How to Grow and Care Passion Fruit

Do you fancy growing passion fruit? If yes is your answer, this article will help you learn how to grow passion fruit from seeds.

Passion fruit is one of the most abundant backyard crops. However, do you know that while there are hundreds of exotic-looking passion flower species, only a few produce edible fruit?

Passion fruit vines are robust climbers covering walls and fences and producing delicious fruit. Furthermore, are you aware that passion fruit vines can be used for medical purposes?

This article will cover everything from planting to trimming and picking passion fruit. Below is a step-by-step tutorial on how to grow passion fruit from seeds in your backyard.

Do you buy dragon fruits from the market? How about growing in your home yourself? We have recently written a guide on how to grow dragon fruits from cuttings. Have a look!

You can also read our post on how to grow a pineapple from cuttings.

All About Passion Fruit

Passiflora edulis

There are different varieties of Passion fruits that come in yellow, orange, and purple forms. The two most prevalent forms are the Passiflora edulis (purple passion fruit) and Passiflora edulis flavicarpa (yellow passion fruit).

Passion fruit is a climbing vine that produces passion flowers and fruit. The passion fruit is roughly the size of a grapefruit and is produced by the passion plant.

It’s a southern Brazilian perennial crop. However, passion fruit is a tropical and subtropical fruit widely grown throughout the world.

Watching a passion fruit seed grow into a substantial fruiting vine is rewarding. Growing a passion fruit offers two advantages for us.

First, the Passiflora plant thrives in warmer areas with its thick climbing vines and forms excellent privacy screens.

Passion fruit is also high in antioxidants and vitamins and has a low glycemic index. This sweet, tart and tasty fruit is high in nutrients and helps to strengthen the immune system.

Do you know even pumpkin leaves are good for the immune system? Do read on how to eat pumpkin leaves.

After the first frost has passed, the best time to grow passion fruit from seeds is during the spring season. The outer layer shell of passion fruit is firm and slippery in both kinds.

These fruits have clear flesh with firm black seeds in the core. The edible part of the fruit’s pulp is tangy and delightful.

Passion fruit seedlings can be purchased from a nursery or grown at home using seeds discovered within the passion fruit.

How Grow Passion Fruit

Passion fruit is an attractive climber with stunning blooms, rich foliage, and delicious, delectable fruit.

It can be cultivated from online/nursery seedlings or the seeds within mature passion fruit. Furthermore, passion fruit cuttings can be used to propagate new plants.

However, this article will mainly focus on how to grow passion fruit from seeds.

When to Plant Passion Fruit

After the last frost has passed, early April is the optimal time to begin growing passion fruit. Warmer climates are ideal for this subtropical fruit.

Temperatures between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius are ideal for growing the purple type. On the other hand, the yellow species can resist up to 35 degrees Celsius.

Plant only during the warmer months, from October to March, if you reside in a moderately chilly climate. Passion fruit grows well in warmer climates.

Because passion fruit is a vine, growing it near a trellis or fence is preferable. To support its tendrils, simply put wire or netting.

How to Grow Passion Fruit From Seeds

It’s not difficult to grow passion fruit from seeds; all you need is a piece of fruit from the store. After separating a dozen seeds from the pulp, wash it thoroughly to ensure that only the seeds remain.

Then, as quickly as possible, germinate it and plant it. So, here’s how to start growing passion fruit from scratch.

Step 1. Collecting the Seeds

Select a ripe passion fruit from the market to extract the seeds. Remember that the riper the passion fruit is, the more probable the seeds will germinate.

Using a paper towel, separate the fruit pulp from the seed.

Step 2. Prepare the Seeds

To aid in the germination process, scarify the seed coat using fine sandpaper. To break the dormancy of the passion fruit, immerse it in water for 24 hours.

It’s best to plant seeds as soon as possible after receiving them. Keep seeds in an airtight container or a sealed envelope if they must be stored.

Step 3. Germinate the Seeds

Sow the seed in a container filled with a small amount of soil or seed growing mix about an inch deep to assist your sprouts in germinating.

Sow seed beneath the surface and keep it moist by watering it. Germination takes at least 20 days.

Also Read: How to Prepare Soil for Planting in Pots

Step 4. Water your Seeds

To avoid the potting mix drying out, moisten your seeds with water.

Using a hose attachment, water seeds slowly. Keep your container moist by keeping it in a warm environment.

Step 5. Have Patience

You need to keep patience because some seeds start germinating in two to three weeks while some can take four months to sprout. Water the seeds regularly.

Step 6. Repotting

Before planting, fertilize the soil well. Compost fertilization is recommended for the soil. When the seedlings reach a height of 4 inches, they are ready to be transplanted.

Use liquid plant food to repot your plant in a larger container around 6-8 inches in diameter.

Passion fruit requires good, well-drained soil, so gently dig out the seedlings without disturbing the roots system.

Then, in well-drained soil, plant it and water it. Make sure the plant isn’t any more profound than before it was placed in the container.

