Author Topic: Passion fruit hand pollination  (Read 1841 times)

Julie

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Passion fruit hand pollination
« on: April 21, 2022, 04:13:59 PM »
I've been hand pollinating my passion fruit flowers.  I tried 2 methods, one taking off a pollen "paddle" (anther) and smearing it on the stigma part of the flower, and using a paint brush to put the pollen on the stigma.  So far no fruit has formed, the flowers are falling off with no fruit developing.  This is a Sweet Sunrise passionfruit from PIN.  Anyone having success?  Are you using a different method?

pinkturtle

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Re: Passion fruit hand pollination
« Reply #1 on: April 21, 2022, 06:34:39 PM »
Sweet sunrise required cross-pollinated by another seedling, species, or cultivar

roblack

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Re: Passion fruit hand pollination
« Reply #2 on: April 21, 2022, 06:38:09 PM »
Sounds like you are pollinating right.

How long have you had your vine?

Have you fertilized?

It takes them a year or 2 to really get going, at least at my place. They like manure to trigger flowering and fruit set. Our flowers were dropping for months, now fruits are setting like crazy.

mbmango

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Re: Passion fruit hand pollination
« Reply #3 on: April 21, 2022, 08:30:32 PM »
I use q-tips, but I'd probably look for a nice brush if I needed to pollinate more often.

Julie

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Re: Passion fruit hand pollination
« Reply #4 on: April 21, 2022, 09:40:11 PM »
Sounds like you are pollinating right.

How long have you had your vine?

Have you fertilized?

It takes them a year or 2 to really get going, at least at my place. They like manure to trigger flowering and fruit set. Our flowers were dropping for months, now fruits are setting like crazy.

It’s at least 1 year old. Only mulching but I will try manure.

Julie

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Re: Passion fruit hand pollination
« Reply #5 on: April 21, 2022, 09:47:32 PM »
Sweet sunrise required cross-pollinated by another seedling, species, or cultivar

Wow! I just searched and it says yellow passion fruits are self sterile. Darn! I’ve been wasting so much time hand pollinating this every day when it can’t be pollinated from flowers of the same vine. I have a seedling yellow going as well but it isn’t producing any flowers yet. Oh well. I should have gotten the purple one.

Galatians522

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Re: Passion fruit hand pollination
« Reply #6 on: April 21, 2022, 10:14:49 PM »
Sweet sunrise required cross-pollinated by another seedling, species, or cultivar

Wow! I just searched and it says yellow passion fruits are self sterile. Darn! I’ve been wasting so much time hand pollinating this every day when it can’t be pollinated from flowers of the same vine. I have a seedling yellow going as well but it isn’t producing any flowers yet. Oh well. I should have gotten the purple one.

For the record, I had the purple possum variety and would go out and hand pollinate every day. I got it to set loads of fruit with self pollinated flowers, but then I wished that I had the yellow because if I was going to go to all the trouble to hand pollinate it would have been nice to get the huge fruits that the yellow puts out instead of the little one that my purple produced.

Oolie

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Re: Passion fruit hand pollination
« Reply #7 on: April 21, 2022, 10:22:07 PM »
I've used both methods to great success on Fredrick. But Fredrick is self-fertile.

For the Yellow Flavicarpas you will need a second vine. That said, if you have big bees like carpenter or bumble bees, you don't need to put the extra effort forward, they'll do it for you.

pineislander

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Re: Passion fruit hand pollination
« Reply #8 on: April 22, 2022, 08:43:27 AM »
Sweet sunrise required cross-pollinated by another seedling, species, or cultivar
Not very kind of PIN to sell without disclosure. They actually shoot themselves in the foot because if they offered a pollinator probably could have sold twice as many plants!

Julie

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Re: Passion fruit hand pollination
« Reply #9 on: April 22, 2022, 09:58:20 AM »
Sweet sunrise required cross-pollinated by another seedling, species, or cultivar
Not very kind of PIN to sell without disclosure. They actually shoot themselves in the foot because if they offered a pollinator probably could have sold twice as many plants!

The staff working in the office honestly probably don't have the detailed knowledge of the plants they are selling.  In any case, I hope my seedling vine starts producing flowers soon.

Julie

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Re: Passion fruit hand pollination
« Reply #10 on: April 22, 2022, 10:00:33 AM »
Sweet sunrise required cross-pollinated by another seedling, species, or cultivar

Wow! I just searched and it says yellow passion fruits are self sterile. Darn! I’ve been wasting so much time hand pollinating this every day when it can’t be pollinated from flowers of the same vine. I have a seedling yellow going as well but it isn’t producing any flowers yet. Oh well. I should have gotten the purple one.



For the record, I had the purple possum variety and would go out and hand pollinate every day. I got it to set loads of fruit with self pollinated flowers, but then I wished that I had the yellow because if I was going to go to all the trouble to hand pollinate it would have been nice to get the huge fruits that the yellow puts out instead of the little one that my purple produced.

