How to grow Passion Fruit

How to grow Passion Fruit from seed to harvest. The passion fruit name came from the English translation of the Latin genus name – Passiflora, which means passion flower. It is an evergreen vine that can grow to 30 or 40 feet in length. It is widely grown in tropical and semitropical regions of the world.

Different passion fruit species are being cultivated in tropical and subtropical areas. They usually vary in size and color, but there are two main types that are commonly produced commercially which are the purple passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) and yellow passion fruit (Passiflora edulis flavicarpa) varieties.

How to grow Passion Fruit from seed

• Ideally, you should start passion fruit vines in a separate, protected container and later transplant them to your prepared garden spot.
• Scarify the seed coat with a nail file or some fine sandpaper, as it helps the germination process.
• Soak the Passion Fruit Seeds for twenty-four hours in warm water to break dormancy.
• Fill a pot that’s 4 inches across and has drainage holes with an all-purpose compost.
• Moisten the compost until water drains from the holes.
• Press each of dry seeds into the compost.
• Cover each with a thin layer of compost.
• Lower the pot into a large zippered plastic storage bag.
• Seal the bag and set it in a warm space, such as your kitchen windowsill.
• Do not allow the compost to dry.
• Monitor the seeds until they germinate.
• Passion fruit seed germination usually takes about 20 days, but it can sometimes take months to  germinate, even under ideal conditions, so patience is required.
• Plant the individual passion vine seedlings in 3-inch pots filled with the same multipurpose compost.
• Dig a hole approximately 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep before lowering the seedling and backfilling with the original medium.
• Maintain evenly moist soil and transplant the seedlings when they reach a height of 10 inches.
• Passion Fruit vines thrive in well-drained soil with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5, and full sunlight to partial shade.
• The plant is a vigorous climber, so a sturdy trellis is required.

Maintaining Passion Fruit vines

Now that you know how to grow passion fruit from seed, let’s look at how you can take care of your passion fruit vines.

• Keep the soil evenly moist for best fruit production. If the soil dries, the fruit will shrivel and drop.
• Passion fruit is heavy feeders, so fertilize regularly, but be aware that too much nitrogen will result in leafy growth and less fruit set.
• Avoid removing foliage that shields fruit from hot summer sunburn.
• Prune to eliminate weak and unproductive growth and to keep the plants within bounds of the trellis.
• After harvesting prune the plant by cutting back vigorous growth by one-third.

Harvesting Passion Fruit

• The fruit is ready for harvest 70 to 80 days after pollination, usually in mid to late summer and sometimes longer.
• The fruit will turn from deep green to deep purple or yellow when ripe. Ripe fruit will fall to the ground.
• Pick passion fruit when they reach full color or gather dropped fruits daily. The fruit is sweetest when slightly shriveled.
• Passion fruit will keep for 2 to 3 weeks in the refrigerator.
• Both the fruit and juice can be frozen.