Question by Bruce C.
I have 2 passionfruit plants, a 5-year-old grafted Nellie Kelly producing well and a 2-year-old Pandora variety which produced 2 fruits last season. This season, the Nellie Kelly produced flowers all season while the Pandora only started flowering about 6 weeks ago. Both plants got the same fertiliser each time but I did up the potash content only late into the season. Could a lack of potash have been a reason or do the Pandora variety flower late into summer?
Sarah's answer
Hi Bruce,
Nellie Kelly is a variety that is better suited to cooler conditions and Pandora likes it slightly warmer so this could be a factor in your garden. If it is cooler in your garden than the Pandora ideally would like, then it can take a little longer for it to establish and bear fruit.
Having said that, both varieties do have different fruit times and the purple varieties do flower earlier than the Panama varieties and so having both is a great way to extend the season. In the right conditions, passionfruit can even produce a harvest in the winter months.
If you continue to have problems, you can look into pruning techniques, watering, fluctuating temperatures or over-fertilising as a possible cause. I hope this helps and your passionfruit plant matures into a prolifically producing vine.
Cheers Sarah
