How to grow passionflower at home and care for the plant

Passionflower, or passion flower, is a popular houseplant that produces fragrant fruits indoors. It boasts medicinal properties and is used to prepare medications for hypertension and depression. With basic care knowledge, you can grow it from seed yourself.

Description of the plant

There are over 500 varieties and species of indoor vines in the genus Passiflora. This heat-loving plant thrives in the wild in the southern latitudes of Brazil, Madagascar, and Australia. It decorates gardens and verandas in Asian countries. In Russia and Europe, it is grown only indoors.

Most species of this houseplant are evergreen vines and shrubs. Other forms of passionflower are perennial and annual herbs. It is distinguished by its dense, dark green leaves, arranged on a slender stem. The branches can reach 9 m in length. The large, beautiful flowers resemble a star with sharp rays, opening to a diameter of up to 15 cm.

The flower is distinguished by its unusual shape and structure: it consists of five sepals, large petals, and bracts. Stigmas containing pollen grow from the center of the passionflower. With proper care, the buds begin to bloom actively in the first half of July and end in September.

A distinctive feature of passionflowers is that after opening, the buds are visible for no more than a day. However, with careful care, each branch will produce numerous buds. The color depends on the variety and can be pink, lilac, blue, or purple. The seeds and fruits ripen in October.

Beneficial properties of passionflower

In Asia, the plant is grown on large plantations. The flowers contain a natural oil with a unique aroma, which becomes the basis for perfumes. It is added to skin care products and natural shampoos.

Passionflower extract is widely used in medicine in solution or tablet form. It contains many beneficial components:

• vitamin K;
• flavonoids;
• alkaloids;
• glycosides;
• glycoproteins.

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Passionflower leaves contain B vitamins, tocopherol, and minerals. Free amino acids act as natural antidepressants and stimulate collagen production.

Caring for passionflower at home

The plant is demanding in terms of climate, humidity, and temperature. Therefore, it is difficult for novice gardeners to grow. It requires support to form beautiful vines, shoots, and vigorous flowering.

The following varieties are most often grown at home:

• 'Royal Star' has small, light blue flowers and bright orange fruits. It's temperature-tolerant and tolerates cool winter temperatures well.
• 'Lavender Lady' features large, star-shaped flowers. It grows quickly and requires frequent watering and a sunny location for bud formation.
• 'Blue Cassiopeia' has deep blue flowers. It has long vines with tendrils and blooms until late autumn.

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For growing in a city apartment, varieties with vines no longer than 4–5 meters are more suitable: 'Yazychkovaya' and 'Tetrahedralnaya'. In a winter garden, passionflower can act as a green wall or partition, twining around a support and forming any desired shape.

Location and temperature selection

To ensure abundant flowering, passionflower requires special conditions. It requires good light, so the south and east sides of the house are ideal. Shade the windows during the day to provide diffused light and prevent scorching the delicate leaves.

Experienced gardeners try to avoid shading mature plants. Direct sunlight encourages them to form numerous buds and grow more vigorously. If the pots are located on the north side, additional illumination with phytolamps or other lighting fixtures should be provided.

Features of home care:

• in summer the temperature is from +20 to +27 °C;
• in winter and in the off-season from +15 to +18 °C;
• no drafts in the room;

Passionflower is a tropical plant, so it's important to maintain a certain level of soil moisture. If the air is too dry and hot, it will wilt and may drop leaves and buds.

Watering and fertilizing rules

Passionflowers grow best in moist soil. Their long, spreading vines require a lot of water. Water the plant frequently and in small amounts, but make sure the soil is completely moist. Drain any remaining water from the tray to prevent root rot.

In summer, passionflower can be watered every other day with settled and filtered water at room temperature. During colder months, check to see if the top layer of soil has dried out. In winter, watering is reduced to 1-2 times a week. On hot days, the plant can be misted in the evening with a spray bottle. This will maintain the moisture level on the leaves, which may not be receiving enough moisture from the roots.

