For South Australian conditions October - November is best time to think about planting Passion Fruit vines, when the weather has warmed up and the danger of frosts is over. Depending on the weather, they can most likely be planted in October. But check with your garden expert first.

POSITION
Select a sheltered, sunny, well-drained area where there is a fence or trellis. Make sure that the neighbour’s roof water is not draining under the fence where you are going to plant the vine.

PREPARATION
Heavy soil should be mixed with Gypsum at the rate of 500 grams per square metre and then dig in half a bucket of cow manure over an area of 60 cm by 60 cm to a depth of 20 cm. Water the ground well, before planting the vine the following evening.

PLANTING
When planting, place a small handful of organic pellets in the bottom of the hole. Be sure to place a 5cm of soil on top of the fertiliser before placing the root ball into the hole.
To remove the plant from the pot, hold the palm of the hand over the top of the container with the stalk between the fingers to support the plant as well as preventing the soil from falling out. Turn the pot plant upside down and gently tap the rim on a solid object to remove the plant. Now place the plant into a large hole enough to take the plant’s root system, keeping the top of the plant’s root ball the same height with the natural ground level and lightly pack the earth back into the hole, making sure that you do not damage the plant’s root system. The graft must always be kept well above the natural soil level.

WATER
Passion Fruit like to be kept well watered during the hot months and well drained during the cold winters. During the hot weather make sure the root system is kept well mulched to maintain the moisture in the ground and help keep the root’s cool.

FERTILISING
A complete fertiliser can be applied ( every spring ) at the rate of a handful to the square metre around the plant, once the vine has been growing for a year and the addition of a little extra potash will be beneficial.

MAINTENANCE
A regular close attention at the plants will help to control pests and fungi. If holes appear in the leaves or Thrip or Aphids attack, the vines, a spray of Carbaryl will kill these pests. For general Fungi disease spray with Copper Oxychloride mixed with white spraying Oil.
Any pruning that needs to be attended to should be done in early Spring. Prune the Passion Fruit each year to remove old dead wood and thin out some of the vine to let light into the centre to assist in promoting healthy growth and help prevent disease.

GRAFTED PASSION FRUIT
Remove all shoots that are growing from below the graft. If these shoots are not removed the base-stock will make rapid growth, overtaking the growth rate of the graft shoots on top. The end result will be a vine which will produce small heavily seeded, uneatable fruit.
NEVER PRUNE PASSION FRUIT DURING THE COLD MONTHS OF THE YEAR.