The Ultimate Guide to Growing Passionfruit Vine
Passionfruit is a vigorous, fast-growing fruiting vine that brings both practical cover and delicious fruit to Australian gardens. It is a great choice for growing along a strong fence, trellis or pergola, where its lush green foliage, striking flowers and hanging fruit can help create summer shade or screen an exposed area.
For the best results, plant passionfruit in a warm, sheltered position with rich, free-draining soil and a sturdy support to climb. It grows best in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate areas, but in cooler regions it needs protection from frost and cold winds. Consistent moisture, good drainage and regular feeding are the main things to get right, as passionfruit vines dislike wet, waterlogged soil but also need steady care while flowering and fruiting.
Top 5 steps to growing passionfruit vine
- Choose a full sun spot with a rich free draining soil or grow your passionfruit in a large pot
- Passionfruit vines will require a sturdy support to grow upon as they can grow 3-6 metres tall and up to 4 metres wide.
- Prepare the soil before planting your passionfruit with Scotts OsmocoteĀ® Compost Premium Soil Improver and a layer of Scotts OsmocoteĀ® Citrus & Fruit Potting Mix to plant into
- Fertilise the passionfruit twice a year in Spring and again in Autumn with Scotts OsmocoteĀ® Controlled Release Fertiliser: Citrus & Fruit
- Passionfruit vines need regular watering, especially when flowering and fruiting.
Essential shopping list for growing passionfruit vine
Prepare
Choose a full sun spot and ensure there's enough support for your passionfruit vine to grow on. Some examples of good support structures include, a fence, trellis or screening wall.
Dig the hole for your passionfruit vine twice as wide as the original pot or root ball and the same depth. Loosen the original soil at the bottom of the planting hole and mix some Scotts OsmocoteĀ® Compost Premium Soil Improver and Scotts OsmocoteĀ® Citrus & Fruit Potting Mix through the backfill soil and the soil at the base of the hole.
Planting passionfruit in the garden
Remove the passionfruit vine from the nursery pot and position it in the prepared hole, at the same depth it was in the pot. Water in new passionfruit vines to settle their roots in. If growing more than one passionfruit vine, plant them 3-4 metres apart.
Fertilise the passionfruit vine in Spring and again in Autumn with Scotts OsmocoteĀ® Controlled Release Fertiliser: Citrus & Fruit at the recommended rate. Mulch around the root zone of your passionfruit with an open organic mulch to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
Annual pruning of your passionfruit vine isnāt needed to encourage fruit growth, however to keep the vines bushy remove any old or tangled growth after the vines finished fruiting. If youāve planted a grafted passionfruit vine, make sure you remove any growth that appears beneath the graft point.
Growing passionfruit in pots
You can grow passionfruit vines in large pots or containers. Choose a pot that is at least 50cm deep by 50cm wide, with plenty of drainage holes. Fill the pot with Scotts OsmocoteĀ® Citrus & Fruit Potting Mix - remove the passionfruit vine from the nursery pot and place in the centre of the pot, backfill around the root ball and water it in well.
At the time of planting position the pot next to the support structure, fence or trellis to support the vine as it grows.
Growing passionfruit from seed
To grow passionfruit from seed, soak passionfruit seeds in water overnight to aid germination. Sow seeds into small pots filled with Scotts OsmocoteĀ® Citrus & Fruit Potting Mix and lightly cover with more potting mix.
Keep the potting mix moist, but not soggy and place the pots in a warm, protected spot. Passionfruit seeds need a soil temperature around 25 degrees to germinate, so use a heat mat if needed. The seeds will take 2-3 weeks to germinate. When the seedlings are about 10cm tall they can be transplanted into larger pots to further develop roots.
Around 6 weeks after sowing the seedlings should have a main stem and be about 20-30cm tall. They're now ready to plant into prepared garden soil or a larger pot.
āļø GROWING PASSIONFRUIT IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA CONDITIONS
Choose a pot or container that is wide and deep with good drainage. Use a top-quality potting mix such as Baileys Premium Potting Mix designed to assist plant establishment and ensure vigorous and healthy growth in pots and containers.
If you are planting in the garden, then amend the soil with generous quantities of Baileys Clay & Compost for sandy soils or Baileys Soil Improver Plus.
Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball, gently tease the roots and plant the vine.
Mulch with Baileys Moisture Mulch around the base keeping it away from the trunk and water deeply, once or twice a week.
Fertilise with Baileys Soil Matters Garden, this contains all essential macro and micronutrients, and a biological coating which encourages strong root growth, water in immediately.
Leave the vine to grow for the first year, pinch out the top bud to encourage lots of side shoots. Passionfruit will take 6 to 12 months to flower and 18 months before producing fruit.
When to pick passionfruit
Newly planted passionfruit vines can take 12-18 months before they begin fruiting heavily. Flowers normally form in Spring with the fruit following over the next Summer.
Passionfruits are ready to harvest when theyāve changed colour (colour change will depend on the variety) and come away easily from the vine. Ripe and ready to eat fruit will often fall to the ground - this fruit is perfectly fine to eat! Just remember to pick up fallen (ripe) fruit daily to prevent it rotting on the ground.
PESTS & DISEASES
To reduce the risk of fungal or bacterial diseases occurring on the leaves, avoid watering the leaves of your passionfruit. Thin out the foliage growth if fungal disease outbreaks occur.
Improve flower pollination rates and therefore fruit production by encouraging bees and other pollinator insects into your garden. Planting other Spring and Summer flowering plants, like marigolds, nearby can help.
If the passionfruit are dropping from the vine before they are ripe it could be because of irregular watering or Queensland Fruit Fly. Water more regularly, 2-3 times per week in the dryer months and monitor for Queensland Fruit Fly.