Indoor passionflowers require regular fertilization. Given the length of their vines, nutrients should be applied every 10-14 days to ensure nourishment and bud formation. The amount and composition depend on the time of year:

• in early spring, complex mineral fertilizers should be applied once a month;
• Feed passionflower with organic matter no more than 1–2 times to increase nitrogen levels before flowering begins;
• Every month, using a spray bottle, you can spray the leaves with water with the addition of a special fertilizer for tropical plants and vines.

During flowering, the plant requires increased potassium and phosphorus levels, which influence the number of buds. If the plant sheds leaves and becomes unwell after being moved to a new location, it's best to stop fertilizing.

Plant formation

The passionflower in the photo can take on an interesting wreath shape, twining around a support, or hanging like a trailing plant. Gradually, the stems become covered with thick bark. Therefore, a sturdy base, such as a ladder or arch, is required. Branches should be regularly trained onto this base, securing them with tendrils.

An important part of passionflower cultivation is annual pruning. This begins in the second year and is carried out in the spring during the period of active new growth. Using sharp pruning shears, remove damaged and dry vines, excess branches, and tops to encourage foliage growth.

The second pruning stage is carried out in October after flowering has finished. It's important to carefully pinch back strong, healthy shoots so they'll produce a surprising number of buds next year. You can completely cut back bare branches before winter and trim back older ones by half.

Plant transplantation

Every spring, it's recommended to repot young vines into a larger pot and replace the soil. This procedure is performed after pruning old shoots and shaping the crown. For mature plants, simply replace the top layer of soil with fresh soil and add mineral fertilizer.

When replanting, carefully inspect the root system, remove any rotting or dry roots, and sprinkle the cut ends with activated charcoal. This helps rejuvenate the passionflower and stimulates the growth of healthy vines.

For repotting, it's best to use a special soil for tropical plants. If you don't have one, mix some peat, turf, and leaf mold in a clean bowl, then add one part sifted river sand. Place a drainage layer at the bottom of the pot to prevent waterlogging around the roots.

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Passionflower propagation methods

The fastest way to get a flowering vine is to grow passionflower from seeds. These can be purchased at the store or obtained from last year's harvest. To speed up germination, you need to:

1. Lightly rub the dry seeds with fine-grained sandpaper to damage the tough shell.
2. Soak the planting material in warm water with the addition of growth stimulants for 1–2 days.
3. Sort and discard seeds with signs of rot or damage.
4. Prepare cups with soil, water the soil well.
5. Plant 2 seeds in one container and lightly sprinkle with peat.

The homemade greenhouse should be covered with clear glass and placed in a warm location for germination. Planting and subsequent care are carried out in the spring, so additional lighting in the evening is necessary.

An equally popular method is propagation by cuttings. Planting material can be obtained during spring pruning of the vine. Strong, fresh shoots are selected from young shoots and dipped in warm water for several days to stimulate growth.

Prepare cups with nutrient extract in advance. Remove the branches from the water and generously coat the bottom with Kornevin. Plant the cuttings in the cups, leaving 2-3 buds above the soil.

The cups containing the future passionflower shoots are moved to a warm place and covered with a plastic frame. High humidity should be maintained in the greenhouse by frequent misting. After a month, the seedlings can be transplanted into pots.

Diseases and difficulties in growing passionflower

Passionflower is a plant rarely affected by rot or insects. However, without proper care and regular fertilizing, it will not bloom and may lose its leaves or wilt. In rare cases, the following bacterial infections may develop:

• gray mold;
• rust;
• scab.

If the plant is drying out and the leaf tips are turning very dark, it's important to provide the passionflower with increased humidity. You can build a plastic greenhouse-like frame and mist it with warm water more frequently.

Passionflower stops forming buds in the following situations:

• during the period of active growth, a transplant was performed;
• the pot was moved to a new location during the period of flower stalk formation;
• lack of moisture;
• lack of nutrients.

Passionflowers are susceptible to mealybugs, thrips, aphids, and spider mites when grown indoors. Periodically inspect the leaves and soil and treat with special solutions.

Passionflower is a beautiful houseplant that requires careful care, humidity, and temperature. With some effort, it can be grown from seeds and cuttings. With proper care, it will delight its owner with luxurious star-shaped flowers all summer long.