How to Grow Passionfruit: Tips for Passionfruit Vine Care

We’re so spoilt in Australia that we can feast on passionfruits pretty much year round. But what could be better than that? Growing them in your backyard? Here’s exactly how you grow your own from seeds or a cutting.

Getting started

You can grow passionfruits from cutting but for best results it’s recommended that you start growing them from seeds. There’s no need to buy them from the store all you need to do is buy one ripe passionfruit from the supermarket.

How to grow passionfruit from a seed

What you’ll need:

1 x ripe passionfruit
Soil
1 x 15cm pot
Trell

Method:

1. Cut the passionfruit open six days before you intend on planting it, remove six to ten seeds and use a cloth to break open the juice sack leaving the black seed to dry in a warm place. 2. After four days plant the seeds in a pot at least 5cm apart. 3. Once the stalks reach 25cm in height they can be transplanted into their forever home.

How to grow passionfruit from a cutting

What you’ll need

1 x mature passionfruit plant
Secetars
Soil
Trellis or stake

Method:

1. When snipping a cutting off a mature passion fruit plant ensure you cut a portion of the vine that is around 15cm long and contains at least three buds. 2. Plant immediately in sandy soil and use a stake to help it grow nice and tall. Once planted it will take anywhere between twelve and eighteen months for vines to produce fruit.

Types of passionfruit

Australia is the home to an abundance of passionfruit varieties some of the most popular banana passionfruit, misty gems, Nellie kelly, Panama gold and red.

Climate

Passion fruit vines will grow in most climates but will truly thrive in warm tropical climates where they are protected from frost.

Position

Passionfruit vines will tolerate a position with full sun, but don’t like wind or frost. They’re a little bit like the Titanic and even though they look top heavy they actually have an intricate root system so make sure there is no competing grass, weeds or plants around. Plus, these vines love to grow so make sure you plant it somewhere where the vines have plenty of room to grow and spread.

Pruning

To keep your vine thriving cut it back by around one third in late winter or early spring.

Watering

When your passionfruit vine is young it will require regular watering. Give it a good soak a couple of times a week being cautious to water the whole root system, not just the stem.

Feeding

Fertilise your vine twice a year ideally in spring and autumn. Avoid using fertilisers high in nitrogen as this will encourage leaf growth at the expense of flowers and fruit.

Here’s one of our favourite passionfruit recipes

Passionfruit cake with a passionfruit drizzle

Lottie Dalziel

Lottie Dalziel is a 4AM riser and coffee-addict who lives and breathes the Better Homes and Gardens brand. When she isn't reading up on the latest trends in sustainability or discovering ways to upcycle almost anything, you can find her by the beach, cooking up a storm or adding to her abundant (some would say out of control) plant collection.