Key points of passion fruit cultivation techniques: wide market, high benefits, truly a money tree

Growing passion fruit

    1. Soil: Passion fruit has strong adaptability and does not demand much from the soil. Sandy loam, red loam, kaolin soil and other well-drained flat land or sloping land can all be used for planting, but it must never be planted in places that are waterlogged for long periods. For large-scale production, it is best to plant in fertile, loose, well-drained soil; paddy fields with drainage and irrigation are best. The most suitable soil pH for passion fruit is 5.5-6.5.

    2. Planting: Passion fruit is planted and harvested in the same year, with planting in February-March each year being suitable. The planted passion fruit is a vine fruit tree, and its branches and vines extend, so for trellis-style cultivation, a row spacing of 3 m and a plant spacing of 3-3.5 m are suitable. Generally, the economic cultivation period of passion fruit is 4-5 years. After harvesting in the 5th year, cut down the old plants and completely renew them. Because passion fruit is a tropical fruit, continuous cropping makes it very easy for it to be infected by viruses, reducing yield and quality. To reduce virus infection and damage to passion fruit, it is best to use virus-free healthy seedlings and renew planting every year.  For the planting method, according to the predetermined row and plant spacing, dig planting trenches 60 cm wide and 20-30 cm deep, first put in mixed compost or other farmyard manure, and at the same time add 0.25 kg phosphorus + 0.15-0.25 kg compound fertilizer per plant, then plant on raised mounds. After the transplants survive, remove the axillary buds at any time, keep only the terminal bud of the main vine, and tie the vine to the support so that the plant climbs onto the trellis as quickly as possible.

    3. Setting up trellises: During passion fruit cultivation, trellises must be set up to facilitate management and harvesting. There are many forms of trellis setup; at present, horizontal trellises and single-line fence-style trellises are the main types. The single-line fence-style trellis has posts 2.3 m high, erected between plants and planted about 30 cm into the ground, with 2 strands of No. 12 wire pulled on each post.

    4. Water management: Passion fruit is relatively drought-tolerant, but if drought occurs, irrigation is still needed. If the soil is too dry, it will affect vine and fruit development; in severe cases, the branches appear withered, the fruit does not develop, and fruit drop occurs. In the rainy season, drain accumulated water in time.

    5. Light: Passion fruit likes sufficient sunlight to promote vine growth and nutrient accumulation. If light is insufficient, growth is slow, there are many leggy branches, growth is slow, and it may even cause fruit shrinkage and dropping. Passion fruit is a long-day plant with a photoperiodic effect, that is, long-day conditions (day length above 12 hours) can promote flower bud formation and flowering. Generally, if water, fertilizer and other cultivation management work are done well after planting in early spring, it can continue flowering and fruiting in the summer of the same year.

    6. Temperature: The temperature requirements of passion fruit are basically the same as those of ordinary tomatoes. It has wide adaptability and can be grown in both north and south (in the north it should overwinter in greenhouses; in the south, above 1400 m altitude, it must be covered for cold protection before the frost period arrives so it can overwinter safely; otherwise, the upper part of the main stem and side branches will mostly be frozen and withered, and even the whole plant may freeze to death).

    7. Pruning and training: After passion fruit is planted, supports should be inserted during the seedling stage to guide the main vine onto the trellis. When the main vine is 1 m high, cut off the terminal bud to let it grow side vines, keeping 2 side vines on each side and letting them grow to both sides. When the side vines grow to 2 m, cut off the tips of the side vines to promote the growth of secondary side vines. If cultivated on a horizontal trellis, wait until the main vine reaches the trellis, then keep side vines growing evenly in all directions. Passion fruit dislikes heavy pruning, and strong pruning is not necessary every year. Excessive pruning can easily cause the main vine to gradually wither, and in severe cases the whole plant dies. Generally, after each batch of fruit is harvested, shorten each side vine by leaving 3-4 nodes to encourage it to regrow side vines. At the same time, in summer each year, thin out excessively dense branches, or cut off branches that hang down and trail on the ground at about 20-30 cm above the ground, to maintain good ventilation.

    8. Fertilization: The fertilization principle for passion fruit is a nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium ratio of 2-1-4.

    9. Pest and disease control: Passion fruit has strong stress resistance and relatively few pests and diseases. When aphids, red spider mites, leafhoppers, scarab beetles, yellow ants and other pests and powdery mildew are found, control them in time.

    Powdery mildew: Agricultural antibiotics can be used, such as agricultural penicillin-streptomycin, "carbendazim", etc., sprayed as a 200-400 ml diluted solution, once every 4-5 days, for a total of three sprays.

    Red spider mite: The mite body is small and difficult to see with the naked eye. The damage symptoms are leaves turning yellow and shrinking. Once this symptom appears, carefully check the back of the leaves. If red spider mites the size of needle tips are present, spray pesticide in time for control. "Dimethoate", "omethoate" and "insecticidal phosphorus" can be used for spraying. When spraying, spray the front and back of the leaves evenly. Spray once every 5 days, for a total of three times.

    Aphids: Pirimicarb, dimethoate, dichlorvos, etc. can be used for control.

    Note: The above pesticides are prohibited from use 30 days before fruit harvest, otherwise they are harmful to human health if eaten.

Hand pollination of passion fruit

    10. Artificial supplementary pollination: Passion fruit flowers open at about 11 a.m. every day. After flowering, carry out artificial pollination in time and complete the pollination work before 4 p.m. There are two methods of artificial pollination: (1) Use a writing brush to evenly apply pollen to the three stigmas of the pistil; (2) Use tweezers to collect pollen sacs and put them into an average clean cup, then add water so that the pollen dissolves in the water, then use a sprayer to spray the pollen water onto the stigmas of the pistil. Carrying out artificial pollination can increase the fruit-setting rate.

    11. Timely harvesting: After passion fruit ripens, it naturally falls to the ground and should be picked up in time. The time for collecting fallen fruit should preferably not exceed three days, otherwise the fruit will be exposed to the sun and rain and rot quickly.