Passionfruit Growing Guide

Passiflora edulis (tropical), Passiflora incarnata and Passiflora caerulea (temperate climates)

Passionfruit

Crop Rotation Group

Miscellaneous ●

Soil

Moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soil enriched with plenty of compost.

Position

Full sun to part shade. Passion fruit vines thrive in spots that get morning sun and some afternoon shade.

Frost tolerant

Most passionfruit commonly grown in Australia have little or not frost tolerance. The pink flowered banana passionfruit can tolerate down to -3°C (27°F) for short periods and if suffering damage can regrow from below ground level. The common black passionfruit will tolerate light frost but is best grown in a sheltered location such as against a brick wall or under a pergola in climates where frost poses a risk. The larger fruited cultivars are not frost tolerant.

Feeding

Passionfruits are heavy feeders and can be fed with a balanced organic fertiliser when in active growth and will also benefit from drenching with liquid organic fertiliser when in flower and also carrying a crop of fruit. Young plants require steady moisture to become established.

Spacing

Single Plants: 90cm (2' 11") each way (minimum)
Rows: 90cm (2' 11") with 90cm (2' 11") row gap (minimum)

Sow and Plant

Set out purchased plants in spring at about the time of your last frost. Water regularly to keep the roots from drying out.
Our Garden Planner can produce a personalised calendar of when to sow, plant and harvest for your area.

Notes

Tropical passion fruit vines produce the large fruits seen in markets. The smaller, egg-size fruits produced by P. incarnata (maypops) and ornamental varieties are edible, but with many seeds and little flavour. Passion fruit vine flowers are visited by numerous insects, and the foliage supports several species of butterfly larvae. The vines can be trained up a trellis as an entryway accent, or you can grow them over a tall fence.

Harvesting

Pick common black passion fruit when their colour changes from green to dark purple. Banana passionfruit when they turn from green to golden yellow. Panama gold when they turn from green to golden yellow and Panama red when they turn from green to a reddish brown.

Troubleshooting

Holes in leaves are usually caused by caterpillars that mature into butterflies. Hardy passion flower vines such as the banana passionfruit may suffer cold injury in some winters, but quickly grow back from the roots in spring. In Australia fruit fly are a pest of passionfruit, make sure to take appropriate control measures in areas where they are present. It is important to dispose of any infected fruit and fruit has fallen to the ground by placing them in a sealed plastic bag in the sun for at least 7 days to kill the eggs and larvae. Do not compost fruit as this will lead to the fruit fly completing their life cycle and lead to the problem recurring.

Planting and Harvesting Calendar

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Pests which Affect Passionfruit