Passiflora 'Incense'

I looked through some of the past threads to see if anyone had tried to root cuttings of Passifloras at all - I came up with a few that mentions them, but doesn't tell if there were successes or how they did it.

Any help is appreciated - I have 4 cuttings that I got from out of state, so this is it!

Never tried with cuttings sorry...I have an idea that you arial layer passionfruit to get a true one.But seeds sprout well...no true ones come from that but it is a lot of fun.....stick them into a sandy mix in warm sheltered position and hope for the best ...you never know :)

LOL, thanks, Chirssy - they've wilted on me a couple of times already, so I'm thinking either humidity or warmth is essential. Wish me luck!

Luck :^) chrissy

pagancat...try posting in the vines and climbers forum....you've got people there who will probably know.
edited to add...sorry, I see now that you did post there this a.m.

This message was edited Jul 21, 2007 10:20 PM

Thanks, wcgypsy, I did indeed. And got a great answer from Erick - that I'll go ahead and copy here, should anyone else need the info. I just hope it's not too late for my cuttings - it's been over a week....

From ErickMN:

I have never heard of, or tried, rooting Passiflora cuttings in water. However, I seriously doubt that would work. They will die within a few days for sure.

I suggest rooting cuttings, which is relatively easy to do with many Passifloras (and tons of other plants). Start with a light, easy-draining soil. I always buy a basic "seed starter" mix of some sort. You don't want something that will pack down, as the new roots need some fresh air to develop. If nothing else, use a basic potting mix and add some vermiculite, perlite, spaghnum, whatever to lighten it up. Your cutting should be from a growing end (not in middle the vine) with two or three leaves. Make a clean cut with, say, a razor blade, and dip the cut end in rooting hormone, if you have it. It's not required, but it helps, and it's cheap to buy. Plant the cutting a small pot and gently firm down the soil around it. Give it a thorough, but gentle watering.

Here, in my opinion, is the critical part: The cutting must enjoy 100% humidity for the first week or two if it has any hope to survive. It has no roots whatsoever, and therefore no way to absorb water. In the open air, the little bit of water in its leaves will evaporate quickly and the cutting is doomed. So cover the cutting with plastic or glass, e.g. plastic wrap, an inverted baggie, an inverted glass jar, a small aquarium, whatever. Just make sure the cover you use doesn't touch the cutting - you don't want to move the cutting at all in the first few weeks as it develops new roots. You just want to keep the humidity as high as possible for it so it can focus on getting some roots. Make a funky tent of some sort.

Place this little setup in a bright location, but not direct sun (of course). Keep it moist, but not soggy. It cannot dry out totally even once during the first few weeks. Important: Once or twice a day, remove the plastic/glass for a bit (up to an hour) and let the cuttings enjoy some fresh air. If you don't do this part, you quickly end up with a mold garden.

After a few weeks at most, you will see new growth. Once the cutting seems established, move it into a pot and treat it like any other tropical