Climbing support and well-drained soil is ideal for passion fruit. So long as it has a robust enough support system in place.

Your passion fruit plant should have a good center vine about eight inches in height when the vines begin to grow after six weeks. It will be planted against a trellis in the garden.

Step 7. Soil Preparation

Rich, well-drained soil with a pH range of 5.5 to 6.5 is ideal for passion fruit plants. Passion fruit thrives in the sun, so make sure your vines are in a warm, sunny location with plenty of ventilation.

Make sure you can give enough fertilizer for the growing needs. Also, loosen the soil from time to time for good drainage.

Step 8. Time to Plant the Vine

The spring season is the best time to establish a passion fruit vine. More profound than in the last container, bury your plant in the garden.

After that, give each plant at least 10 to 12 feet of room. Give it a big drink of water and a healthy layer of potting soil right away.

Step 9. Caring for Passion Fruit Vines

Feed your plants well, and they will feed you well, so make sure they get the nutrients they need to thrive. Flowering and fruiting can take anything from 18 months to 2 years.

Water and fertilize your passion fruit plant regularly because it is a heavy feeder. Depending on the weather, water deeply several times a week.

Also Read: How to Plant and Grow Pomegranate

The foliage that protects the fruit from sunburn should not be removed. Passion fruit does not need much pruning; however, it can be pruned to manage the growth and spread of the plant.

After pruning, ensure that the bushes receive sufficient sunlight to allow the passion fruit to ripen more quickly.

Protect your plant from frost and severe wind during the winter by layering compost over the root system.

Step 10. Time to Harvest

From spring until October, flowers bloom, and fruit is produced.

When your fruit is fully mature, it will change from deep green to dark purple or dark yellow.

It means that your fruit has finished pollinating and is ready to be picked. When the passion fruit reaches full color, you can pick it or fall to the ground.

When slightly shriveled, the fruit is sweet and tasty. Passion fruit can be kept in the fridge for up to two weeks.

How to Care for Passion Fruit

Here are a few passion fruit tree care tips that you can follow.

These caring tips will help you to grow passion fruit from seeds.

Passion fruit grows best in damp, loamy soil with a high pH.

To ensure fruitful pollination, keep bee-loving plants next to the passion fruit.

When the soil is dry, water the plant. Because the plant is deprived of water, it produces no blossoms and no fruits.

Make sure, however, that the soil does not become flooded. Water your plant thoroghly over the summer to help prevent wrinkling and premature fruit.

Avoid direct sunlight and frost on your plant. The plant’s root system will be harmed as a result.

Because passion fruit is a big feeder, fertilize your plant once in a while.

However, make sure you provide the correct amount of potassium-rich fertilizer to your plant. Throughout the growing season, fertilize your plant.

Due to its tendrils, passion fruit is an excellent climber. To avoid tangles, divide the vines.

To eliminate undesired productive growth, prune your passion fruit plant. As a result, the plants will stay contained.

After harvesting, prune your plant to encourage the fresh branches and leaves’ faster and more productive growth.

Cut off the side-shoots that have formed from the laterals to keep your vines steady, easy to harvest, and with good aeration.

Pests and diseases attack passion fruit plants. Neem oil emulsion can be used to control pests.

To protect the plant from snails, nematodes, or fritillary butterflies, use a mesh cover or a liquid fence.

Spray your plant with a fungicide early in the spring to prevent fungal illnesses. It is possible to control brown spots on foliage and fruits by cutting off the vine.

You can reproduce a passion fruit plant by cutting off a new branch or using fresh seeds from your existing plant.

To keep the soil moist, place your plant in a warm setting for up to 90 days because the roots of the passion fruit are shallow. Because it is expected to dry out soon, keep them adequately mulched and avoid digging the roots of plants near the base.

If you live in a low or cold place, protect your plant from frost. Frost can cause the plant’s blossoming and fruiting to be delayed.

These are some of the passion fruit tree care tips that you need to keep in mind. These will surely help you to grow passion fruit from seeds healthy and with an enormous amount of fruits.

Love strawberries? Want to grow strawberries at your home? Well, it’s very easy, just read our guide on how to grow strawberries in planters.

How to Harvest and Store Passion Fruit

If your seed or seedlings were planted in the early spring. After that, it’s time to harvest. Harvesting usually takes 70 to 80 days following pollination.

When the fruit is fully ripe, shriveled, and has reached its full color, it frequently detaches or falls to the ground.

You can also just pick them up from the ground. Harvesting should take place first thing in the morning.

The passion fruit can be stored for up to 3 weeks. After that, the passion fruit and juice can both be frozen.

Will you Grow Passion Fruit from Seeds

Now, that you have an idea of how to grow passion fruit from seeds, will you give it a try?

Passion fruit is firm in vitamin A and C and offers a variety of health benefits, including lowering the risk of high blood pressure.

These plants are easily cultivated in the correct locations because they are subtropical plants.

Furthermore, following these guidelines to grow passion fruit from seeds and using the proper preparation process will produce passion fruit from seeds at home.