Honestly the huge fruits I've had from locally purchased passionfruits don't taste as good as the little ones.  They are more bitter and less flavorful in my opinion.  Having more than one vine is always an option too, but having fruit is always better than not having fruit.

roblack

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Re: Passion fruit hand pollination
« Reply #11 on: April 22, 2022, 10:13:01 AM »
The staff that ride you around on the golf cart tend to be knowledgable.

Always good to grow a few vines, of similar and different varieties. Helps to cross pollinate and looks great having a mix of flowers and fruits.

Julie

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Re: Passion fruit hand pollination
« Reply #12 on: April 22, 2022, 11:24:05 AM »
The staff that ride you around on the golf cart tend to be knowledgable.

Always good to grow a few vines, of similar and different varieties. Helps to cross pollinate and looks great having a mix of flowers and fruits.

Yes they are knowledgeable but I'm not sure if they know all the details of pollination etc.  They told me that all the passionfruits they have are self pollinating.  I should have done my own research.  But anyway, I have a seedling vine as well that is getting bigger (the Sweet Sunrise has a huge stem at this point, like over an inch thick).  I will plant more vines.  I planted them on my wooden fence and unfortunately they are growing up into my neighbor's yard.  Next time I will put the fence somewhere else.  What varieties do you recommend for the best taste?  I have Sweet Sunrise, a seedling small yellow fruit, and a seedling sweet granadilla fruit (green outside).

roblack

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Re: Passion fruit hand pollination
« Reply #13 on: April 22, 2022, 02:55:05 PM »
Panama Passion (Panama Red?) is very good. Fav of the ones I've grown so far.

Laurifolia is really good because flavor is different and is sweet, not acidic, which is a nice changeup.

Waiting to see how Frederick, Red Rover, decaisneana, and nitida taste when grown here. The first 3 I've tried from CA growers, and they were very good as well.

Julie

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Re: Passion fruit hand pollination
« Reply #14 on: April 22, 2022, 03:42:15 PM »
Panama Passion (Panama Red?) is very good. Fav of the ones I've grown so far.

Laurifolia is really good because flavor is different and is sweet, not acidic, which is a nice changeup.

Waiting to see how Frederick, Red Rover, decaisneana, and nitida taste when grown here. The first 3 I've tried from CA growers, and they were very good as well.

Sorry to get off topic, but can you recommend the best tasting mulberry to grow here? I'm thinking red Himalayan but value any advice since you are growing several.  Thank you!

roblack

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Re: Passion fruit hand pollination
« Reply #15 on: April 22, 2022, 03:55:20 PM »
I'm growing a mulberry mound with FL everbearing, Thai dwarf, and red Him just added. Have yet to try RH, but have heard it is much better than the other 2. RH should be a very good choice. So far it is growing well and showing no problems with limestone soil and local climate. It gets lots of watering.

pineislander

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Re: Passion fruit hand pollination
« Reply #16 on: April 22, 2022, 09:16:24 PM »
I'm growing a mulberry mound with FL everbearing, Thai dwarf, and red Him just added. Have yet to try RH, but have heard it is much better than the other 2. RH should be a very good choice. So far it is growing well and showing no problems with limestone soil and local climate. It gets lots of watering.
Suggest any of the Thai Everbearing types. Much superior to Fl/Dwarf Everbearing as far as fruit size, about 4x as large.

Kevin Jones

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Re: Passion fruit hand pollination
« Reply #17 on: April 23, 2022, 03:26:04 PM »
I know we're sort of getting off topic here... but I have to agree... the Thai Dwarf Mulberries taste great and produce for long periods of time... 2 months here... and do so multiple time a year with pruning.
Just look at those pictures Kaz has posted... amazing!

Kevin


Julie

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Re: Passion fruit hand pollination
« Reply #18 on: April 26, 2022, 08:56:40 AM »
Thanks everyone!

Julie

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Re: Passion fruit hand pollination
« Reply #19 on: May 26, 2022, 08:39:20 PM »
Just wanted to post an update.  My second seedling vine produced 3 flowers recently and I went ahead and cross pollinated these flowers and as many of the Sweet Sunrise flowers as I could.  Worked perfectly and now I have quite a few passionfruits forming!  Can't wait until my seedling vine produces more flowers!  Thank you pinkturtle!

billd

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Re: Passion fruit hand pollination
« Reply #20 on: May 04, 2023, 05:55:01 PM »
I've had exactly this problem with a Sweet Sunset from PIN. (Actually from "Tropical Fruit Nursery" which redirects to PIN so they seem to be the same business.)
The plant label said "self-fertile" so I was hopeful of a good crop last year. Huge vine, hundreds of flowers, hand-pollinated, but zero fruit!
I eventually found out that it requires pollination from another cultivar. I planted a "Purple Possum" last year. It's just start producing a small number of flowers that haven't overlapped with any Sweet Sunset flowers yet.
I've also read that sweet sunset won't pollinate from a purple. I'll find out if true of not soon. It sounds like I should have planted another yellow. This may turn into a 3 year quest to produce fruit. (Although I have a single fruit developing on the purple possum. Of course it immediately pollinated and set.)