Care Guide | Passion Fruit

We've got a passion for Passion Fruit vines because of their ornamental value, zesty fruit, and because of how magnetic they are to butterflies. Passifloras are larval host plants to many species—most notably Gulf Fritillary and Zebra Longwing. These guys will bring swarms to your butterfly garden. But Passion vines weren't named for our passionate interest in them. Brazilian missionaries coined the name in reference to the passion of our Savior, Jesus Christ, due to symbolic reminders drawn from parts of the flower. We're pretty passionate about that, too, so I guess you could say this vigorous vine with prolific blooms has got it all: looks, taste, pollinator qualities, and religious parallels. Passiflora fruit makes a tangy snack, a refreshing aqua fresca, or our personal favorite—a creamy Passion Fruit milkshake. 

Passion Fruit Culture Overview

Plants have a culture they prefer, just like people from various countries and households have their own customs and traditions. To keep your plant happy, you don't have to live in a spot perfectly suited for the plant. You can give your plants the culture they crave by making a few adjustments. Read on to learn about the culture and care Passion Fruits need to thrive. For a quick bullet point answer, glance at the following list. For more information, read the full deets about each point below.

  • 📍 Origin: South America
  • 🌡️ USDA Hardiness Zones: 8-10
  • 📊 Classification: Evergreen/perennial vine
  • 📏 Height Potential: 20-30 feet
  • 🏡 Planting Location: Outdoors 
  • ☀️ Light: Full sun to part shade
  • 💧 Soil/Watering: Well-drained, moist
  • 🍴 Fertilizer: 20-6-9
  • ✂️ Pruning: After harvest and before dormancy
  • ❄️ Cold Weather Care: Protect from extreme temperatures 
  • 🍎 Fruiting and Harvesting: 1.5-3 years after planting
  • 🕷️ Common Pests: Mealybugs, mites, scale, thrips, fruit flies
  • 🐈 Toxic to Pets? Probably not the plant but the fruit can be

Detailed Care Info

📍 Origin

Passiflora spp. originated in South America, specifically from Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. Fun fact: Passion Fruit gets its name from Brazilian missionaries who coined the name in reference to the passion of Christ. The flowers' 3 stigmata evoke the 3 nails of the crucifixion. The 5 stamens recall the 5 wounds inflicted. The filaments resemble a crown of thorns, and the tendrils—a whip. 

🌡️ USDA Hardiness Zones

Can I grow Passion Fruit where I live? Yes! Passion Fruit is generally hardy in zones 8-10. On each product page, we list each plant’s USDA hardiness zone. The U.S. Department of Agriculture created the hardiness map to help gardeners identify the areas in which plants tend to grow well based on past average temperatures. On the USDA's site, you can enter your zip code to identify your hardiness zone. Zones 8-10 generally don't dip down below 25-30 degrees Fahrenheit. Be sure to protect this plant from any freezing temperatures when young though. 

📊 Classification

Passion Fruits are in the Passifloraceae family. They are perennial (garden lingo which means they don't die annually but rather live for many years), and they are evergreen (meaning they don't lose their leaves in fall and winter, but they do slow down their active growth in the dormant season to focus on strengthening and keeping their roots warm). 

📏 Height potential

Passion Vines grow very vigorously to 20-30 feet. They need a trellis or fence to climb. Their tendrils will wrap around everything in reach. 

🏡 Planting location

Passiflora spp. grow best outdoors where they have space to vine out. Plant next to a fence or trellis. 

🔆 Light

Passion Fruit thrives in full sun to part shade. In extremely hot areas, part shade is preferred. If you're planting in a butterfly garden, part shade is most ideal. 

💧 Soil / Watering

Plant Passion Fruit in soil that drains well and keep the soil medium moist, allowing the top 1 inch of soil to dry out slightly between waterings. This probably means you will need to water 4-5 times per week, but that can also depend on your climate and pot size. Passionflowers do not like to be waterlogged and are prone to root rot if they get too much moisture. During fruiting, keep consistency moist to keep it producing. Check out our watering guide to learn more about getting just the right amount of moisture for your plant. 

