Has anyone successfully grown passion fruit indoors? My son has a plant, McCain, that he has had for about a year.
He has it under grow lights and it is growing vigorously but still no flower/fruit. He lives in zone 4 so indoors is really the only possibility
Just wondering if he is wasting his time.
Thanks,
Dee
Growing Passion Fruit indoors
I don't know if they'll fruit inside--he may have to hand pollinate them. Or take it outside during the warmer months and let the pollinators do the job for him--just because a plant can't be outdoors in the winter doesn't mean it wouldn't do fine out there (and maybe even be happier) in the warmer months. Just make sure to adjust it gradually to outdoor levels of sunlight--even grow lights indoors aren't as intense as real sunlight so you have to adjust the plant gradually to sun so it doesn't get sunburned.
I have my doubts. Depending on the species, the plants usually need to get pretty large to flower and need lots of light to bloom and set fruit.
Thanks to all who replied.
Dee
I just got my passion fruit/flower this spring it flowered this summer I got another one earlier this fall and it also flowered, IN the house, no they won't set fruit in the house but they will flower, some don't set fruit at all, even if you hand pollinate them
Try a Maypop next spring. Plant it right up on the warmest South facing wall about six inches from the foundation. It needs all the sun it can get. Mulch it heavily after first freeze and pray. You may get it back in the next spring. Dont try this this year. It needs a year to establish before trying to hit a winter. I know zone 5 people are doing this.
there are a few types that will survive a zone 5 winter but I do't remember what ones they are at the moment
You really need two varieties to get a good production. I have 5 varieties and still only get minimal fruit production. I had a vine produce over 150 flowers (just a guess) this year with only 2 fruit. The problem is that it opens it flowers at a different time of the day than the other ones.
You can get production from self-fertile but your chances increase greatly with two.
The Maypop is the most common zone 5 that produces quality fruit.
I have a passiflora x belotii it is my understanding that I could have 12 other varieties to pollinate with and it still won't produce fruit, but that's ok I have some seeds of other varieties I am going to try and see what happens... I wish one of those varieties would grow outside here but that's ok to, they can stay in the house nice and safe along with the different jasmines, at least the house smells nice even though with 5 teenagers it isn't always tidy!
Get those teens on www.FLYLady.net!! Your home could be company-ready within minutes anytime. I read the emails in a daily journal form, and have been helped SO MUCH!
I need to take a photo of my friend's passion vine, on a fence that's only three feet tall, but lots of fruits. I don't know what kind.
thanks Molamola...they are pretty good kids most of the time...but everyone has bad moments!
In Hawai'i, commercial growers of Passiflora edulis propagate by seed to get vines that set fruit well. At least two vines growing side by side are used to get maximum fruit production.
We call these maypops here. Is this what you are growing?
Here is another picture that shows that they just take over everything down here and are considered invasive.
yes some passionfruit plants are called maypops, but for those of us stuck up north (not by choice) it gets to cold for them to become invasive, or there weirdos like me and want a little taste of home so we grow those different Jasmines and honeysuckle in the house all year
I don’t get it. The passion fruit that you grow must be something different. These maypops have always tasted bland. Do you eat them raw or prepare them in a salad? Again they must be a different variety because no one eats them here because they are so bland.
Oldude
Hi Oldude, you have the wild American Maypop, Passiflora incarnata.
The Passion-Fruit of commerce is Passiflora edulis.
The folks, such as Trina, that are growing them indoors and as a summer garden plant are usually growing hybrids and/or culivars and usually growing them for flowers.
Growing Passiflora for fruit production is usually done in tropical areas.
Just wanted to send an update on my son's attempt to grow passion fruit indoors in Wisconsin. He finally got one flower and what appears to be a fruit! I don't understand how he can get a fruit with one flower but he say it has grown bigger since he sent me the attached picture. Can anyone explain this please?
Dee
Nope. McCain is a yellow form and is supposed to be self sterile. Let us know if the fruit holds.
I had McCain with Possum Purple in my GH for 2-3 years. I had abundant fruit production, but the plants were monsters and required continuous pruning. Now they're gone.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v149/stressbaby/Greenhouse/7-1-08017.jpg
This native fruit is still peaking my curiosity. Was the Maypop developed into the fruit that you guys grow? The seed content of these (I did not count) is probably one hundred and I have no doubt that the germination success is near perfect.
Where is the best source to purchase the seed of the passion fruit that you guys grow?
Oldude
Oldude,
I'm pretty sure that they are different species entirely. The inside of my PF didn't have the thick rind that yours has. They had black seeds and looked like this: http://www.passionflow.co.uk/images/passiflora-edulis-passion-fruit.jpg I bought mine from Logee's. Named varieties are not true from seed, but this plant is a slam-dunk to grow from cuttings. I have a few rooted just for trading this spring.
Maypop and the variety grown for its fruit are two different species within the Passiflora genus, so neither one was developed from the other. Maypop is Passiflora incarnata, and the one grown for its fruit is Passiflora edulis.
Update on growing McCain Passion Fruit indoors under lights.
My son has had 3 fruits in the last few months so apparently it just takes awhile.
He purchased the plant in April 2008.