Passionfruit

Plant of The Month

Passionfruit are a prolific edible climber that produces delicious tasting fruit. Semi-deciduous and have a thick layer of lush green leaves over the warmer months. Passionfruit have a sweet and sometimes tart tropical flavour depending on their ripeness.

Like many edible plants, they come in a huge range of varieties! They are hardy and easy to grow in even hot dry climates. There are a few important things to know before choosing a variety that will be best for your garden. Read more below.

What parts of Passionfruit are edible?

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PLANT

Sow seeds in spring and summer.

SOIL

Free-draining compost.

LOCATION

Full-part sun. Protect from harsh midday sun in summer.

CARE

Regular water and feeding. Training new shoots.

FERTILISE

Heavy feeders. Compost teas or added compost.

PESTS

Snails, slaters, rats, mice.

HARVEST

Harvest regularly. Fruit will drop from the plant when ripe.

REPRODUCE

Allow to go overripe and save seeds.

Why Grow Passionfruit?

Here are some of the many reasons to grow Passionfruit

Easy to grow
One plant provides an abundance
Lush evergreen leaves
Cover or screening
Shade protection
Immune booster
High Vitamin A and C
High antioxidants
Attracts Butterflies to flowers

Important Information

Many Passionfruit are sold grafted which means they are two types of passionfruit merged together. The rootstock often used in Australia is extremely invasive and can cause issues for many years to come. I recommend avoiding grafted passionfruit at all costs. Check carefully before purchasing. Not all passionfruit flowers and leaves are edible – the blue passionfruit flowers from the rootstock are not edible. Check you do not have a rootstock variety that has taken over!

WATCH below for more info on grafted passionfruit.

Popular Passionfruit Varieties

Passionfruit come in many different types a few key types are:

Passiflora edulis – common purple varieties
Passiflora flavicarpa – tropical Panama varieties
Passiflora quadrangularis – Grandilla varieties
Passiflora tarminiana / mollissima – Banana passionfruit

Note: some types of Banana Passionfruit are classified as an invasive weed in some countries including New Zealand.

Sunshine Special – Passiflora edulis – Popular purple passionfruit for Perth Gardens. Heavy fruiter and no invasive suckers.

Panama Gold – Passiflora flavicarpa – Popular tropical passionfruit with yellow skins. Allow to fully ripen and drop before harvesting. Fast-growing and more frost/cold tolerant than many.

Black Nugget – Passiflora edulis – Popular purple-black fruit. Harvest late summer to winter.

Panama – Passiflora edulis – Large red/burgundy fruit with sweet gold flesh.

Banana Passionfruit – Passiflora mollissima – Long yellow fruit with sweet pulp. frost hardy. Light pink flowers. Can be invasive.

When to Plant

It is best to plant new Passionfruit plants in Spring so they have time to get established before winter.

How to Grow

Choose a sunny spot with 6-8 hours of sunlight
Prepare the soil with free-draining compost
Keep well watered, especially during summer
Fertilise in Spring and benefits from high Potassium
Prune in Autumn after fruit – Passionfruit fruit more on new growth.
Fertilize with compost or all round fertilizer after pruning

Care/ Maintenance

Keep plants well watered. Train and direct new shoots regularly to keep under control. If you are growing a grafted variety, check and remove any suckers or side shoots from below the graft – weekly.

Passionfruit do not like soggy or wet ground – if you receive a lot of rain it is best to grow passionfruit on mounds to allow water to run off and prevent root rot.

Pests / Disease

Check for slugs, slatters and snails when the plants are young. Barriers may need to be put around the main stem. Ripe fruit are popular with Rats and Possums. Harvest regularly and you may need to net some fruit to ensure you get a harvest.

How/ When to Harvest

Passionfruit will usually start fruiting by the start of their 1st year – may be longer in cold climates.
Passionfruit drop from the vine when they are fully ripe. They can be picked earlier if you like fruit with a little more tart flavour. Choose deep-coloured fruit.
Passionfruit varieties will fruit at different times of the year but many are ripe during late Summer – Winter.

Reproducing

Passionfruit can be grown from both cuttings and seeds.

Save seeds from mature well ripe fruit. Rinse off the flesh and soak in a jar of water for 24 hours. Plant seeds in quality compost nd potting mix and keep warm and well watered until they sprout. Transplant to a larget pot once they have 4-5 leaves.
Take 20cm cuttings from semi-hardwood. Remove the bottom half of the leaves and place in a jar of water or moist soil to root.

Cooking and Using

Passionfruit can be used fresh or frozen.

Passionfruit pairs well with: Citrus, Chocolate, Strawberry, Lime, Watermelon, Papaya, Peach, Pineapple, Mango, Melon, Coconut, Kiwifruit, Pear, Nuts, Rosemary, Mint, Ginger, Caramel, Cream, Fish

Passionfruit ideas: