Pawpaw trees love easy water access. That's why they have long tap roots and so you find them wild on the banks of the rivers. Since we have our own well water and live about 3 miles interior of the river banks I have been watering pawpaws more often than Kiwi, Chinese jujube, Persimmon and others when we are in 6b zone. Good organic mulch and planting trees very close will help to conserve water for the surface roots and pollination. Triphal