Panama Gold passionfruit, botanically known as P. edulis f. flavicarpa is a perennial vine and a member of the Passifloraceae or Passion Flower family. The Yellow passionfruit when grown in ideal conditions will yield more fruit than the Purple variety. Yellow passionfruit contains riboflavin and niacin and is rich in amino acids. They also are higher in citric acid and carotene than the Purple passionfruit though they have a lower content of ascorbic acid.
Fresh seed is more likely to grow than older seed. These seeds have just been dried out from this winters crop. Seeds are best planted in spring or early summer.
In the olden days every passionfruit vine was planted on top of a lamb or sheep’s liver, ox heart, or some other piece of offal, to provide iron. Stick it at the bottom of the hole, cover it up a little bit, and then plant the passionfruit as normal.
If you don’t want to use a lamb’s liver, or offal, you could use pelletised chook manure. And scatter that about a metre around the root system. Do this about twice a year. Remember that passionfruit vines are also hungry and thirsty and love a well-drained soil. It’s also a good idea to put some mulch around the root system, to protect it from the hot sun.
In its first year the little vine will tendril its way across the wires. Just nip out the top little bud and it will shoot out laterally. This means you’ll get lots of side shoots, and expect fruit in about 18 months.
Given plenty of food, well-drained soil and lots of water, you will end up with a great passionfruit vine. And, a little tip – when you see the fruit developing, get your little child to get a nail and scratch their name into the fruit and you end up with your own branded passionfruit.
