I am hopeless at gardening, but good at following instructions. So I’m hoping that among the Dopers are a few gardening experts who can offer advice, or perhaps some helpful websites to reference.
I want to plant a passionfruit vine. I’ve done some research, and it looks like the Nellie Kelly variety would be best for my climate. I know they need iron-rich soil, so they should be planted with a heart or liver in the bottom of the hole, or using blood-n-bone mix.
There’s some trellis up out the back that I think would be perfect, but the ground below it is either paved or decking, with no open ground in which to plant. Some of the sites I’ve visited mention that passionfruit are shallow-rooted - does that mean I could plant it in a pot? How big with the pot have to be? There’s a pot mounted on the wall under the trellis, and also a small shelf that a pot could rest on.
I’m also finding contradictory information about whether I need a male and female plant in order to get fruit.
And one final question - should I buy a seedling, pinch a cutting from another garden or grow from seeds?
Wish I could help. I don’t know much about them. However, I’m growing one from seed at the moment. It’s over a year old and hasn’t bloomed yet, but it’s doing okay in a pot. I’ll probably transpot it to something larger in the spring. Grasshoppers and caterpillars seem to like the leaves, so keep an eye out for that. I treat it like a regular tropical plant. It seems fairly tough, given ample sun and enough water.
I started mine from seed in a small pot. Now it’s in a one-gallon, which is kinda small. I’d aim for a 5-gallon pot at least, but eventually plan on putting it in a large planter. It sounds like you live in a warm climate. That’s a good thing. I have to bring mine indoors for the winter. Anyway, mine doesn’t seem to mind being in a pot.
When I lived in Colombia, I would buy fresh passion fruit (maracuya) (sp?) and make a liquado every day at lunch time. These were the yellow ones, that look kind of like lemons. You probably want to filter out the seeds, but you can eat them if you want.
When I came back to California, it was impossible to get them fresh. Something about the climate or soil. The best I could get was imported “pulpo,” frozen in plastic bags. A far cry from the South American fresh fruit.
Good luck in your pursuit. I’ll be your first customer. Jugo de maracuya is the juice of the gods. It’s the best thing to have before your siesta.
Yes, it’s tall & long enough to climb on things. When I put it in its current pot I also stuck a tall plant stake in the pot to provide support. It grew up the stake and now kinda drapes off it. It needs more room, and I give it what I can. Since you can grow one outside, you can let it climb your fence and become more permanent. Once you get the plant going, I’d put it in a large pot its going to spend the rest of its life in, unless you plan on eventually trimming it back and re-potting.