Passion Fruit

Other common names: Granadilla, 百香果, 西蕃莲

Passion fruit vines are versatile climbers that produce attractive purple fruits that are eaten raw, juiced, or added to desserts. The vines also have large leaves and attractive multi-coloured flowers, and are commonly grown along shelters and fences to beautify gardens.

As a perennial vine, it is a common sight in edible gardens.

Sun and soil needs:

This vine does best in full sun gardens with a minimum of 6 hours of sunlight. It can also grow in gardens with more than 4 hours of direct sunlight or at least 6 hours of indirect sunlight, but it may grow slower and produce less fruit.

Plants do best in pots with loamy soil at least 30cm deep, or in true ground. The plant can also be readily grown in smaller pots about 20cm deep, but the smaller root ball will result in an unhealthier plant that produces less flowers. These plants are vulnerable to root rot, so ensure that your pots drain well, and that your soil has plenty of organic matter to let the roots breathe. Keep your plants cool with mulch and plenty of water to encourage growth.

As a fast-growing vine, this plant needs a tall, sturdy trellis to scramble on. Because the fruits hang down, it is ideal for arch-shaped trellises.

This plant is bee pollinated. To encourage the formation of more fruits, it is best to have bee-attracting plants within the garden to encourage pollination.

Sowing seeds:

Seeds can be sown directly into pots or the ground around 15-30cm apart. Lightly water the soil until damp, once a day. Seeds should sprout within 10 days.

The seedlings are generally resilient to most environmental factors but may be vulnerable to being eaten by snails or birds. Protect your young plants with a DIY cloche or netting.

Growing:

Passion Fruits will produce more flowers and thus more fruit when fed with fertilisers high in Phosphorus and Potassium. Plants can be fertilised regularly a month after germination for a fuller crop.

Because the vines will grow on top of each other, it is a good practice to prune regularly and remove dead leaves and vines to improve ventilation and allow light to reach more of the plant. However, leaves should be left around flowers and fruit to protect the fruit from direct afternoon sun.

Harvesting:

Mature fruits can be harvested when the skin becomes flushed yellow or purple. The fruit will be sweetest when the skin is slightly wrinkly.

Propagation:

This vine can be grown via seeds. Seeds can be taken from mature fruit for immediate planting.

Common problems & solutions:

Fruit flies can lay eggs in the fruit, resulting in larvae damaging the fruit and creating spots on the skin. Wrap your fruit in netting when it starts to develop from a fertilised flower, ideally after all the petals have dropped off.

If your vine has few to no flowers, you can fertilise the plant with fertilisers high in phosphorus and potassium. These nutrients encourage root and flower growth, which are important for the plant to produce more fruit.

Many plants require pollinators to help them fruit. Bees, butterflies, birds and even beetles transport pollen from one flower to another, pollinating your crops and increasing their fruit yield. Attract some pollinators to your garden by growing pollinator-attracting plants.

Aphids, mealy bugs, whiteflies, and spider mites often infest the plant if it has underlying problems like repeated wilting from heat stress. Mechanical pest control methods like pruning the infested parts are the best methods for managing these pests in the short term, but resolving the underlying problem will prevent them in the long term.

Wilting leaves during hot weather is a sign of heat stress. Increase the number of times the plant is watered daily, and apply mulch at the base to prevent water loss.