Home / Problems / Passionfruit Spots. In that time a range of growers have come and gone. Buy only disease resistant species. Passionfruit is a vigorous, climbing vine that clings by curly tendrils to almost any support. You can expect fruit about 18 months after planting. Not fruiting: A common complaint of passionfruit growers is a lack of fruit. Passionfruit vines will bear fruit in a relatively short time, from 8-9months old. Planting in a shadier position will result in lots of green foliage but unripe fruit. Originating from South America, this gorgeous fruit grows on vigorous vines, so make sure you give them room to climb and spread – at least 2.5m high – so they’re ideal for growing up and across a pergola (good for shade summer!) Make sure your purchased vine is self fertile. or along a sunny fence. Passionfruit Spots. A great spot for a passionfruit vine is one that’s out in the open, has full sun and no trees or competitive roots. Remember passionfruit needs enriched soil with loads of compost and mulch every year, but don’t give too much manure otherwise you’ll end up with lovely green leaves but no flowers. It is an aggressive grower that can spread up to 20 feet each year. Correct planting and positioning of your vine can help it flourish and produce plenty of fruit. If you would like to grow your own passionfruit vine at home, or you’re having trouble with an existing vine, please scroll through our FAQs. But when the fruit is anything from a couple of weeks to a few months old (obviously still completely green) it is shrivelling up and falling off. Grease Spot This is caused by the bacterium Pseudomonas passiflorae and is one of the most serious diseases of passionfruit in New Zealand. There are an array of different fungal and bacterial diseases that cause spots to form on the fruit and/or leaves. They're harmless unless you have the passionfruit ant that can devour a whole vine overnight. This means it doesn’t need pollinating from other passionfruit vine varieties. It can grow very quickly under good conditions - up to six metres in one year. Give it a good soak a couple of times a week being cautious to water the whole root system, not just the stem. Passion vine hopper is a problem in summer, they are a sucking insect, the best way to control them is with a hose as they are very hard to control with an insecticide. In the tropics, wait until after the fruit fades to prune. Getty. Print Version; Share. Is it on a north/south fence or such? The fruiting Nelly Kellie passionfruit has a large, glossy leaf, but the wild rootstock has (as illustrated here) a five-fingered dull green leaf. Passionfruit are not especially prone to disease and healthy, vigorous vines should have few problems. It occurs mainly in spring and early summer. PEST 1. Native to southern Brazil, passion fruit vine … Passion fruit grows well in tropical and subtropical regions, where the climate is hot and humid. The new growth from where you pruned will produce ample blossoms. Ants seem to cop all the blame for all sorts of passionfruit problems. The vine doesn't look very vigorous...how much sun is it getting? Passionfruit positioning. Passionfruit are ripe when the skin turns purple and fruit fall to the ground. Passionfruit roots spread far and wide, so concentrate feed, water and mulch to a 2m 2 radius from the base. My vines have plenty of ants crawling along them, with good fruit set and no flowers dropping off, despite record rainfall. Plant them in the right spot with good quality, fast draining soil in full sun with humid air and plenty of water. It infects leaves, stems and fruit, leading to severe crop losses and even death of vines. From the fragrant flowers, the fruit will be born in one to three years. 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