Passion fruit are berries that are produced by the plant known as the passion fruit vine. Cultivating passion fruit is easy. Passion fruit is a member of a large family of vine plants, some of which are ornamental and many of which contain edible fruits.
The passion blossom is one of the most beautiful and amazing flowers. This article contains the best advice for growing and taking care of passion fruit.
Passion Fruit Overview
| Plant Type | Fruit |
| Family | Passifloraceae |
| Genus | Passiflora |
| Species | Passiflora edulis |
| Native Area | South America |
| Exposure | Full sun |
| Height | 10-15′ |
| Watering Requirements | High |
| Maintenance | Moderate |
| Soil Type | Rich, well-draining |
| Hardiness Zone | 10-12 |
What is Passion Fruit Vine?
Passion fruit is imported, originally from Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. In the United States, Florida and southern California are popular places to produce it. The ideal growing zones for this tropical plant are 10 and 12.
The vine can spread out to be three to five feet wide and reach a height of ten to fifteen feet. It features glossy, evergreen leaves that are lobed and dark green. Fruit is produced for about 80 days during the early spring blooming period.
The round, medium-sized fruit that goes by the name “passion fruit” comes in two colour variations: reddish-purple and yellow. It’s also packed with vitamins that help with immunity, red blood cells, and thyroid function.
Passion fruit vines have one drawback: they don’t last very long. Most won’t survive for more than five or seven years at most. Because the fruit yield slows down after three years, professional farmers replace them so frequently.
When to Plant
Planting passion fruit seedlings in the spring will ensure speedy fruiting, which takes about six months. You can also cultivate it in the autumn; however, fruit production may take longer.
If starting from seed, start your seeds about one month before when you plan to plant them. The age of the seeds determines the duration of this phase. New seeds germinate in a matter of weeks, but older seeds may take months to do so.
Where to Plant
Passion fruit plants grow quickly, so once they get planted, they cannot be moved. Thus, when choosing the best spot for your vine to grow, exercise extra caution.
These plants need full light to thrive. However, they require protection from strong winds and heat. Keep in mind that the roots can climb over adjacent plants because they are space-hungry.
Passion fruit can be grown inside containers in colder climates. A sizable container is required to accommodate the broad roots. It will also be your responsibility to sustain the vines as they ascend. When the frost is gone, if at all possible, move the container outdoors into the direct sunlight and bring it inside before the weather gets chilly.
How to Plant
Growing passion fruit from seed is ideal, but make sure you use the appropriate kind. If the variety is a hybrid, growth and/or fruiting are unlikely. As soon as possible, sow the seeds while they are still fresh.
As we previously discussed, new seeds sprout more quickly than old ones. It will take them only 10–20 days to germinate if you remove them manually from the fruit. The majority of store-bought seeds are older and require several months to sprout.
Sow the seeds in a well-draining potting mix, ½ to 1 inch deep. Transplant them into their permanent habitat when they reach a height of 8 to 10 inches. For this to preserve water as the roots establish themselves, the seedlings must be tiny.
Trim back the stem a little if you put off planting for too long. You should be able to harvest after six months if you follow these recommendations. Compared to purple passion fruit, tropical passion fruits typically yield fruit more quickly.
How to Grow
Passifloras require special care, much like most other tropical plants do. Take heed of these success tips if you want your plants to reach their full potential.
Light
This vine needs full sun to produce its greatest fruit and blossoms since it loves light. However, it can withstand moderate shade, particularly during intense heat waves. Place the container in the brightest south-facing window you have if you’re growing inside.
Water
These vines require a lot of water because they grow quickly and yield luscious fruit. So that the soil doesn’t dry out, give them regular irrigation. When the plants are fruiting, you might need to water them more, and in the autumn and winter, less.
But be careful not to overwater, as this can cause issues from the ground up. Prevent water from seeping through to the ground or building up on top of it. The requirements for watering can be satisfied by installing an irrigation system. But watch it carefully to make sure it’s not watering too little or too much.
Soil
Soil that drains well is essential because you will be watering it a lot. Without it, subtropical plants may find the growing medium to be saturated, compacted, and inhospitable very soon. Use pumice, sand, perlite, or compost to make any necessary amendments.
