Passion flower propagation.

This is a passion flower visiting from next door's garden. They're not gardeners and I'm surprised it has survived
Anyway, I'm going to nick a bit to propagate
When and what should I do?

 

It looks as though it has a fruit coming so you could wait until that is ripe and sow the seeds.

These passion flowers are not difficult to grow, but they do need watering. I don't think they like it really hot either as last year I had one die due to lack of watering. Fortunately I found it had self seeded under a fir tree, so I dug that up and that is now my one year old plant, which is doing well. But I water it more this time.

So keep an eye on that fruit. They are not edible as they are very sharp.

 

If it's long enough you can layer it.
Are you sure you don't live on my road? That looks like my fence and my neighbours' houses! You may not need to grow your own - my passion flower has grown over the fence too and my neighbour said she liked it, so I haven't tried to control it. It now covers my side of the fence for about 20ft, hers too, is growing up into a conifer and along both our washing lines.. it regularly puts new plants up from the roots too.

 

I know where you live @LG_ ! I'm on the unfashionable side of Forest Hill.

 

Layering would be the easiest way and give you a decent sized plant next year. All you need is a hole and something to hold the stem down.

Semi ripe cuttings would also work at this time of year and they aren't hard with passion flowers. You will end up with a smaller plant to grow on that might not fair well in a really cold winter outside, so might need a little protection to start with.

 

They germinate easily from seed. These days I only grow the P edulis ( same as the black fruits you see in the SM's sometime ). I lost mine to frost even tho it was fleeced and in the GH but the one I have now already has 8 fruit which usually ripen Oct/Nov. If you wait til the fruit ripens and then sow the seed complete with their "jelly" they don't take long to pop up.

 

I've always used cuttings, but also seed of the more unusual types.

A semi ripe cutting of about 6 ins long often roots will if given shade at this time of year and some humidity.

So not the soft tip growth, but further back, take a long stem of this years growth and cut it into 6 in sections, remove leaves and stipules from the end going into the soil and have at least one good leaf on the end.
Plant around the edges of a pot of sandy or gritty compost and keep humid and warm.

They should root in about 6 weeks, but will need winter protection this year.

They are pretty hardy once established and never need watering IME, once established, they do sucker if disturbed and tend to come up in unexpected places.

You could try seed but you often dont get flowers in year one.

 

Like a good neighbour, I've been looking them back so there's only this year's growth. I have a small degree of patience so I won't mind if they don't flower the first year.

 

You need this years growth for cuttings just not the very soft stuff, something that is still green and has hardened up a bit, so mostly back from the soft tip, although I would usually still put a section to root that has the soft tip just to see if it roots.

 

I can do that @pete
PS. I've been hooking not looking!

 

I've rooted several cuttings of Passiflora. Mine came from one overgrowing someones fence! It is the ordinary one but I like it, it flowers into the autumn. It has decorative fruits and I have had several seedlings come up in the garden.

 

@Philippa Are we nearly there yet?

 

If I remember correctly, the common one should be orange all over for it to be ripe but it looks very plump and happy. You've got another month of summer yet so leave her for a bit longer ? Make sure you feel it regularly as it should become softer as it ripens.
Whatever you do, don't do what I did yesterday.......... to celebrate my birthday, I decided to tidy up the tomatoes and the edible P in the GH - a bit too close together and lots of leaves of both. There I was snipping away and pulled away a P stem - it had fruit no. 8 on it !!. I put it down to suddenly being 3/4 of a century old

 

Thanks @Philippa . I'll be patient. It feels like it's soft and full of air at the moment. The stems will be long enough soon to try layering, too.
I tried to do The decent thing and poke some of the flower buds back next door but they were back on my side the next day - shame

 

They obviously prefer you @BB3