Houzz Logo Print
mooquack

grafted passionfruit query

20 years ago

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!

Comments (11)

Sponsored