The Passiflora, also known as Passionflower plant, Passionflower or passion flower , is a vigorously growing plant, which has beautiful, unique and structured flowers. Also, its fruit is delicious. The Spanish missionary pioneers who traveled to South America, where this plant originated, used the flowers to illustrate the history of the crucifixion, in their attempt to bring the Catholic faith to the natives. We could say that its filament ring is the crown of thorns; the stamens are the five wounds; and column that is located in the center of the flower, the pole of torments; etc.
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Care of the passion fruit plant
Change the passion fruit plant pot every year using normal compost. Take your plant to a slightly larger container, but avoid upsetting the root system; put the root mass carefully and any remaining compost in the larger container and fill it with more compost. Keep in mind that the final container must be 25 cm in diameter. From this moment, you will have to pay on the surface every year, replacing the surface layer with new compost.
The stalks of the Passionflower need support , so you should wrap them around a wire ring when they are young; However, you have to consider that this plant grows rapidly, so it will surely exceed the hoop and you will need to use bamboo stakes. Prune the plant to shape it at the time when you will have to change the container, cutting all the flower buds up to about 25 cm and the lateral branches up to 8 cm.
Keep the plant at a temperature between 18-27 ° C in a bright and sunny place. Water the passion fruit plant freely, three times a week, so that the compost remains moist. Add a liquid fertilizer every week between March and September.
Care of the passiflora in autumn and winter
Keep the temperature at 10 ° C for the species Passiflora caerulea , which is the most popular species. It is a climbing plant, which can reach about 6 m high; indoor plants require drastic pruning to give it a manageable shape. Its stems are resistant and dark green, and its flowers are 8 cm wide, in the shape of a sauce boat, and arise throughout the summer. Provide your plant with the best lighting, including full sun. Water it only moderately.
How to spread the passion fruit plant?
Take stem cuttings 10 cm long in spring, cutting them below a leaf knot and removing the pair of lower leaves. Now treat the ends of the cut with rooting hormones and insert them to the lower leaves in an equal mixture of coarse sand and peat. Insert the cuttings into a propagator and keep them moist and in the shade at 21 ° C.
When their growth is visible, you should take them to a brighter position, water them occasionally and pay them with a liquid fertilizer every 15 days until the end of the autumn growth period. Stop paying the Passiflora , water sparingly and keep it at a temperature of 13 ° C in the winter months; then plant the cuttings in winter-spring.
problems
If the plant dries, the stems and foliage are likely to dehydrate quickly and the leaves fall off; the leaves will turn yellow and flowering will be totally non-existent if the plant does not have adequate light. However, if you provide the recommended conditions, the Passiflora should improve.
