Passionfruit are a great investment in any home garden, the gift that keeps giving! A simple maintenance routine will keep them producing glorious fruit, year after year!
Where to Plant
Choosing a position with at least five hours a day of sunshine is the key to productive fruiting. A full or half-sun position is the ideal. If you live in a cooler region, you could grow your passionfruit vine near a wall that catches the sun so heat can radiate. If planting a new vine, Spring is ideal as it allows the vine to become well established in the warmer conditions. A trellis, fence or even a deck railing is handy as you can train the vine along, tie-ing it up as it grows.
TIP: Dig in some composted poultry manure into the soil when planting. Super Booster Pellets are ideal.
It is important to check that you have quick draining soil as your trees won’t benefit from being waterlogged. If water pools and doesn’t drain away, add some drainage or mound the soil before planting. Check there are no trees or competing roots when planting.
Watering
Once you have planted your passionfruit vine, water deeply regularly until established. Watering well is important for juicy fruit. Not watering often enough or a dry plant will not produce fruit, fruit may fall off or shrivel.
TIP: Passionfruit plants love water, but infrequent deep watering is the most beneficial.
Caring for your Passionfruit Vine
Regular mulching will protect the shallow roots. Keep mulch and grass away from the base to discourage collar rot.
Fertilising
Poultry manure is a great, nutrient rich fertiliser for Passionfruit. Using a product like Katek Super Growth that is boosted with sulphate of potash encourages prolific fruit and flower production and enhances fruit flavour. This pelletised fertiliser can be applied every six weeks from after pruning through to fruiting (September to May). Apply around the root zone.
Fortnightly application of a seaweed concentrate like Katek Neptune during Spring is also recommended. Neptune can be applied to the soil and foliage helps prevent disease, stimulates the soil’s biology and encourages strong and health plant growth.
Liquid Potash and Katek Citrus & Fruit will also produce great results on passionfruits.
TIP: Composted poultry manure is full of live beneficial microbes and rich in plant available, slow release nutrients.
Pruning
If you have a newly planted vine, allow it to climb during its first year and pinch out the top bud to encourage lots of side shoots to develop. If your vine is grafted, check for suckers and remove them from below the graft point.
After year two, prune the lateral branches once a year after fruiting has finished. Ensure the frame or area it is climbing on can hold the vine when it is laden with fruit.
Harvesting
New vines can take up to 18 months to produce fruit. Fruit colour varies greatly, so not all varieties will be overly coloured when ripe. If fruit drops to the ground, it is a good idea to check and see if it is ripe. Ripe fruit can get sun burnt, so collect regularly. For most varieties when the skin starts to wrinkle they are very ripe.
Happy Growing!