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grafted passionfruit query
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Posted by MooQuack VIC, Australia (My Page) on Sun, Nov 6, 05 at 6:17
| I have an interesting query for those of you who may have let a passionfruit "get away" at some stage or other...
My passionfruit is a Nellie Kelly grafted onto the top of a banana passionfruit, just purchased from a store a couple of years ago. It's never really grown much for some reason except below the graft because the vigorous banana passionfruit roots are sending up shoots. I've continuously pulled them out to try to send all that energy to the main part of the plant but with limited success.
My beloved's grandfather recently visited and was inspecting the garden. He was shocked to hear I was pulling out the banana passionfruit suckers because they were not the fruit bearing plant I wanted. He told me that the banana passionfruit plant DOES have plenty of fruit on it if allowed to grow (I was always told they didn't fruit much).
Given I grew up with MY grandfather's mantra of "remove the growth below the graft", have I missed something here? Am I better off just letting the banana passionfruit plants grow, working on the theory that a plant which grows 50% less fruit but is 200% more vigorous means I have 100% of the fruit I would otherwise have? I've never seen a flower on the banana passionfruit plant since I've never let it get to that stage so perhaps one of you kind souls can offer some advice to me? I have two elderly men advising me of different horticultural techniques so it would be nice to have an argument to present to one (or both) of them as to the merits of their advice...
Have you ever seen a banana passionfruit which has escaped from below the graft and borne fruit? Was the fruiting rate of any significance (ie. would it be worth growing)?
Thanks in advance! |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: grafted passionfruit query
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| As typically happens, the tag from the plant happened to turn up today as part of a cleanup program. The tag states the plant below the graft is Passiflora caurelea and Googling provided the following information: from http://www.floridata.com/ref/p/pass_cae.cfm : "Blue passionflower is typically grown in tropical gardens or greenhouses for the exotic beauty of its flowers. This species is widely cultivated for its value as a hardy parent plant in Passiflora breeding programs. The fruits are also edible. They aren't very tasty raw, but they have a vaguely blackberry-like flavor and can be substituted in blackberry pie recipes." Still no real indication of fruiting rate though. :-( |
RE: grafted passionfruit query
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| Not much help to you but you could let the graft grow and buy another ordinary one. Best of both worlds? Blackberry-like flavour sounds interesting. |
RE: grafted passionfruit query
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| I'd stick with removing everything below the graft. If the rootstock is vigourous, once you let it go you may see the other suffer. I'm no expert though. |
RE: grafted passionfruit query
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| I have no doubt the growth from below the graft will cause the other to suffer. I am kind of deciding between the two plants at the moment, rather than trying to get a complementary arrangement going. |
RE: grafted passionfruit query
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| The banana passionfruit is bland nothing to compare with the Nellie Kellie taste. I would not grow it, takes space and not much flavour. If it is not banana passion fruit but P.caurelea, again small rather tsteless fruit in small amounts. The problem is that the last plant is so vigorous that it takes over and shoots up metres from the original plant. This is from a person who tried both fruit, however my taste might be different from yours and you might like them (?). |
RE: grafted passionfruit query
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| I like Banana passionfruit. We planted one specifically as a Banana passionfruit and it fruits prolifically. The fruit are golden yellow when ripe, large and juicy. The question I'd be asking is whether the rootstock on your passionfruit vine is a variety worth growing as it could be a less cultivated less productive variety. Maybe it's better to buy a variety of Banana Passionfruit specifically? We have BOTH! |
RE: grafted passionfruit query
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| But it's not a banana p'fruit, is it? It's some sort of ornamental, isn't it? |
RE: grafted passionfruit query
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Hello all,
The rootstock for grafted passionfruit has leaves vaguely similar to banana passionfruit but fruit totally different, banana passionfruit one of my favourites, the rootstock nearly inedible. I suspect the rootstock may even need a pollinator of the same species to produce worthwhile fruit, the ones I have seen have been near empty. Don't buy a grafted Nelly Kelly, buy a seedling black passionfruit or grow one from seed yourself and plant a seedling banana passionfruit for some great fruit in spring when fruits a bit limited.
Neil |
RE: grafted passionfruit query
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My attempts at growing passionfruit from seed have resulted in precisely zip. I'll keep trying of course but it's very frustrating! I'm attempting banana p'fruit as I think it has the best chance of survival here. Seeds could be too old, the weather may not be right, or it could just be me. I think it's me.
Any tips out there for growing them from seed? I have a heat mat. Would they do better on that? I mean would my chances of germination improve? Perhaps I should wait till summer, although it's nearly that now. |
RE: grafted passionfruit query
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Raymondo I have had some recent success with seeds. I think humidity is the key. Its been stinking hot up here and really humid so they just came up ( I got my seeds from eden seeds).
Maybe if you have a old fish tank lying around.... put 5 or 6 cm of water in a fish tank place a brick in the middle of the tank like an island, put seed pots on brick. put a aquarium heater in water and set at 30 deg plug it in put the lids on, hey presto humidity. Its certainly not pretty but it worked for me with fern spores
and I have used it to germinate chillis and tomatoes which have been more stuborn than usual.
Mick |
RE: grafted passionfruit query
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| Humidity might just be the problem. Neat idea, the fish tank. Great for very tender cuttings. I'll keep my eyes peeled for an old fish tank. Thanks Mick. For the time being though, I'll just use what's at hand. I'll use the heat pad, enclose it and make sure there's a tray of water in there with the seed tray. Won't be as effective, but should keep the humidity up a bit. |
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