Author Topic: How to get passionfruit to bloom?  (Read 5802 times)

sunworshiper

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How to get passionfruit to bloom?
« on: June 25, 2012, 10:39:25 AM »
I started this passionfruit from seed last year. This year it is huge! You can't even see the terra cotta pot in there anymore.



It had one bloom in May, and I was all excited that this year it would have a bunch of blooms. But so far, no more blooms, just keeps growing lots of foliage. I haven't really given it much in the way of fertilizer. Just a handful of banana fertilizer occasionally when I'm fertilizing the banana next to it.

Any tips? What makes them bloom and fruit?

KarenRei

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Re: How to get passionfruit to bloom?
« Reply #1 on: June 25, 2012, 11:31:06 AM »
I got a bunch of small blossom buds on mine, but then they just inexplicably died off.  Rest of the plant kept growing just fine, even at an accelerated pace.

I'm trying giving it basically zero nitrogen but plenty of everything else to see if I can force it to give up on new branches and switch to blooms. 
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Jackfruitwhisperer69

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Re: How to get passionfruit to bloom?
« Reply #2 on: June 25, 2012, 05:56:26 PM »
Hi SunWorshiper,

That's weird :o Your plant was suppose to have huge amount's of flower by now :o

Karen is right ;) stop fertilizing the passion vine with banana fert. Banana fertilizer usually contains very high N, which will promote vine growth instead of blooms. Water the plant more since terra cotta pots dry up quickly ;)

I highly recommend fellow members to have more than one passion vine ;) You will have a proper load of fruits...hand pollination for large well developed fruits...lots of juice for everyone   :)
Time is like a river.
You cannot touch the same water twice, because the flow that has passed will never pass again.
Enjoy every moment of your life!

sunworshiper

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Re: How to get passionfruit to bloom?
« Reply #3 on: June 25, 2012, 08:03:57 PM »
Thanks for the advice. Just to be clear, should I stop fertilizing completely or choose a different fertilizer? Karen, what do you use that has no nitrogen, but other nutrients? What NPK values have people had success with?

There are actually at least 4 vines in there. There are 2 terra cotta pots, each with 2 or 3 vines. So doesn't seem to be a problem with one particular vine.

Good idea about the water, but I know from having tried to move these a while ago that they are rooted pretty firmly through the bottom of the pot into the ground. So they are getting their water that way I think. Of course that will make it hard for them to stop getting banana fertilizer, since the root zones overlap. Maybe to get them to bloom I might have to find a spot for them away from the bananas. Don't have many spots left so I'll have to think on that.

At least it is wonderful butterfly habitat even if I can't get flowers & fruit. It is full of caterpillars & I have had lots of butterflies this year.


KarenRei

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Re: How to get passionfruit to bloom?
« Reply #4 on: June 25, 2012, 08:42:52 PM »
I mix my own ferts.  I have a massive chemical collection left over from when I did hydroponics, also from scratch.

You can do the same without too much difficulty if you only want to focus on the highest-in-demand macros.  The main ones are NPK, and you don't want N, so P and K.   The next most in-demand are Ca, Mg, and S.  So, for example, you could use superphosphate for calcium and phosphorus, epsom salt for magnesum and sulfur, and potassium sulfate for potassium and more sulfur.  Just a random possibility.  Potassium chloride (salt substitute, both for eating and for driveways) may be cheaper and/or more available, but you don't want too much chlorine in the soil (some is needed, but your plants should have no trouble getting enough on their own).  There's lots of possibilities.  Basically, all that matters is that what you're adding are soluble salts of minerals that you want.  Once they dissociate in water, it doesn't matter what form they came in.

Of course, you can also buy low-nitrogen ferts pre-mixed.  :)  Look for "blooming" or "fruiting" mixes.

Whatever you do don't stop fertilizing completely.  Flowers and fruits take a lot of nutrients in their own right.  Nitrogen, however, is used primarily for making leaves.

Hah, most people hate the fact that caterpillars eat up their passionfruit  ;)
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sunworshiper

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Re: How to get passionfruit to bloom?
« Reply #5 on: June 26, 2012, 09:35:34 AM »
Karen, thanks for the great information! I have not yet branched out into mixing my own fertilizers. Where do you buy the P & K from to get it separately? Hydroponics store? I know I have some 0-0-50 that I use for my mangos, but it was quite difficult to source locally. I think I will first try getting one of those "bloom booster" premixed types and see if that does the trick, since that is easy to find.

