Passion fruits are climbing plants, with individual stems that can grow up to many meters. They are grown for their globular fruits, of about 7 cm in diameter, that can be purple or yellow when ripe. The two species grown for their edible fruits are Passiflora edulis - bears purple fruits and Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa - bears yellow fruits.
They need high temperatures to develop well so you might not be able to grow them outside if you live in a colder area, but you can still grow them inside as log as you offer 20-28 Celsius degrees (68-82 F) for the purple Passion fruit and over 24 Celsius degrees (75 F) for the yellow Passion fruit cultivar. Yellow cultivar will not tolerate frost, purple cultivar may withstand frost for short periods. They need moderate to high humidity in order to develop well.
They need a place in a sunny position, protected by windbreaks, with well drained soil and a Ph of about 6. They require support in the form of a wire trellis. Prepare the soil well before planting by adding organic material and a general purpose fertilizer with medium to high levels of nitrogen. Apply a general purpose fertilizer at intervals of 3 to 4 months and an organic mulch in spring. Weed and water regularly during the dry season. If grown in containers under cover use a well-drained, fertile compost with high organic content and incorporate a general purpose fertilizer into the compost before planting. In some cases, like wet weather or under glass, hand pollination might be necessary, but cross-pollination by insects is usually enough if grown in the open.
Once the plant is established, each winter cut back the current season's fruited shoots as they will not bear fruits again next year. Pick fruits as they begin to change color from green to purple or yellow, depending on the cultivar you grow. The fruits should ripe 8-12 weeks after fruit set. They can be stored up to 21 days at 6-7 Celsius degrees (43-45 F) at a constant humidity level of 85-90 per cent.
Propagation of Passion fruit can be done by sowing seeds, by cuttings or bud-grafting. Seeds should be extracted from fully ripe fruits and fermented for 3-4 days then washed and dried. Sow them under cover in seed compost and keep the temperature to at least 20 Celsius degrees (68 F). When the seedlings reach 20-35 cm tall transplant them to their final growing position, outdoor in the open or under cover. If you want to propagate them from cuttings, take cutting of 15-20 cm long and insert them in pots filled with cutting compost. Apply bottom heat and mist-spray them.
