Tips for growing passionfruit

[RosieW]

I would really love to get a passionfruit going, but haven't had much success. I know they're heavy feeders so i prepared the soil thoroughly.

First one I planted about 7 years ago, died (I don't think it got enough sun). But the root stock is STILL popping up all over the place!

I tried again late last year - this time in its own garden bed in a sunny spot (to keep my dog out mainly) - again lots of compost, sheep manure. It died too.

The horticulturalist at Bunnings said it sounded like too much or too little water.  

I'd love to hear if others have had this happen to them too and any stories about what they do for happy healthy passionfruit.

[Adam_W]

Hi @Isobel, I'd be holding off until things warm up a little.
What you'll find is that the nursery generally won't stock passionfruit until the best planting time so use that as your trigger.

[Suzie72]

before planting my grafted Nelly passionfruit I chose a site that had the roots in shade and the vine itself able to attach to a wide trellis  that was subject to full north sunlight and west sunlight. then on either side of where I intended to plant the passionfruit  plant  I dug two holes about 60 cm feet deep.  into each hole I added a cattle liver in each hole (Had to order from the butcher).  The livers were huge. then covered each liver with 15 cm of pulverized 12 month old  sheep manure.  Then, without disturbing the holes with a liver in each one I dug the hole where the passionfruit was to go.  Added 15 cm of gypsum in the bottom of that hole.  forked it in a little. them planted  the  passionfruit and filled the rest of the hole with the soil in the vicinity.  For the first year it hardly moved.  In the second year it took off like a racing car at the start of a race.  mulched around the plant, keepin any mulch 15 cm away from the stem at all times.  rarely  watered it as the roots are cool. it is the leaves that are drawing energy from the sun.  Gave  it a top up just recently with some Neutrog fertilizer as it has lots of flower buds.  My rule  for my garden us to focus most of my effort on the soil and the plant will respond accordingly.

passionfruit leaves oct 2018passionfruit flowers and buds oct 2018

[Jason]

Brilliant result. Many thanks for sharing @Suzie72.

Let me extend a very warm welcome to Workshop. We're rapt you could join us and trust that you'll get loads of great advice and inspiration for your projects from our helpful members. Feel free to post whenever you need assistance or have something to share. 

And please let me know if you ever have any feedback about how we can improve Workshop for you. 

Jason

[Suzie72]

thank you Jason. My garden started as pure hard clay.  That abundance of clay is no longer as obvious in parts of the garden as I make use of masses of gypsum. There is almost no gypsum amount I would call "too much" gypsum. I also make use of the very good quality mulch/compost  that the council  sells by the trailer load. And I have often treated myself to a present of 10 bags of pulverized 12 month old sheep manure for birthdays and Christmas, (what could be better as a present:) ? 

Now my front garden soil is almost black soil, and easily dug.  The back is still being worked on.  There are still two  complete no go areas (too much clay) in the back garden  - one especially bad  - even the weeds are not interested in the really bad area.  Eventually both clay areas will get attention, but not yet. .  The areas I have attended to, (meaning = improved the soil)  at the back are now supporting aspargus, ginger, almond tree, strawberries, lemon tree, apricot, plum, redlove apple,  yellow peach, white peach, satsuma plum, parsley, mint, the passionfruit, and a clementine nectarine. There is also a loquat trees but I leave that tree for the possums to enjoy.

[MitchellM]

@Suzie72 That's fantastic! Liver as fertiliser? Could you please enlighten me about that process, I have never heard of it before.

Sounds amazing!

