Question by Brendan T.
My choko vine won’t produce this season yet everything has been perfect and the same as the last ten years. What do I do?
Sarah's answer
Chokos are a prolifically growing plant and if you can keep it frost free, it can last around 5 years before its vigour declines. There are several reasons that there may not be fruit. If the plant has been pruned at the wrong time, the flowers may have been pruned off. They are quite small and are produced on the new growth. Pruning should be done straight after the fruiting has finished in the autumn.
They are also photo-period sensitive this means they won’t flower until day length approaches 8 - 12 hours. They are also frost sensitive, so a late frost can wipe out flowers. Fruit production is at its optimum when night temperatures are around 15-20°C. If it gets too hot, this can slow flowering.
The plants also need a lot of water and if the plant finds itself in a position of stress or drought it can self-prune flowers and fruit to save the plant.
It is good to feed the plant at the start of spring, summer and autumn. A good potash fertiliser in summer and autumn can help with flowering and fruiting. However, if the soil is too rich or the plant is over fertilised, it can end up with lots of leafy growth and no fruit.
It could also be down to pests like possums, rodents and insects eating the new growth and flowers.
I hope you find your solution in among these potential problems.
Cheers Sarah
