Q. I have a 3 year old passion fruit tree in my garden
which started bearing fruit that grew fine and was mature enough to eat in
February. In spring I also had more flowers blooming on the same plant, but
these flowers never had any fruit. The same thing again in this past summer,
but the flowers are not fully developing and are stopping at just little buds.
which started bearing fruit that grew fine and was mature enough to eat in
February. In spring I also had more flowers blooming on the same plant, but
these flowers never had any fruit. The same thing again in this past summer,
but the flowers are not fully developing and are stopping at just little buds.
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| Giant passionfruit with flowers growing in the Philippines.Giant passionfruit withstands even less cold than passionfruit and is more tropical. |
A. Passionfruit is a semi tropical vine that can’t handle
freezing temperatures very well. It also likes moderate temperatures so it will
have difficulties during the hot summer months. It grows very nicely in the
tropics and moderate temperatures of high elevations in Africa.
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| Intercropping passionfruit, strawberries and kale in Kenya. |
Unless
you have a warm microclimate in your landscape, these plants will show serious
damage or die from winter freezing temperatures. If you can grow oranges in
your yard, you should be okay growing passion fruit vine. Passionfruit may have
difficulty setting fruit during the summer months because of high temperatures
and low humidity.
you have a warm microclimate in your landscape, these plants will show serious
damage or die from winter freezing temperatures. If you can grow oranges in
your yard, you should be okay growing passion fruit vine. Passionfruit may have
difficulty setting fruit during the summer months because of high temperatures
and low humidity.
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| Flower of giant passionfruit |
Passionfruit
definitely does not like soils with poor drainage. If this is the case, and you
don’t do anything about it, the vine will always have problems and probably
die. Make sure the soil is amended with compost at the time of planting and
cover the area around the vine to a distance of about 3 feet with woodchips so
that a decomposes into the soil.
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| Giant passionfruit trellised above fish nursery in Philippines |
Passionfruit
flowers are beautiful but they need help sometimes to produce fruit or to
produce larger fruit. You may need to hand pollinate the flowers, transferring
the pollen from one flower to the next, a job normally done by a variety of
different bees.
flowers are beautiful but they need help sometimes to produce fruit or to
produce larger fruit. You may need to hand pollinate the flowers, transferring
the pollen from one flower to the next, a job normally done by a variety of
different bees.
You may
need to grow 2 different vines and transfer the pollen from the flower of one
vine to the flower of another vine. This helps prevent what’s called “self
incompatibility” and failure of fruit to develop. Passionfruit germinates
easily from fresh seed and does well on its own roots. Passionfruit propagated
by cuttings has “self incompatibility” between flowers and will not set fruit.
need to grow 2 different vines and transfer the pollen from the flower of one
vine to the flower of another vine. This helps prevent what’s called “self
incompatibility” and failure of fruit to develop. Passionfruit germinates
easily from fresh seed and does well on its own roots. Passionfruit propagated
by cuttings has “self incompatibility” between flowers and will not set fruit.
Also,
prune the vine by removing side shoots after fruit is removed. This helps the
new growth growing from the older wood of the vine where flowers are produced
and keeps the vine renewed for more production.
prune the vine by removing side shoots after fruit is removed. This helps the
new growth growing from the older wood of the vine where flowers are produced
and keeps the vine renewed for more production.
Besides
trellising this vine and pruning it back occasionally after fruiting, apply
wood chip mulch at its base to preserve soil moisture and keep the fruit from
being dropped if the soil gets to dry. Fertilize the plant lightly after it
flowers by applying a “tomato fertilizer” to the soil around the plant and
water it in.
trellising this vine and pruning it back occasionally after fruiting, apply
wood chip mulch at its base to preserve soil moisture and keep the fruit from
being dropped if the soil gets to dry. Fertilize the plant lightly after it
flowers by applying a “tomato fertilizer” to the soil around the plant and
water it in.
I believe you got this one wrong. Some varieties of this plant grow in Pennsylvania down to a USDA zone 6. I think the issue for the reader is salinity and light. I have mine on the east side of my house and had 1 flower this year earlier in the spring after germinating it last summer. It survived the winter just fine.
Second year of my passion fruit vine. 3 flowers a day so far for the last 2 weeks. I have yet to have fruit but it is early. I will report back later in the season.
This is the power of Latin names. I am talking about the tropical passionfruit such as Passiflora edulis, P. ligularis, P. quadrangularis) not the subtropical types (P. incarnata). Any place that can grow citrus can also grow subtropical passionfruit such as Maypop (called that because they ripen in about May) or P. incarnata. On our farm in the Philippines P. edulis is very aggressive during the rainy season.
P. incarnata can be found growing natively in the southeast of the US. Not the desert. It needs supplemental water, improved soil and the right location to grow here.
Probably P. incarnata. Let me know how it does.
Passiflora caerulea is what I have, it is distinctive. It is climbing the side of my house.
I don't know it. I was reading about it and it seems like you are appreciating it for its beauty, not because it is edible.