Question by AImee H.
I’ve had two passionfruit vines growing on my deck in large, well drained containers since mid-2018. They have both been thriving until earlier this year when one of them started to turn yellow and now all the leaves have completely died off. The second plant is still lush and green. The dying plant has a few green shoots looking like it wants to survive, and I’m really hoping to help it! I feed them throughout the warmer months. I alternate between all-purpose plant food and seaweed.
Sarah's answer
Hi Aimee,
Passionfruit can be quite a fickle plant and a common problem is yellow leaves. This can be caused by a number of things – some physical and some environmental.
The first cause to eliminate is pests, so check for mites, scale, aphids or other pests sucking the life out of what leaves you have left. Check around the stem as snails and slugs have been known to ring bark passionfruit plants which subsequently die as a result. A heavy infestation of passion vine hoppers during the summer can cause a vine to succumb. Even more sinister, it could have been affected by a virus or other disease.
Environmentally, it could be, that it is getting too much water or that the drainage hole in the pot is blocked. Alternatively, it might not be getting enough water, this could happen if you are letting the rain water it. Check to see if it is in a ‘rain shadow’ where the rain is blocked by a wall or eaves. Also, it could be in a windy spot or a cold spot. If it gets too wet or too cold or both, then it can get diseases like collar rot or root rot.
It could be a nutrient deficiency – although not as in a lack of food but in food availability as this can be affected by the pH or temperature of the soil. Another possibility is that you have over or underfed it. Nutrient deficiencies can show up as variations of yellowing in the leaves. Over-fertilising can be harder to fix than under fertilising. Take care to follow the instructions on the packet when feeding your plants and remember, being in a container means that it is reliant on you for most of its essential food and water.
I hope this helps and that your plants recover or failing that, you could start again as they only have a lifespan of 5 – 7 years so it might be easier to spend that time with a healthy plant than trying to limp along a poorly one.
All the best with it.
Cheers Sarah