Well, the plant is growing so vigorously that the caterpillars haven't made much of a dent. And I love butterflies=)

Mike T

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Re: How to get passionfruit to bloom?
« Reply #6 on: June 26, 2012, 09:58:28 AM »
Karen that is what I do also for my chemical fertilizer component in almost exactly the same way.I also like to boost micronutrients with extra of the 3 or 4 micros that my soil is low in.I use sulphates and avoid anything with chlorides.Practice shows with-holding N and boosting K or P as is often advised does not make a recalcitrant passionfruit suddenly end its defiance and start fruiting.Some individuals are just slow to start or are poor bearers.I usually give them a little over 2 years then take drastic action.First I cut it back to a stump, maybe 5 feet long with a few branches and give it one more season.Alternatively I dig the stump from the ground and put it somewhere else for its one year chance.If no fruiting action takes place then it is mulch patrol and replacement with a younger model.

KarenRei

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Re: How to get passionfruit to bloom?
« Reply #7 on: June 26, 2012, 10:53:09 AM »
I ordered all of my chemicals (20 types or so) from Ebay, in bulk.  :)  But the chemicals I listed, with the possible exception of potassium sulfate, should be possible to source locally.  Superphosphate is a common fertilizer and you can get epsom salt in most grocery stores in the US (it's a laxative, and also people like to add it to water to soak in).  Potassium chloride (salt substitute, both for food and for salting sidewalks) can be used, just don't go overboard.  Excess chloride isn't as bad as excess sodium, but it can still be a problem.

Karen, thanks for the great information! I have not yet branched out into mixing my own fertilizers. Where do you buy the P & K from to get it separately? Hydroponics store? I know I have some 0-0-50 that I use for my mangos, but it was quite difficult to source locally. I think I will first try getting one of those "bloom booster" premixed types and see if that does the trick, since that is easy to find.

Well, the plant is growing so vigorously that the caterpillars haven't made much of a dent. And I love butterflies=)
Já, ég er að rækta suðrænar plöntur á Íslandi. Nei, ég er ekki klikkuð. Jæja, kannski...

KarenRei

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Re: How to get passionfruit to bloom?
« Reply #8 on: June 26, 2012, 10:56:28 AM »
Karen that is what I do also for my chemical fertilizer component in almost exactly the same way.I also like to boost micronutrients with extra of the 3 or 4 micros that my soil is low in.I use sulphates and avoid anything with chlorides.Practice shows with-holding N and boosting K or P as is often advised does not make a recalcitrant passionfruit suddenly end its defiance and start fruiting.Some individuals are just slow to start or are poor bearers.I usually give them a little over 2 years then take drastic action.First I cut it back to a stump, maybe 5 feet long with a few branches and give it one more season.Alternatively I dig the stump from the ground and put it somewhere else for its one year chance.If no fruiting action takes place then it is mulch patrol and replacement with a younger model.

I noticed that my flower buds were all on a new branch that formed near the base of the primary vine.  I think passionfruit might be like a number of other fruiting plants where only young growth can fruit, and if so, that'd seem to support your notion of a heavy pruning.  Maybe it's time to pull out the clippers.  I bet my other plants would love the extra light making it through the window that my passionfruit blankets.

« Last Edit: June 26, 2012, 11:03:24 AM by KarenRei »
Já, ég er að rækta suðrænar plöntur á Íslandi. Nei, ég er ekki klikkuð. Jæja, kannski...

sunworshiper

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Re: How to get passionfruit to bloom?
« Reply #9 on: June 27, 2012, 10:12:43 AM »
Thanks Karen for the info on where you ordered your ferts.

This is very interesting to know that passionfruit can be finicky. I had thought they were more of a no brainer sort of fruit. Thanks for the great information on how you manage yours Mike. Mine is so unruly that I think I will give it a hard pruning and see what happens. I had been wanting to control its size anyhow, but didn't want to interfer with it fruiting. But if that can help - then two birds with one stone=) Thanks for the advice!

Future

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Re: How to get passionfruit to bloom?
« Reply #10 on: July 02, 2012, 11:49:29 AM »
I am also a heavy pruner of passiofruit.  Timings important. If The fruiting point has passed, likely given you have seen flowers and see none now, I would say it would be time to prune vines withno fruit set.  I generally just wait until winter after harvesting.  My vines took a few years to get going (poor shallow soil) and every year I cut them back to about 3-5 ft tall.  You will soon be familiar with what the buds look like.  I hand pollinate also.  I wondered if cross pollination gives better fruit set.  I have a new one fruiting this year for the first time, much earlier than the other types I have.  Normally don't see fruit until the fall. It have 2 on this vine (from 3 flowers).  Added a new orange (sweet) passiofruit to the mix this year.

sunworshiper

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Re: How to get passionfruit to bloom?
« Reply #11 on: July 29, 2012, 02:43:53 PM »
Alright - I gave them a severe pruning. Here's hoping for blooms! They are much neater now at any rate.