🍴Fertilizer

For Passion vines, we recommend fertilizing every 4-6 weeks during the growing season. This will give your plant a growing boost and give it the nutrients it needs to be happy and healthy. Once the cooler temperatures of fall and winter hit, you can take a break from fertilizing as your plant goes dormant. 

All fertilizers contain three primary nutrients: (Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). Passion Fruits thrive with a ratio of 20 Nitrogen (N), 6 phosphate (P2O5), and 9 potash (K2O) along with other micronutrients. We've got you covered with our slow-release 20-6-9 fertilizer fuel for fruiting plants. Plus, it lasts for 90 days, so you can set it and forget it. 

✂️ Pruning

This vigorous vining plant benefits from pruning. It's best to do this after harvesting and before winter dormancy hits to encourage full growth. 

❄️ Cold Weather Care

In the cold of fall and winter, your Passion Fruit may not be as vibrant as it is during the growing season. No need to fear though; once the season changes, it will naturally "wake up" from receiving more sunlight, warmth, and fertilization. Just help it through those tough cold spells when a young starter. And as it matures, if the place you live gets lower than 30 degrees Fahrenheit keep it indoors, on a patio next to your home, in your garage, etc. 

    Learn more in our Overwintering Guide.

    🍎 Fruiting and Harvesting

    Since you're starting with a plant baby, fruiting time can take anywhere between 1.5-3 years after planting. They generally fruit in the summer to fall months. 

    🕷️ Common Pests

    There are a few common pests that may affect your Passion Fruit: Mealybugs, mites, scale, thrips, fruit flies. If one of these insects decides to make a home out of your plant, temporarily put your plant outside away from your other collection and then take a cotton swab with a little neem oil—a safe and organic oil that helps combat pests—and touch each insect with it; this will help remove it and will kill the bug as well. If you don't have any neem oil on hand, you can even use a little vegetable oil mixed with water. Once you know all the insects are gone, it’s safe to bring it back together with your other plants.

    🐈 Toxic to Pets?

    There is no official word from the ASPCA on this species on the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List. However, the plant is generally considered non-toxic but the fruit can cause vomiting or lethargy in pets. 

    After Arrival Care

    Please give your plant a little TLC after its journey through the mail 📬. Here are a few steps we recommend:

    • Unwrap immediately to provide fresh air to the plant and soil.
    • Wait a few days before exposing to full sunlight so your plant can adjust after being in a dark box for several days.
    • Always protect from heat and cold because temperature extremes can be stressful or deadly for plants.
    • Water. Your baby plant may be parched and even a little wilted but thorough hydration will help it recover.
    • Grow out in a larger pot to increase your chances of success—i.e., a quarter gallon—Then transplant to the ground or the next pot size up once the roots fill to the bottom. This will help the plant get sufficient water and nutrients directly to the roots.

    Learn more in our After Arrival Care Guide. 

    Repotting

    We highly recommend growing your baby plant out in a larger pot 🪴 to increase your chances of success 🏆. Repotting helps focus the water and nutrients directly towards the roots. If the pot is too large or if your baby is planted in the ground, the water and nutrients have more room to spread to the wrong places where they aren’t needed. This can be extra detrimental to a baby plant that needs all the support it can get as it’s growing up.

    You don’t have to repot immediately, but the sooner you do, the more room it has to grow. 

    Here are some general repotting tips:

    • Start with a pot that's 1-2 inches larger in diameter than the starter-sized pot it came in. A pint or quart would be great.
    • Transplant to the next pot size up once the roots fill to the bottom.

    Learn more in our Repotting Guide. 

    Shop Passion Fruit

    Start or continue growing your Passion Fruit collection with Wellspring Gardens,

    Happy planting! 🪴