To produce healthy fruit and be resistant to disease, the pH of the soil should be between 5.5 and 6.5. For assistance, visit your nearby university or agriculture department, or test it yourself using a soil testing kit.
And finally, it must be a fertile growing medium. Much of the nutrients that Passiflora edulis needs are not often found in soil. Mulch is essential for this species for this reason, among others. When necessary, you should also apply fertilizer.
Temperature & Humidity
The ideal zones to keep it outside all year are 10 and 12. It must be significantly warmer than freezing, particularly for yellow cultivars.
It should come as no surprise that these tropical plants need high humidity. You might wish to use a humidifier in addition if you live outside of zones 10 and 12, which are the tropics.
Fertilizing
Start fertilizing your passion fruit in the spring, and do it two to four times a year. Fertilizers with an NPK of 10–5–20 are commonly used by commercial farmers. In general, potassium-rich fertilizers are recommended for gardeners to use.
Select a fertilizer with less nitrogen if your soil has a lot of it already. An excess of nitrogen will encourage leaf growth at the expense of fruit and blossom growth. Over-fertilization can result in the same outcome.
Pollination
The extremely sticky nature of passion fruit pollen makes it ideal for pollination by insects but not by wind. You will simply not produce fruit in your garden if there are insufficient bees.
Entice bees to visit your passion fruit tree by offering other plants that attract bees as a lure. Your passion fruit vine will pollinate more effectively in warm, humid weather than in dry or extremely cold conditions.
You can manually pollinate the blooms if necessary. However, it is much simpler to boost the bee population because these plants are so big and abundant. Yellow passion fruit requires cross-pollinating with another cultivar, in contrast to purple passion fruit. Select an additional yellow cultivar and place it nearby.
Maintenance
Passion fruit grows quickly, so you’ll need to monitor it closely. Pruning is crucial for controlling growth, averting pests, and preventing increasing issues. In regions with lower temperatures, trim your plants early in the growing season. There will be plenty of flowers on the fresh growth where you made the prunings.
The tendrils will find support if the vines are simply tied to them. Since wire can harm the stems, I advise securing them using a fiber-based thread. Any stems growing in the wrong direction should be pruned back if they are not able to be corrected.
Propagation
The primary means of passion fruit propagation are seeds. This isn’t always the best option, though, as purple passion fruit seedlings are more susceptible to Fusarium wilt and hybrid seeds aren’t viable. Many gardeners resort to stem cuttings as a solution to these problems.
Stem-cutting propagation follows a defined procedure. Select a robust, healthy branch and trim it three to four leaf nodes down using a clean knife. Take out the leaves at the bottom so that there are just two or three at the top.
After dipping the cut end in rooting hormone, place it upright in a potting mix that drains properly. Make sure it’s damp but not soggy. The roots should become established in around ninety days, at which point the new growth will be large enough to transplant (8–10 inches).
Harvesting
Despite their lovely blossoms, these vines are grown primarily for their produce. Your labour in the garden will pay off when these delicious fruits appear.
When ripe, a passion fruit will be fully pigmented, substantial, and easily separable. As the fruit ripens further, it will become slightly wrinkled and taste sweeter. When it’s ready, it falls off the vine, which is better than breaking out the ladder.
The best part is finally here: the food! Cut open the fruit to reveal two bowls full of delicious, lumpy jelly. Using a spoon, remove the pulp and discard the inedible rind. The seeds are edible, but you can easily remove them.
Storing
Purple fruits are very tasty when eaten fresh. On the other hand, yellow fruits are usually used for juice or preserves. Both varieties store well for several weeks when kept outside, and they taste much better when refrigerated further.
If they were picked a little too early, you can wait a few days for them to ripen. The skin will wrinkle with age, but the pulp within will still be excellent.
You can freeze the pulp, juice, or whole passion fruit. Mix it with butter, vinaigrettes, and sweets! Passion fruit preserves can also be preserved with a water bath or pressure canner.
Common Problems
Fortunately, passionfruit doesn’t usually cause any problems, especially if you plant the yellow variety. This is something to watch out for, just in case.
