How to Grow Passion fruit

If you live in a warm climate and don’t have harsh winters, you can grow tropical passion fruit at home. This plant can be a bit picky and requires space to climb, but with the right attention and care, it will provide you with stable and delicious fruit seasons.

Table of Contents

Growing plants from seeds

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Use fresh seeds. Seeds of freshly picked passion fruit germinate very quickly, but older and dry seeds take several months to germinate. ^{[1] X Research Source}

A few days before you plan to plant seeds, buy a ripe passion fruit from the store. Cut out and pick up at least half a dozen seeds.
Spread the seeds on a piece of burlap and rub until the protective film on the outside of the seeds (also called the seed coat) comes off.
Wash the seeds in water and dry for 3-4 days before rinsing again and drying in the shade.
If sown immediately, the seeds will germinate within 10-20 days.
If you need to store the seeds, place them in an airtight plastic bag and keep them in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

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Prepare potted plants. It is best to plant passion fruit in a separate and safe pot, and then plant it in a prepared spot in the garden. Choose pots no larger than 0.3 m2.

Pour into the nursery pot a mixture of soil including compost, topsoil and coarse sand in equal proportions. The soil layer should be about 10 cm thick.

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Dig shallow trenches. Use a stick to trace the soil in the nursery pot with grooves about 5 cm apart.

These grooves act as shallow drains to prevent water from engulfing the seeds and sprouts.

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Drills. Place the seeds in the groove, about 1 cm from the other. Protect the seeds by covering them with a very thin layer of soil.

Water immediately after sowing. Water so that the soil is moist but not soggy.
After sowing the seeds, all you need to do is water occasionally when the topsoil is completely dry.

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Take the seedlings out and plant them outside. When they grow to about 20-25 cm tall, the seedlings can be planted in a permanent position in the garden.

Planting trees with branches

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Prepare the sand layer. Fill a plastic flower pot with a mixture of 3 parts agricultural sand and 1 part topsoil. Thoroughly mix the ingredients in the soil evenly throughout the pot.

The branches get the moisture they need to grow from the moisture in the environment, because they don’t have roots yet. As such, you should not use too much water-retaining soil to plant segments.

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Take a tree branch. ^{[2] X Research Source} Select healthy, mature passion fruit trees for cuttings. Cut a branch with at least 3 or more buds, and cut just below the bottom bud.

Newer branches are more active, so you should choose this branch instead of the old branch.
Immediately plant this branch in the sand layer.
Remove the lower leaves to help the branch retain water.

Planting seedlings

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Choose the appropriate location. Ideally, you should choose a location with full sun and not around many competing roots. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

“Full sunshine” means 6 hours or more of sunlight per day.
The place where passion fruit is grown must also be free of grass. If there are weeds growing, you need to pull them out before planting.
Passion fruit branches need space to climb and spread. Ideally, you should choose a site with climbing structures, such as a fence, balcony, or trellis. If the above structures are not available, you can build a trellis fence instead.

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Soil improvement. Passion fruit needs light and deep soil rich in organic matter. The soil in your yard may not be of such high quality, so you need to improve the soil a bit before planting seeds or branches.

Mix the soil with compost before planting. Compost will improve the texture and nutritional value of the soil. You can also try using decayed compost, humus or plant waste.
If the soil is too dense, you can loosen the soil by mixing a handful of coarse sand into the soil.
You should also pay attention to the pH of the soil. The pH needs to be between 6.5 and 7.5. If the soil acidity is too high, add dpomite flour or agricultural lime.
Improve the soil annually by adding compost.
Mix organic matter or sand into the soil to increase the drainage capacity of the soil.

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Plant each seedling in each large hole in the soil. Dig each hole for one tree. The hole should be twice the width of the tree’s current width, and at least as deep as the pot in which the seedlings are growing.

Carefully dig or slide the seedlings and roots out of the nursery.
Place the roots in the center of the hole, then spread the soil until the plant is stable.
During the growing process, the less you touch the roots, the better. The roots are very sensitive, and you can kill the plant if you damage the roots while planting.

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Apply mulch and fertilize around the plants. Spread chicken manure pellets or other slow-release organic fertilizer around the base of the plant. You also need to put organic mulch such as straw or shavings around the base of the tree.

The entire root system needs to be accessible to fertilizer and mulch. For best results, gently push or dig some mulch into the topsoil after applying fertilizer and mulching around the base of the plant.

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Water a lot. Use a watering can or garden hose to lightly water the seedlings after planting. Make sure the soil is very moist but doesn’t leave puddles of mud, as that’s a sign that you’re watering more than the soil is absorbing and draining.

Daily and long-term care

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Fertilize regularly. Passion fruit is a nutrient-dense plant, so you must provide plenty of water and fertilizer throughout the growing season.

You should fertilize in the spring and every four weeks during the summer. The last fertilization should be done in mid-autumn. Use slow-release organic fertilizers with low nitrogen concentrations. Chicken manure pellets are a good choice.
If you live in an area that gets a lot of rain, you may not need to water your plants too often. In contrast, during the dry season or if you are in an area with only moderate humidity, you need to water your plants at least once a week. Never allow the topsoil to dry out.

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Bending tree branches. As the branches spread, you may need to bend them over a fence, trellis, or other support. Passion fruit trees will be the healthiest if the branches are allowed to climb, and healthy trees will give a high yield.

Bending branches is a relatively simple process if you know how. When new branches or vines begin to grow, use thin wire to tie the branches around its base and wire to the fence. Tie loosely so that the branches don’t get tight.
When new passion fruit trees grow, the overhead branches growing from the main trunk need to be bent around the highest wire of the truss so that they grow in the opposite direction.
When the side branches have grown apart, the branches above can grow and swoop down.

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Weed around the tree. Passion fruit requires a lot of water and nutrients, so fertile soil is often also a target for weeds. You need to try to get rid of weeds nearby so that nutrients are not lost.

Maintain a 60-90 cm weed-free space around each passion fruit base. Use organic or weeding methods, avoid chemicals. Mulch can help prevent weeds from growing out of the ground, and hand weeding is also a good option.
There may be other plants and weeds in your garden, but you should avoid plants that can transmit diseases or attract pests. Legumes in particular can be dangerous to passion fruit trees when planted nearby.

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Prune the tree if necessary. Pruning is mainly to control the branches and allow sunlight to reach the lower parts of the tree.

Prune in spring every two years. Make sure to do this before the plants flower. Pruning after flowering can weaken the tree and reduce fruit production.
Use pruning shears to cut branches lower than 60 cm. This eliminates old, weak shoots and improves air circulation around the base of the plant. ^{[4] X Research Sources}
When pruning, be sure not to cut the main branch by following the branch to the base before cutting it off.
Leave 3-5 knots near the base of the branch when cutting. New shoots can grow from the nodes left behind.

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Support pollination if necessary. Usually bees can take care of pollinating the plants without your help. However, if there are no bees in the area, you may need to do this.

To artificially pollinate plants, use a small and clean paintbrush to pick up pollen from male flowers, then brush on female flowers.
You can also use your index finger and thumb to touch the surfaces of the anthers and pistils as you walk along the rows.

Things you need

Ripe passion fruit (if seeds are removed)
Mature passion fruit tree (if branch is taken)
Planting pots
Knife or pruning shears
Burlap
Plastic sheet
Surface soil
Sand
Compost
Shovel or gardening trowel
Organic fertilizer pellets
Plant watering can or garden hose
Mesh fences or other supports
Small paintbrush (for pollination)
Pesticides (if needed)

Steps

Growing plants from seeds

Planting trees with branches

Planting seedlings

Daily and long-term care

Things you need

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