Well, passion fruit is high in vitamins A and C , as well as being rich in potassium, calcium, iron and other nutrients. But the plant is also popular for its medicinal value. The leaves of many species of passiflora, the plant that bears the passion fruit, have been used for centuries by the indigenous tribes of Latin America as a sedative or calming tonic.
Brazilian tribes used the fruit as a heart tonic and medicine, and in a favourite drink called maracuja grande that is frequently used to treat asthma, whooping cough, bronchitis and other stubborn coughs. Passion fruit still has an important place in South American traditional medicine.
In Peruvian traditional medicine, the juice is used for urinary infections and as a mild diuretic. In Madeira, passion fruit juice is given as a digestive stimulant and to treat gastric cancer. In some countries, you can buy a tincture of passiflora which you use to keep calm before exams. Drinking the whole bottle would make you pretty groggy though. I tried this, of course, just to prove the medicinal benefits. But since you are reading this article, your green fingers might well be eager to try growing these for yourself.
Passion fruit vines are evergreen climbers that love to ramble over fences, sheds and outhouses, or up a veranda, pergola or screen. They are self-clinging, due to their spidery tendrils. They prefer a north-facing position, and though they will grow in westerly or easterly position you may find them sneaking around to the north to find more sun. They can grow 15 to 20 feet per year, once established, and they will need strong support. A plant will live five to seven years, and although they grow best in tropical climes, they will survive temperatures low as 21 Fahrenheit.
They will also do well indoors, for all you indoor urban farmers out there. To get decent growth and plenty of fruit, plant the vines in a sunny, frost-free spot and lavish them with TLC. Passion fruit vines develop extensive root systems to fuel all that growth and fruit production, so allow plenty of room for the roots to grow.
Also, keep the surrounding area free of weeds and competing plants, including grass. Give the vine space to climb too. An ideal spot to grow a vine is along a wire fence, across a balcony, or over a pergola where they will provide year-round shade.
If you want to grow a vine along a sunny wall or fence, install some wire, trellis or mesh for the tendrils to wind themselves around. Add organic matter, such as composted manures to the soil before planting, as well as a little lime. Fruit is produced from the current season's growth so it is important to prune back after the last frost or in early spring. We advise pruning back by about a third. Overwatering can lead to root problems. Make sure you don't have water puddling or not draining away.
Overfeeding can also lead to problems. Too much nitrogen most commercial fertilisers are heavy on nitrogen will lead to lots of soft green leaves, attractive to all sorts of insects and diseases, but you get little fruit. So, lots of compost, lots of mulch, and the odd sprinkle of a balanced, organic, slow release fertiliser.
Now here is an issue that I only became aware of when readers started asking me about it. Or rather, asking why their healthy and profusely flowering passionfruit vines did not set any fruit. Or why the fruit was small and hollow rather than filled with delicious, juicy pulp. Since I grow several varieties of passionfruit in my garden, I never had a problem with pollination.
Sure, I did notice that there were times when I had no fruit despite having many flowers. That depends on several factors. The tropical varieties fruit quicker than the purple passionfruit. In ideal conditions early spring planting in the tropics you can get fruit within six months. Autumn planting in a cooler climate means you may have to wait for over 12 months.
That's what I love best about growing passionfruit. You don't need to worry about harvesting them. When they are ready they'll drop. Dropping on the ground does not hurt them the least bit, they will neither rot nor will they get eaten by insects, birds or anything else. Ok, possibly the neighbour's kids. Just collect your passionfruit as often as you feel like it.
When one of my passionfruit vines is in peak production I usually do it twice a day. My vines are very productive. At other times I will pick up my red passionfruit daily. It has a much thinner skin and in my warm and humid climate I find it goes moldy on the inside unless I put it in the fridge straight away. My yellow passionfruits do not mind lying on the ground in the sun for a few days, and then sitting on the kitchen bench for weeks.
They shrivel up and look awful, but they are still juicy and delicious inside. Well, usually it is. I don't always do it. Some of my passionfruit vines raced up into some huge trees and I can't get to them.
So I just let them be. Anyway, most people grow passionfruit on much smaller structures, like fences or trellises. If you don't prune your passionfruit you end up up with a thick, tangled mess of dead wood, and a plant that has lots of problems with fungal diseases. Don't be shy, take your cutters to it. In the tropics you can prune a passionfruit as soon as it has finished fruiting. In cooler climates prune passionfruit in early spring. Cut out everything that is dead or weak, trim healthy branches by about a third, and even fully remove some of them.
You have to keep the plant within bounds, you need to make sure that some air can circulate through the foliage, and you want to stimulate vigorous new growth. Passionfruit only sets fruit on new growth.
If your passionfruit is growing where it shouldn't, or threatening to smother other plants, you can of course trim those shoots at any time. I already mentioned it, growing passionfruit can be tricky because they are very susceptible to all sorts of root problems.
Usually the plants are not all that long lived, five to seven years is a long life for a passionfruit vine. Commercial passionfruit growers work on a life span of three years for their passionfruit vines. However, a well tended, well fed vine in a good location in healthy soil may live a lot longer.
I find that after three years the productivity of a vine definitely decreases, so I don't plan for them to live any longer than that. I simply start one or two new plants every other year. I'm lucky enough to have the space to do so. If you don't have that space you will need to watch your passionfruit carefully, so that if you notice problems you can replant in time. Don't be too disheartened if your healthy and productive vine after a few years suddenly dies.
I'm afraid that passionfruit have a bad habit of doing just that. If you follow permaculture design principles in your gardening methods, then your soil is improving all the time, and the next passionfruit will grow better and live longer. To discover my secret of growing passionfruit in a supposedly impossible location, check out the page about passionfruit in permaculture designs. Learn how to grow mangoes, whether they come from a nursery or your own seed. Yes, growing mango trees from seed is easier than you may think.
Blueberries are ideal fruiting plants for the home garden with their prune-able size habit, they are small enough to fit into any garden. Seed Finder. Garden eMagazines. Be Water Smart. Garden Calendar. Problem Solver. Yates Shop. Mowing Advice Lawn Repair. Varieties of Turf Lawn Watering Tips. Shop Online! Need help? Contact Us Ask An Expert. Share Share this article on social media. Fun Facts about Passionfruit. Passionfruit thrive in subtropical and temperate regions. An ideal spot to grow a vine is along a wire fence, across a balcony, or over a pergola.
It can take 12—18 months for a newly planted vine to reach fruiting size. Prune vines to control their size and spread, and to allow sunlight to filter through and help ripen fruit. The wrinkled fruit contains vitamins A and C, potassium and iron, and is good for salads, desserts and in drinks. The passionfruit pulp can be bottled, made into sauce or eaten fresh. Passionfruit is also believed to have health properties. Where to start. Look out for suckers Many passionfruit are grafted plants.
Passionfruit not producing?
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