[Suzie72]

Hi MitchellM,
Liver is very nutritious. For people and for plants. Liver is possibly the most nutrient-dense food in the world. It's packed with essential nutrients, rich in protein and low in calories.
Plants need nutrients just as much as people need nutrients.
When I was pregnant my iron levels were not high enough, according to my Doctor, so rather than telling me to drink the vile tasting iron supplement - instead the doctor told me to make and serve (once a week)  a stir fry with lots of vegetables and saute very fine strips of one small  lambs liver and mix the strips of lambs liver into the saute vegetables. (lamb's liver is the only type of liver I have ever eaten)
I served the lamb's liver strips with a saute of onions, cauliflower florets, broccolli florets, bok choy, red capsicum, water chesnuts and baby corn. Ate it with chop-sticks and a side of steamed rice once a week for the rest of my pregnancy. My iron levels improved as a result and it also gave me more energy.
Passionfruit vines like a very nutrient rich growing medium.
A couple of large raw bull livers are perfect. you will need to order them in advance from your meat supplier and they are large. They need NO preparation. Do NOT even think of cooking them - you want every last fresh nutrient in the fresh liver. Do NOT even think of chopping them up - you want a big mass that can work it's magic under the soil.
Once you have the livers home get them into the ground as soon as possible. Dig the hole deep so that no local dog can smell the livers and so that you too cannot smell anything as they slowly enrich the soil below. I dug the hole 24 inches deep (60 cm metric) and I chose to also cover them with some sheep manure, just to get the party started below the ground and then covered it all with ordinary soil.
The worms in your soil will think they have died and gone to heaven when they find the liver.
Then the worms will further enrich the soil around the buried livers as worms urinate and defecate often, and that too enriches the soil further. Worm urine is more dilute than human urine, but just like human waste - worm urine has ammonia as well as urea. Thus the ammonia and urea waste products from the worms will also enrich the soil around a passionfruit
Adding a couple a big raw bull livers 24 inches below the ground is win win for the passionfruit, and for the worms, and for the soil fertility. And a fresh liver is a natural product.
hope all the above is enough to convince you of the benefits of using liver in this way?

[Suzie72]

ps:
I am in the southern hemisphere - hence north light is the warmest aspect in the southern hemisphere.
if you live in the northern hemisphere then naturally you would choose the southern light - which is the warmest aspect in the northern hemisphere.

[TraceyC2222]

Hi there.  I always bought two passionfruit plants at one time and i planted them a few meters aparts. I bought dynamic lifter small bag and added it to a large white plastic bin with a lid, i then filled it with water. It dynamic lifter gets very soft. I then after a week, added the watered mixture about three scoups to the main stem each week of the passionfruit, i had wire stressling above the fence line and each week as vigourously as it grew, i would tie up more stems to encourge it to grow up and thick. It sure did and i had fruit within no time. I have found passionfruit one of the easiest fruits to grow. The nelly kelly is the most hardy. I did by accident pick up a miss marked new variety that was yellow. I pulled it out, the fruit was sour and really not nice. I 

use the area down the side of the house that is wasted and not used in most cases, however i have found if you get good sun and shade its the perfect postion to plant passionfruit. I used a soup scoup thats left that in the bucket, each week i just watered it down. Its actually the best way to save money also and get a good use from your dynamic lifter instead of throwing the pellets down on the ground, just a few soup laddles full of the concentrated water solution,  plus a good water once a week, unless its been raining, dont add more water, these areas typically have everything the passionfruit need to grow really well. Warning, the smell is very high when taking the lid off, however its the best solution going and you truly cant fail. You also must use the right garden ties to tressle the plant up. I had passionfruits so full of juicy stunning fruit and they were the size of a large lemons. I never needed any pestiside either. So that made it organic. you can freeze spare fruit or bottle it, or just share with your neighbours. Good luck. I think its getting the right position and making sure you have equal sun and shade, along with plenty of water and fertiliser. I just did that weekly. You cant go wrong. Good luck. Just make sure you side of the house, has good sun shade. Its easy to make a garden bed with a good potting soil, then the weekly dose of dynamic lifter in liquid form, is amazing, i watered one bag down for well over a year, before topping it up. just leave the bucket down the side and out of the sun. Bless. Tracey.

[Jason]

Many thanks for joining in the discussion and sharing your experience @TraceyC2222. Great to have you join the community. We look forward to reading more of your posts. Feel free to post anytime you need a hand or have something to share.

Welcome,

Jason

[bergs]

Hi @RosieW Pasionfruit should face north. They need good drainage, but shouldn't dry out. They need plenty of calcium (pulverised egg shells go well) and plenty of potash (wood ash is ok)

Cheers @bergs