If you live in a warm climate and don't experience harsh winters, you can grow passion fruit at home. These plants can be a little finicky and need space to spread, but with enough care and attention, you'll be harvesting delicious fruit over and over again.
Step
Part 1 of 4: Starting from Seeds
Step 1. Use fresh seeds
Freshly harvested passion fruit germinates quickly, but older dry seeds can take several months to germinate, if they do.
- A few days before planting seeds, buy ripe passion fruit in the store. Open it and collect at least half a dozen seeds.
- Spread the seeds over the sackcloth and rub them in until the juice bag opens.
- Wash the seeds in water, and let them dry for three to four days before washing them again and drying them in the shade.
- If you plant the seeds right away, they will germinate in 10 to 20 days.
- If you need to store seeds, store them in an airtight plastic bag and refrigerate for up to six months.
Step 2. Prepare a container for planting seeds
Ideally, you should plant the seeds in a separate, protected container, and then transfer them to a prepared location in your garden. Choose a container no larger than 90 cm square.
Fill the container with a soil mixture made from compost, soil, and coarse sand in equal proportions. Fill the container with this mixture 10 cm high
Step 3. Dig a shallow trench
Dig a trench using one stick through the soil of your seedling container, leaving 5 cm between the trenches.
This trench will provide a shallow drainage that can help prevent water from sinking into the seeds or sprouts
Step 4. Sow the seeds
Place the seeds at a distance of 1 cm from one trench to another. Protect the seeds by covering them with a thin layer of soil mixture.
- Water immediately after planting seeds. Moisten the seeds but don't let them get soggy.
- After planting the seeds, all you need to do is spray water occasionally when the soil surface is dry.
Step 5. Transfer the seedlings
When the seedlings grow to a height of 20 to 25 cm, they are ready to be planted in a permanent location in your garden.
Part 2 of 4: Starting from the Stem (Seeds)
Step 1. Prepare the planting medium
Fill a plastic flowerpot with a mixture of three parts agricultural sand to one part soil. Stir the soil mixture until smooth in the container.
The stalk gets a lot of the moisture it needs to grow from the humidity because it doesn't have roots yet. Therefore do not use soil that will retain moisture
Step 2. Take the stalk
Choose a healthy passion fruit plant to take the stalk. Cut stems that have at least three or more shoots, and cut just below the lowest shoots.
- Young plants are more active, so it is recommended to choose stalks from younger plants over older ones.
- Directly plant the stalk in the planting medium.
Step 3. Keep the stalks in damp conditions
The best place for stalks is in a greenhouse. But if you can't use it, you can build a damp space by using transparent plastic attached to a box-shaped frame made of bamboo.
- Make sure your damp room stays moist. Keep it in direct sunlight, and place it in a place where the air is humid.
- If you need to create additional humidity, you can use a humidifier or place a plate of gravel and water around the stem.
Step 4. Remove the seedlings once the roots are established
The stalk will form new roots in a week or two. At that time the plant can be handled as an established seed and can be moved to a permanent place in the garden.
Part 3 of 4: Transferring seedlings
Step 1. Choose the right location
Ideally you choose a spot that receives direct sunlight and does not experience competition with other roots, such as tree roots, nearby.
- "Full sun" is exposed to the sun every day for a full six hours, or more.
- This area should also be free of weeds. If weeds are present, remove them before you plant seedlings.
- Seedlings need room to climb and spread as well. The idea is that you set up a structure for climbing, such as a wire fence, balcony, or pergola. If that's not there, you can put up the bars.
Step 2. Loosen the soil
Passion fruit requires loose, deep soil that contains a lot of organic material. The soil in your yard may not contain enough of this material, so you will need to make improvements before planting seeds or stalks.
- Mix the soil with compost before planting. Compost improves soil texture and nutritional value. You can also try organic rotting manure, leaf mold, or other green plant debris.
- If the soil is dense, you can loosen it by mixing in a handful of coarse sand.
- Pay attention to soil pH as well. The pH should be between 6.5 and 7.5. If the soil is too acidic, mix in dolomite powder or agricultural lime.
Step 3. Transfer the seedlings into the large hole
Dig a separate hole for each seedling. Each hole is twice the width of your plant, and is at least as deep as the container that currently contains your seedling.
- Carefully dig or slide out of the container the passion fruit seeds and roots.
- Place the root system in the center of the hole, then fill the hole with soil, not compacting it, until the plant looks secure.
- Hold the roots as rarely as possible when transplanting. Roots are very sensitive, and if you damage them it can destroy the plant.
Step 4. Loosen and fertilize the soil around the plant
Spread chicken manure pellets or other slow-moving organic fertilizer around the plant base. Also spread organic debris, such as straw or wood chips, around the plant.
