Add a dash of passion to your garden - by Lottie Dalziel
We’re so spoilt in Australia that we can feast on passionfruits pretty much year round. But what could be better than that? Growing them in your backyard? Here’s exactly how you grow your own from seeds or a cutting.
Getting started
You can grow passionfruits from cutting but for best results it’s recommended that you start growing them from seeds. There’s no need to buy them from the store all you need to do is buy one ripe passionfruit from the supermarket.
How to grow passionfruit from a seed
- 1 x ripe passionfruit
- Soil
- 1 x 15cm pot
- Trell
- 1. Cut the passionfruit open six days before you intend on planting it, remove six to ten seeds and use a cloth to break open the juice sack leaving the black seed to dry in a warm place. 2. After four days plant the seeds in a pot at least 5cm apart. 3. Once the stalks reach 25cm in height they can be transplanted into their forever home.
- 1 x mature passionfruit plant
- Secetars
- Soil
- Trellis or stake
- 1. When snipping a cutting off a mature passion fruit plant ensure you cut a portion of the vine that is around 15cm long and contains at least three buds.
2. Plant immediately in sandy soil and use a stake to help it grow nice and tall.
Australia is the home to an abundance of passionfruit varieties some of the most popular banana passionfruit, misty gems, Nellie kelly, Panama gold and red. Passion fruit vines will grow in most climates but will truly thrive in warm tropical climates where they are protected from frost. Passionfruit vines will tolerate a position with full sun, but don’t like wind or frost. They’re a little bit like the Titanic and even though they look top heavy they actually have an intricate root system so make sure there is no competing grass, weeds or plants around. Plus, these vines love to grow so make sure you plant it somewhere where the vines have plenty of room to grow and spread. To keep your vine thriving cut it back by around one third in late winter or early spring. When your passionfruit vine is young it will require regular watering. Give it a good soak a couple of times a week being cautious to water the whole root system, not just the stem. Fertilise your vine twice a year ideally in spring and autumn. Avoid using fertilisers high in nitrogen as this will encourage leaf growth at the expense of flowers and fruit. Passionfruit cake with a passionfruit drizzle