Lack of Fruits
Passion fruit growers frequently lament that their vines aren’t bearing fruit. If you have flowers but no fruit, pollination problems are most likely the cause.
Do bees appear to be swarming around? Do you have a backup cultivar in case you need it for cross-pollination? These problems are resolved by planting flowers that attract bees, buying a second cultivar, and temporarily hand-pollinating.
The other primary cause of the lack of fruit is over-fertilization. An excess of nitrogen will directly contribute to green growth, detracting from the fruit you should be consuming. Reduce the amount of fertilizer you use if your plants are growing quickly but are producing few or no flowers.
Fruit Drop
The other problem is unripe fruit falling from the tree. Green fruits ought to remain in place, while ripe fruits have every right to fall. Usually, improper irrigation, bugs, or illness are to blame for this. Adhere to a well-planned watering regimen. Checking the vines for signs of disease and pests is another important task.
Yellow Leaves
If the leaves on your vines are turning yellow, you might have a nitrogen or magnesium shortage. Fertilizer can be added to easily remedy this. Should the yellowing appear in freckles, you may have a woody virus (see below).
Pests
It’s important to keep an eye out for pests if you’re cultivating a purple passion fruit vine. Although yellow passion fruit cultivars are also vulnerable, these kinds are far more likely to be damaged by the following pests:
Caterpillars
Caterpillars of several types nibble on the foliage of passion fruits. Because of their feasts, photosynthesis is reduced because the leaf’s surface is smaller. The leaves dry out, and the plant as a whole becomes weaker due to the fluid they secrete. Moreover, fruit, flowers, and stems can be consumed by caterpillars.
Seek out eggs on the vine and remove any caterpillars you find on your plant. To destroy them, manually remove them and place them in a washbasin filled with soapy water.
Interestingly, poison, sticky hairs, and ant attractants are only a few of the defense mechanisms that many species of passion flowers have evolved to fend off caterpillars.
Root-knot Nematodes
One problem that gardeners frequently ignore is the root-knot nematode. These little worms are going to target the roots of your purple passion fruit. They lead to abnormalities in the roots, such as hairs, knots, and lumps. This causes the roots to have difficulty supplying the rest of the plant with water and nutrients, which stunts growth.
Taking good care of the growing medium will keep nematodes away from your plants. Apply a lot of organic matter and rotate your crops. Use organic nematodes if the infestation is out of control. The best course of action is prevention because nematicides kill beneficial nematodes as well.
Snails
Slugs in your yard could be a problem if you reside in California. Snails eat the bark and leaves of passion fruit plants. Because they prefer to hide behind debris, keep your vine and its surroundings tidy. Since they are nocturnal, look for them at night and give them some soapy water to bathe in.
Diseases
Do the leaves on your vines seem to have yellow glitter all over them? The passion fruit woodiness virus is probably to blame. In addition to generating uneven discoloration, this virus makes the fruit small, and twisted, and wrinkles the leaves. Woodiness virus vectors include aphids and occasionally gardening tools.
The largest danger to passion fruit may be fusarium, which can kill victims in two weeks. The first sign will be partial wilting, which will be followed by full wilting, root rot, yellowing, and darkness near the plant’s base. The best way to fight this disease is to use resistant cultivars. If the virus shows symptoms, try using a fungicide to treat it.
Conclusion
Passion fruit grows quickly and produces an abundance of mouth-watering fruits, making it an excellent choice for a tropical fruit garden. Growing this beautiful plant should not cause any problems as long as you can control its development.
FAQ
How is the ripeness of a passion fruit determined?
The fruit should be heavy, completely coloured, and just a little bit tender to the touch ready to eat when the skin starts to wrinkle. The fruit will naturally fall from the vine when it is ripe.
Why is my passion fruit not fruiting?
This is most likely the result of over-fertilization or issues with pollination if the vines are healthy otherwise. Put an end to the fertilizer, plant some flowers that attract bees, and temporarily hand-pollinate the blossoms.
Does producing fruit require two passion fruit vines?
No, if you’re cultivating a reddish-purple passion fruit. A second plant is necessary for yellow varieties since they must be cross-pollinated. Arrange a different yellow cultivar next to the original.