Ripening passion fruit.

Need to know the best time to plant?

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David
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I have a west facing wall covered in orange passion fruit.

Can anyone tell me if these will be edible and at what stage. I know the shop ones are very dark and starting to wrinkle but do they get like that while still on the plant?

Thanks for any advice.

David
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Jenny Green
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I haven't grown this myself but I've heard they are edible, but not very tasty!
Sorry, not much help!
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Johnboy
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Hi David,
I have got an enormous Passion Fruit plant that keeps on growing in one of my now deserted tunnels and the flowers and fruits are quite magnificent.
It is the bog standard type as opposed to the edible variety but on several occasions I have been tempted to pick the large orange fruits and you simple suck the guts out, all the pips and the jelly around them, and discard the rest. They are actually quite nice and the mice on the plot simply love them.
This monster was left when the roots of some plants for sale rooted through the Mypex flooring and in order to move it I gave it a good kick and thought no more about it but the next year the root left in the ground grew and grew and grew and now after
several years the foliage grows the length and width and more of the tunnel (60ftx30ft) I just let it go.
I reckon I could get something approaching 10,000 cuttings if I wanted them. It gets no attention no water yet it thrives. I often wonder how far the roots go because it obviously gets water from somewhere.
The tunnel obviously replicates the conditions that it would grow in in its country of origin.
JB.
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Primrose
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I'm afraid I can't help much but last year saw an enormous againstan old wall, absolutely dripping with green fruit and I did ask the owner if they ripened in this country and were edible. The response was that they rarely ripened on the plant and were rather sour and acid and attempts to try and ripen them indoors were unsuccessful. I suspect that grown outdoors in this country they don't get enough sun and long-term heat. Perhaps if you have enough fruit to make it worthwhile you could erect a large "drop down" plastic cover to protect them and trying giving them the extra warmth they need to get to the black crinkled state but I suspect the cold nights here would be against you. But they do have a wonderful flavour when mixed in with a fresh fruit salad so perhaps it's worth trying once.
David
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Very interesting replies, thanks for taking the time.

I can see that that black crinkled look probably comes from a lot of late med or african sun - sadly in damp Salisbury we dont get a lot of that.......

I was in portugal recently and to replicate that heat I'll have to use a blowtorch!

David
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alan refail
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One of the problems is that the passion fruit which you buy is Passiflora edulis http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/passionfruit.htm and the hardier one which grows here is Passiflora caerulea http://www.floridata.com/ref/P/pass_cae.cfm
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Johnboy
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Hi Alan,
Passiflora caerula ripens to very bright orange fruits in the tunnel and is I say you can suck the guts out of them although they are not the edible variety. I can see no reason why edulis should not ripen in a tunnel. I believe that Allan was experimenting with them a couple or so of years ago.
I do not remember hearing the result from Allan.
Considering where they come from originally it is quite surprising that they survive hereabouts at all.
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shubhampatidar
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It is the lowland standard compose rather than the palatable assortment yet on a few events I have been enticed to pick the huge orange fruit and you straightforward suck the guts out, every one of the pips and the jam around them, and dispose of the rest. They are entirely decent and the mice on the plot essentially cherish them.
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