Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Pawpaw 'Susquehanna' (Asimina triloba 'Susquehanna')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Susquehanna pawpaw.

More about pawpaw 'susquehanna'

About Pawpaw 'Susquehanna'

Asimina triloba 'Susquehanna' · also called Susquehanna pawpaw · edible

'Susquehanna' is a Peterson pawpaw selection famous for very large fruit, thick buttery flesh and notably few, small seeds. This hardy deciduous understorey tree of eastern North America crops in temperate gardens but needs a second, genetically different cultivar to pollinate it. Give young trees light shade, mature trees full sun, and deep, moist, well-drained soil.

Cold limit: USDA 5-8 · RHS H5 (-25 to 30°C)

What pawpaw 'susquehanna''s hardiness rating actually means

Yes — pawpaw 'susquehanna' is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 5-8, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. Its RHS rating of H5 means: Hardy in most of the UK and in cold winters. On the US scale that maps to USDA 5-8 — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −15 to −10 °C. Pawpaw 'Susquehanna' is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for pawpaw 'susquehanna' as it gets too cold:

It tolerates winter lows to about −15 to −10 °C once established.
Below its rated zone, the visible damage is browned or blackened top growth and, in the worst case, a killed crown or root.
First-year, newly planted, or container-grown specimens are noticeably less hardy than established garden plants — the roots are exposed.

Can pawpaw 'susquehanna' go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 5-8 and it overwinters with little or no help.
It does not want to come indoors — a warm winter room actually weakens a hardy plant by denying it dormancy.
The real risks in its range are waterlogging, wind-rock on young plants, and a late hard frost on new growth — not ordinary winter cold.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when pawpaw 'susquehanna' can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H5 figure above.

Pawpaw 'Susquehanna' hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is pawpaw 'susquehanna' cold hardy?

Yes — pawpaw 'susquehanna' is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 5-8, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Pawpaw 'Susquehanna' is hardy across USDA 5-8; it belongs in the ground or a frost-proof container, not on a windowsill, and many types actively need a cold winter to perform.

What is the minimum temperature pawpaw 'susquehanna' can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −15 to −10 °C. Pawpaw 'Susquehanna' is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

What hardiness zone is pawpaw 'susquehanna'?

Pawpaw 'Susquehanna' is rated USDA 5-8 and RHS H5 — Hardy in most of the UK and in cold winters.

Can pawpaw 'susquehanna' survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 5-8 and it overwinters with little or no help. It does not want to come indoors — a warm winter room actually weakens a hardy plant by denying it dormancy. The real risks in its range are waterlogging, wind-rock on young plants, and a late hard frost on new growth — not ordinary winter cold.

What happens to pawpaw 'susquehanna' below its minimum temperature?

It tolerates winter lows to about −15 to −10 °C once established. Below its rated zone, the visible damage is browned or blackened top growth and, in the worst case, a killed crown or root. First-year, newly planted, or container-grown specimens are noticeably less hardy than established garden plants — the roots are exposed.