Passion fruit – also known as passion fruit, passiflora edulis or granadilla – is a plant of tropical origin whose oval-shaped fruit has many nutritional and medicinal properties. Both its seeds and its pulp can be used, and it is usually prepared in juices or desserts. Its consumption endows us with large amounts of vitamin A and C.
It is a very decorative vine plant, which can reach up to 9 meters in length, and thanks to its numerous tendrils, it entangles itself in any stake or trellis, filling it in a few months. It is a very attractive plant, due to its large bright green leaves, its picturesque and exotic flowers and its colorful fruits.
Learn how to grow tumaracuyá in a pot and enjoy its exotic flavor and various health benefits!
Steps to grow passion fruit in pots
Grow passion fruit from seeds
1. Use fresh seeds. Freshly harvested passion fruit seeds germinate quickly.
- A few days before you plan to plant the seed, buy ripe passion fruit at the supermarket. Open it and collect at least half a dozen seeds.
- Spread the seeds on burlap and rub them until the juice sacs break.
- Wash the seeds in water and let them dry for 3-4 days before washing them again and drying them in the shade.
- If you plant the seeds immediately, they should germinate within 10 to 20 days.
2. Prepare a container as a nursery. Ideally, you should plant your passion fruit vines in a separate, protected pot.
- Fill the container with a soil mix made from equal parts compost, top soil, and coarse sand. Fill the container with 4 inches (10 cm) of this mixture.
- Scrape the soil into the container that will serve as the nursery with a stick, spacing the resulting furrows 2 inches (5 cm). These grooves will serve as shallow drains that can help prevent moisture from drowning the seeds or their budding roots.
3. Sow the seeds. Place the seeds 1/2 inch (1 cm) apart within each row.
- Protect the seeds by covering them with a very thin layer of your soil mix.
- After planting the seeds, water them immediately. Moisten the soil, but don’t soak it.
Grow passion fruit from cuttings
1. Prepare a bed of sand. Fill a plastic pot with a mixture of 3/4 agricultural sand and 1/4 surface soil. Mix the soil components well so they are evenly spread throughout the container.
- The cuttings obtain most of the moisture they need to grow from the humidity of the environment, since at this time they do not have roots. In that sense, you should not use a soil that retains a lot of moisture.
2. Take a cutting. Choose a healthy, mature passion fruit plant from which to take a cutting. Cut a part of the vine that contains at least 3 shoots, if not more, and cut directly below the lowest shoot.
- New growth is more active, so it’s best to choose a newer part of the vine than an older part.
- Plant this cutting immediately in your sand bed.
3. Keep the cutting in moist conditions. The best place for a vine cutting is a greenhouse. However, if you don’t have access to one, you can build a humidity chamber by stretching clear plastic sheets on a box frame made of bamboo.
- If you need to generate additional moisture, you can do so by using a humidifier or by placing plates of water-covered gravel around the base of the cutting.
- The cutting will form new roots in 1-2 weeks.
Recommendations and care for growing passion fruit in pots
– Keep it in full sun and place it where the air is humid.
– Use a watering can or hose to gently water the seedlings after they have been planted. Make sure it’s moist, but don’t let muddy puddles form, as this could be an indication that you’ve provided more water than the soil can absorb and drain.
– Once the plant is growing in size, apply mulch and fertilize around it. Spread some slow-release organic fertilizer around the base of the plant. Also spread organic mulch, such as straw or wood chips, around the base of the plant.
– The entire root system needs access to compost and mulch. For best results, gently push or dig some of the mulch down to the top layer of soil after spreading compost and mulch around the base of the plant.
– You must apply fertilizer in the spring and 1 time every 4 weeks during the summer season. Feeding should also be carried out in mid-autumn. Use organic and slow-release fertilizers that are low in nitrogen. Chicken manure balls are a good option.
– If the area where you live receives a lot of rain, you may not need to water the plant as often. However, if you are experiencing a drought or if you live in only moderately humid conditions, you will need to water the vine at least once a week. Never let the soil surface dry out completely.
– As the vines spread, you may need to train them to climb your fence, trellis or other support structure. The plant will be healthier if the vines are encouraged to climb, and a healthy plant will produce a larger harvest.
– Keep 60 to 90 cm of space around each side of the base of the vine free of weeds. Use organic methods to remove weeds and do not use chemicals.
– Prune in the spring every 2 years. Make sure you do this before the plant flowers. Pruning after flowering occurs can weaken the plant and limit your harvest.
– Normally, the ripe passion fruit falls off the vine as soon as it is ready for consumption. The drop itself doesn’t hurt the fruit, but you should pick it a couple of days after it drops to ensure the best possible quality.
– If you have a variety of passion fruit that does not drop the fruit, simply pull each fruit once you notice the skin beginning to wrinkle.
Ways to consume passion fruit
- Raw fruit: cut the fruit in two and eat the pulp and seeds with a spoon, avoiding the rind.
- Put the pulp and seeds in a blender with a little cold water and you will get an excellent juice.
- You can combine its pulp with other fruits and achieve a tasty and nutritious salad.
- It is used to prepare jams, jellies and syrups.
- In the kitchen you can use it to prepare cakes, pastries, ice cream and other desserts.