere), pawpaws can be planted to the east/ north-east of:

• a small garden shed
• perennial plants that cast light or dappled shade for the pawpaws’ early years while not casting excessive shade as the pawpaws grow, such as elderberry (Sambucus spp. with therapeutic flowers and berries (cooked)), American bladdernut (Staphylea trifolia with seeds that can be roasted like nuts), red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea), and some willows (Salix spp.)
• taller annuals such as Jerusalem artichoke/ sunchoke (Helianthus tuberosus, which regrow readily from edible tubers) or other sunflowers, or second-year evening primrose (Oenothera biennis), etc.

To complement the pawpaws, companion plants can be added to create a harmonized guild of plants.  Native plants suitable to the site tend to fare better over time, having adapted to regional and local stresses and requiring fewer resources and less maintenance.  

Some of the most valuable plants to complement pawpaws include wild strawberries, pansies, spicebush, yarrow, and bamboo (I know, I know – bamboo is a bit … prolific … but read on to find our why she and these others deserve a special mention).

We believe that pawpaws benefit from specific nutrients including nitrogen (N) for stem and leaf growth, phosphorus (P) for flowering and root development, and potassium (K) for fruit set and overall health, plus some boron for optimal fertilization and fruit development. Additionally (in terms of minerals), pawpaws offer noteworthy amounts of manganese (Mn) and magnesium (Mg) (along with potassium), as well as calcium (Ca) and iron (Fe) in their fruits.  As such, the general availability of those minerals in the soil is thought to be helpful.

For nitrogen, there are many native* plants that can fix or otherwise accumulate nitrogen that also do well in partial shade and moist conditions, including perennials such as:       *Here, native refers to the East, north-central Midwest.

• groundnut (Apios americana), a climbing vine with edible tubers (cook like a potato) and beans;  exhibits partial self-incompatibility, so plant more than one;   can be trellised up the pawpaws or Jerusalem artichokes 
• American hog peanut (Amphicarpea bracteata), a low vine or groundcover with edible beans and underground seeds (more beans are produced in sunnier conditions);  can prolifically cover an area as a living mulch

*Note that the parts of the plants that accumulate specific nutrients (plants listed above and below), when left to decompose in the soil, will deposit those nutrients for the benefit of surrounding plants, which ought to be considered when harvesting edible parts of plants.

Nitrogen-fixing, perennial plants that do well in partial shade and dry to moist conditions include:

• New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus), a self-fertile shrub of 3-4 feet with leaves that can be used for tea;   is also a host for butterfly and moth offspring and provides food for pollinators
• American or purple vetch (Vicia americana), a plant of 1-2 feet
• butterfly pea/ American pigeon wings (Clitoria mariana), a climbing vine whose flowers can be made into tea;  although possessing both male and female reproductive structures on the same plant, having more than one in the vicinity helps with cross-fertilization 
• amberique and fuzzy beans (Strophostyles helvola, S. leiosperma, S. umbellata), climbing vines with edible young pods and mature beans

• And although an annual plant, partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata), growing 1-3 feet tall, is considered a high accumulator of nitrogen and also attracts beneficial insects;  given that a small percentage of these plants do not produce sufficient pollen, having more than one in the vicinity helps with cross-pollination 

I also love the native clovers, such as purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea) and buffalo clover (Trifolium reflexum) for nitrogen fixation, but they tend to do better in full sun.  Planting them on the sunny side of a guild could work.

To help accumulate additional nutrients (P, K, B, Mn, Mg, Ca, Fe), options could include:

• dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), known to accumulate P, K, B, Ca, Mg, Mn, Fe, plus chlorine (Cl), sodium (Na), sulfur (S), and zinc (Zn) across her leaves and roots (with B, Ca, Cl, Fe, Na, and Zn in significant amounts);  all parts are considered edible and therapeutic
• wild thicket bean (Phaseolus polystachios), a perennial vine, accumulates N, P, K, B, Mg, Ca, Fe, plus molybdenum (Mo), Na, S, selenium (Se), silicon (Si) and Zn across her fruit and leaves (with P, K, Mg, Ca, Fe, Mo, Si and Zn in significant amounts); the beans are edible when cooked, but (reminder!) note that (as with most legumes) while many minerals do accumulate in various parts of these plants, the highest numbers tend to accumulate in the beans, so if all beans are harvested for consumption, less of the mined nutrients will be returned to the soil
• amaranth or pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus), a significant accumulator of P, K, Mg, Ca, Fe, plus Zn in her leaves; the tender leaves of this annual plant make a good raw or cooked green, and the seeds can be dried and ground into flour
• nettle (Urtica dioica) draws N, P, K, B, Mn, Mg, Ca, Fe, plus Cl, Mo, Na, S, Se, Si, and Zn into her leaves (with Ca, Mg, Na, and S in significant amounts); with her leaves high in helpful minerals as well as vitamins, nettle can also be enjoyed as a nourishing cooked green or as tea (consider wearing gloves when harvesting the leaves to avoid the discomfort of the “stinging hairs” (the stinging properties disappear upon cooking)) 
• lambs quarters (Chenopodium album) accumulates P, K, Ca, and Fe in her leaves (P, K, and Ca in significant amounts); the nutritious leaves of lambs quarters are edible as are the seeds, which can be dried and ground into flour, or enjoyed similarly to quinoa

The native blackgum or black tupelo tree (Nyssa sylvatica), growing 40-80 feet tall with an edible drupe, also accumulates several important nutrients, which she contributes to the soil with her leaf fall, including B, Ca, Fe, Mn, Mg, plus cobalt (Co) and copper (Cu).  She is moderately shade tolerant, but as she matures, her dense canopy could cast too much shade for the pawpaws to fruit.  Given this, consider planting pawpaws to the east of blackgums. 

To add extra culinary options and therapeutics plus diversity to the area, additional plants you may want to consider include:

• currants and gooseberries (Ribes spp.), with edible berries, also do well in partial shade
• serviceberries (Amelanchier spp.), with edible berries, also do well in partial shade
• aronia berries (Aronia spp.), with edible berries; benefit from at least 6 hours of sun for good fruit set, so plant these adaptable plants on the sunnier side of the guild
• passionflower (Passiflora incarnata), with edible fruits, benefit from at least 6 hours of sun for good fruit set, so plant these adaptable plants on the sunnier side of the guild
• elderberries (Sambucus spp.), with therapeutic flowers and cooked berries, will tolerate a bit of shade, fruiting better though, with sufficient sun
• persimmons (Diospyros virginiana), with edible fruits, will cast shade as they grow and their mature height will generally eclipse pawpaws, so locate them in relation to pawpaws accordingly so the pawpaws still receive some sun
• Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum biflorum), with edible, cooked shoots and rootstocks, prefers shade

Many of these also function as insectaries and nectaries, and while the pollinators of pawpaws are unique, biodiversity benefits the health of the guild. 

Regarding pests and disease, thankfully, happy pawpaws are not bothered too heavily by them.  And when caring for plants and animals, I prefer to focus on supporting their overall vitality and health, as opposed to worrying about or focusing on disease.  There is an inherent healing ability across all species, and ensuring a healthy environment and supporting optimal hydration and nourishment go a long way toward helping ensure optimal vitality and resiliency, including the ability to recover from afflictions. 

Fortunately, there are many options when it comes to naturally supporting the resiliency of our crops.  For example:

• diversity – generally, the more ecologically diverse an area, the more the incumbent plants are able to withstand stresses, whether biotic (animals, bacteria, fungi) or abiotic (drought, heat, etc.)
• perennial plants – the presence of trees and perennial plants (and/or cover crops where the roots are left intact in the soil) allow mycorrhizal populations to build in the soil, assisting plants in accumulating nutrients and water, increasing their resilience and the ability to withstand stresses
• natural nutrients/ compost – (see above)
• specific plants – here, certain plants have a natural, synergistic affinity for pawpaws, including wild strawberries (Frageria spp.) which accumulate boron, help thwart fungi, offer edible berries plus therapeutic tea options with their leaves, and are a good groundcover;  yarrow (Achillea millefolium), a natural nurse plant for pawpaws (born of her architecture and resonance that lends a protective dynamic*) that additionally carries therapeutic benefits for us;   spicebush (Lindera benzoin), which lends strength and stoutness to pawpaws and offers tea and spice options for us (spicebush is dioecious, so male and female plants are needed for pollination);   pansies, especially those that display soft, buttery-yellow hues, lend a special resonance that helps encourage fruit production*;   bamboo lends a special strength to the area  (see below)

*For more information on the special properties of yarrow and pansies along with dozens of other flowers, please see my first book: The Sacred Healing Alchemy of Flowers: Book One of the Sacred Nourishment Series: Working with Nature to Restore our Divine Blueprint and Optimize our Well-being.

Note that strawberries, yarrow, and spicebush in particular also attract pollinators and beneficial insects.  While the pollinators for pawpaws are unique (carrion-based), nevertheless, attracting a variety of beneficial insects to an area is helpful in supporting a harmonious ecosystem.

For extra fortification for our pawpaws, adding companion plants that can help decrease the likelihood of possible fungal infections could conceivably be additionally helpful.  Some of these plants can be intercropped (depending on your situation and their growing preferences), or added to compost, or “chopped and dropped” and used as mulch:

• wild thicket bean fruits (see above), lettuce leaves (Lactuca sativa, native), nettle leaves (see above), horsetail aerial parts and bamboo (Equisetum arvense and Bambusoideae spp. – careful – both can be quite prolific and resilient! – consider harvesting to help manage) plus other plants that contain the mineral silica, all can help support plant vigor, given silica’s ability to improve both the cell wall structure of plants as well as plant metabolism, helping increase plant resilience to both biotic (animals, bacteria, fungi) as well as abiotic (drought, heat, salt) stresses
• alliums, including five native species (wild leek (Allium burdickii), meadow garlic ( canadense), nodding onion (A. cernuum), wild chives (A. schoenoprasum) and ramps (A. tricoccum), contain sulfur compounds that display a variety of anti-microbial properties; mustards (Sinapsis), horseradish (Armoracia rusticana), and Brassicas also contain sulfur compounds that could be helpful
• plants that contain salicin/ salicylic acid (such as the inner bark of willows (Salix spp.)) have been shown to help reduce fungal diseases (mulching with trimmings could feasibly help reduce infections in surrounding plants over time as rains leach the compound into the surrounding soil);  optionally, creating “willow water” (soaking willow trimmings in water for a few days and using to irrigate plants) can be especially effective.
• bergamots/ bee balms (Monarda spp., 5 native species) contain some thymol, shown to be effective against fungi
• goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) contains the anti-fungal compounds berberine and C-methyl flavonoids
• native mints, such as mountainmint (Pycnanthemum incanum)
• wormwoods (Artemisia spp., such as absinthium) contain ethyl acetate and ethanol in flowers, leaves, stems & roots that display effectiveness against fungi

There are also many non-native species that display anti-fungal properties. For these, please see our related post “Plants to Help Reduce Disease”.

Overall, there are thankfully, many options for creating a happy pawpaw guild.  Keeping in mind that plants need water, nutrients, and good air flow to thrive and have varying sunlight preferences, grouping and placing them intentionally helps support harmonious interrelationships.