How to grow your own passionfruit

Melissa’s Passionfruit Planting and Growing tips

- Plant in spring for autumn fruit
- Choose a grafted plant with a good growth tip
- Plant it level in the ground and don’t tease out the roots; they don’t
like disturbance
- Water in with seaweed solution and mist the foliage with a half
strength brew
- Water every day during the first week
- Water in a wide area to encourage roots to spread
- Passionfruit will twine itself around a string
- Remove any growth from below the rootstock
- Plant two vines to improve pollination
- Don’t over fertilise or over water your vines
- Regular applications of compost and seaweed solution is enough
to ensure a good crop
- Mulch well
- Pick fruit when ripe – it will fall from the vine to the ground
- Prune back to a 1m diameter crown in spring, making sure you
leave some good growing tips; it will quickly regrow and reward
with fruit.

Troubleshooting Q&A

Why is my passionfruit flowering and not fruiting?

Answer: A lack of pollinators. Best not to use insecticides, and plant herbs that attract beneficial insects.


Why does my passionfruit look sick?

Answer: It’s probably too old. They need to be replanted after about 6 years. It might also have a fungal disease if it has brown spots on the fruit or yellow mottled leaves.


How do I treat fungus?

Answer: Spraying with a horticultural oil seems to supress mites and the fungus.


How do I control fruit fly?

Answer: Use baits in areas prone to attack.


Watch Gardening Australia on ABC iview: iview.abc.net.au/programs/gardening-australia

SUBSCRIBE: ab.co/GardeningYouTube

About Gardening Australia:
Gardening Australia is an ABC TV program providing gardening know-how and inspiration. Presented by Australia's leading horticultural experts, Gardening Australia is a valuable resource to all gardeners through the television program, the magazine, books, DVDs and extensive online content.

Connect with other Gardening Australia fans:
Like Gardening Australia on Facebook: facebook.com/gardeningaustralia
Follow Gardening Australia on Instagram: instagram.com/gardeningaustralia
Visit the Gardening Australia website: abc.net.au/gardening

This is an official Australian Broadcasting Corporation YouTube channel.
********
Contributions may be removed if they violate ABC's Online Conditions of Use abc.net.au/conditions.htm (Section 3).