I love Ahsmead flavor also, but I'm not sure I can coax it into adequate production on a free standing rootstock. I have a big mature tree on 7 that has not set more than a few fruit the last two seasons. Three years ago it was loaded. Many unusual and unusually flavorful varieties are not good annual croppers, even if you thin in a timely manner and the problem is getting information about this before you plant. It's easy to get taste comparisons but not info about difficulty to grow. Fackler's list is the exception to this. Also, richly flavored apples such as many later ripening Russets often attract stink bugs,wasps and coddling moth to the point of making them nonproductive in itself- at least in my region, unless you keep poison on the fruit until harvest.

Fungus gnats are only an issue in very moist organic soils. Moderating your watering practices or adjusting your media may help. All in all, fungus gnats are quite easy to control. STEP 1: Go to your local BBS and by a package of mosquito dunks (they look like little donuts). STEP 2: Break off a 1/4 of a donut and put it in a plastic gallon milk jug. STEP 3: Fill jug with water and let sit for a couple days. STEP 4: Shake/agitate the water in the jug a bit and then water your plants with the dunk water. (Leave the dunk chunk in the jug.) STEP 5: Refill jug and repeat the next time you water. Eventually the chunk will completely disintegrate, at which point you put a new piece in. NOTE: This is not an instant fix. It will take a week or two.

I wouldn't go with the p. caerulea or p. incarnata. From, what I have read many times online, is that the p. caerulea is very invasive and will sucker like crazy, same with the p. incarnata. Those two are often use in your country as rootstock for it's cold hardiness, but have been reported to sucker out of control, if not carefully watch. They will grow from under the graft and if you don't pay attention, you'll be only left with the rootstock of invasive vine with untasty fruit, rather than your grafted plant. I haven't tasted any of the two mention, but from pictures and other's who grew them, said there isn't much pulp to go around, most time it's only an empty sack with a few seeds(p. caerulea) It's very similar to your guys native green passion fruit with the pink or white flowers. P. incarnata isn't anything to rave about either. But some people do like them, they are said to be a little sweet, but nothing like the superior varieties developed over there. If, I were you, I would stick to growing panama red, panama gold, african gold, pandora, misty gem, or some other sweet varieties. Look at the link below to see some of Australia's commercially grown varieties and their description, including their brix/sweetness, disease resistance. Oh btw, Nely Kellie nursery in Australia uses either p. incaranta or was it p. caerulea as rootstock for their grafted passiflora plants. Read some review on Nelly Kellies review on Dalysfruit.com forum, and you see what I mean to steer clear of p. incarnata and caerulea. But if you still want to grow the p. incarnata and caerulea, for their beautiful flowers, it's fine, just keep them under control and watch for it's invasive behavior of suckering every where. Edit: of course, I could be completely wrong about those two's characteristic. But I do know for sure they do sucker like crazy, in warmer climates. P. caerulea/maypops, is native to the colder US states and grows wild, mainly in the eastern part of the USA. Here is a link that might be useful: Australian commerical vareities This post was edited by soaht on Sun, Aug 4, 13 at 18:34

Every plant has what is termed an LCP (light compensation point). Basically, the LCP is the point at which the plant is able to create exactly enough food/energy (plants make their own food, sugar/glucose) during photosynthesis to replace that which is burned during respiration. Respiration can be thought of as the exact opposite of photosynthesis. If a plant is consistently unable to create more energy than it uses, it dies. No organism can survive long term without creating more energy than it uses. And unfortunately, what parts the plant spends it energy on are organized in a pecking order. When energy is allotted, it first goes to maintenance of living tissue, followed by production of fine roots, then development of blooms/seeds/fruits, then primary growth (more leaves and branches + extension of existing stems/branches), secondary growth (thickening), and finally to synthesis of defense chemicals. Mother Nature might have better thought thinks through and arranged for the plant's defenses to be closer to the top of the pecking order rather than at the bottom, but who knows what the world would look like if every plant had an infallible defense system ....... so that's what we're stuck with. Your plant will easily tolerate full sun, and be far better for it. I would need to be gradually acclimated to greater light intensity and/or duration, or you can place it in full sun where the leaves will burn, fall off, and be replaced with branches each of which will sport their own foliage perfectly adjusted to the light levels where the tree is sited. I don't expect you to do that, but that's what I do when I bring my 45 or so ficus up from the basement around Memorial Day and put them directly in a full sun spot. For anyone considering doing this, it should only be done if the tree is healthy as it requires enough reserve energy to push at least a few leaves to the point where they are about 75% mature, the point at which they become net producers (instead of users) of energy. Typically, the acclimation period should occur over a 2-3 wk period, during which the plant receives more light every day. If you want basic information about how to maintain your tree in a pot over the long term, you should find this very helpful. Al