The entire root system requires fertilizer and rotting hay. For best results, gently press or dig a small amount of soil at the surface after spreading manure and rotted hay around the base of the plant
Step 5. Water well
use a water can or hose to water the seedlings after planting. Make sure the soil is very moist, but don't let the water stagnate, as this is an indication that you are watering more than the soil can absorb.
Part 4 of 4: Daily and Long-Term Care
Step 1. Give nutrition regularly
Passion fruit requires a lot of nutrients, so you will need to provide plenty of water and fertilizer as the plant grows.
- You should apply fertilizer in the spring and once every four weeks during the summer. The last nutrition can be given in mid-autumn. Use a slow-moving organic fertilizer that is low in nitrogen. Chicken manure pellets are a good choice.
- If you live in an area that experiences a lot of rain, you may not need to water your plants as often. If you're experiencing a dry season, or if your area isn't very humid, you'll need to water your plants at least once a week. Do not allow the soil to dry.
Step 2. Exercise passion fruit stalks
As the stalks creep up, you may need to train them up a fence, railing, or other support structure. Passion fruit plants will be healthiest when the stalks are pushed to climb, and healthy plants will produce the best fruits.
- Training the stalks is a fairly simple process once you get the hang of it. When the stalk begins to develop, tie the stalk around its base and around your structure wire using thin string. Do not tie too tightly so as not to choke the stem.
- When the plant is still new. Lateral stalks protruding from the main stem can entangle the wire. Bend the two stalks that come out of the main stem around the top wire of the support structure and force them to grow in opposite directions.
- After the stalk spreads, lateral branches can develop and hang loosely.
Step 3. Clean weeds around the plant
Because passion fruit plants require a lot of water and nutrients, nutrient-rich soil is often a target for unwanted weeds. You need to remove as much weeds as possible so as not to take the nutrients from the passion fruit plant.
- Keep 60 to 90 cm of space around each side of the weed-free plant. Use organic methods to get rid of weeds and don't use chemicals. Rotten hay can help prevent weeds from growing, and pulling weeds by hand is also a good option.
- Other parts of the garden may have other plants or weeds, but you must remove plants that can spread disease or attract pests. Legumes in particular, can be dangerous to leave around passion fruit plants.
Step 4. Trim if needed
The reason for pruning the plant is to preserve the stalk and provide sufficient sunlight for the underside of the plant.
- Prune in spring every second year. Make sure you prune before the plant blooms. Pruning after the plant has flowered will weaken the plant and limit fruit development.
- Use large scissors to cut stems that are under 60 cm. Pruning will clean the weak and old areas, as well as improve air circulation around the base of the plant.
- When pruning, make sure you don't cut off the main branch, by following the stem all the way to the base before you cut.
- Leave three to five weevil near the base of the stalk when you cut. New growth can emerge from the weevil left behind.
Step 5. Assist the pollination process, if needed
Usually the bees will do the pollination process without any additional help from you. If there are no bees in your area, you will need to help do so.
- To help pollinate the plant by plant, use a small clean brush and collect pollen from the male flowers. Brush the pollen onto the female flower using the same brush.
- You can touch the stamens and pistil of each flower with your thumb and forefinger while you are pollinating.
Step 6. Protect passion fruit plants from pests
Do not use insecticides until you have identified the early stages of a pest problem. When you know and will use pesticides, use organic options because chemical choices can interfere with fruit production and make the fruit unsafe for consumption.
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The biggest pest problems are aphids, vine girders, and coleopteran beetle larvae.
- Aphids can usually be fought by spraying red pepper around the base of the plant.
- Get rid of vine girders by mixing an organic insecticide in the plant base. Spread the solution around the base of the main stalk, and remove any damaged stalks.
- To get rid of beetle larvae, you need to apply a systemic insecticide before the plant blooms.
Step 7. Protect plants from disease
There are a variety of plant diseases that you should try to prevent. When you see signs of illness, you must get rid of them and prevent the disease from spreading.
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Passion passion fruit stalks can fall victim to diseases caused by viruses and rot.
- Root rot must be prevented in advance by providing adequate soil drainage.
- You can try dealing with virus-infected plants, with commercial solutions, but usually, you'll need to cut and burn infected stems to protect plants that aren't sick. Passion passion fruit virus, ring spot passion fruit virus, and cucumber mosaic virus are your main threats.
Step 8. Harvest the fruit
It takes a year or a year and a half before the plant bears fruit, after it bears fruit, you can pick the fruit and enjoy it.
- Usually passion fruit will fall from the stalk when it is ready to be consumed. The drop won't damage the fruit, but you should pick it up within a few days of it dropping to ensure the best quality.
- If you have a type of passion fruit that doesn't fall off, just pick each fruit when you see the skin starting to wrinkle.
