Image – Wikimedia/Filo gen’
Passion fruit is a climber that not only looks good, but also produces edible fruit. For these reasons, it is a really interesting plant to grow in a garden, or even in a pot when there is no ground to plant it. The question that many people ask themselves and which we will answer below is whether it is possible to grow it successfully in Spain, or if, on the contrary, it will be necessary to protect it at some point.
And, of course, being of tropical origin, it can be difficult to make it survive the winter. But right away I will tell you that, of all the tropical and subtropical plants found in Spanish nurseries, this is one of the least demanding. Then yes, is it possible to have passion fruit in spain; yes, not in all provinces, it will be as easy to maintain.
Contents
Where does passion fruit come from?
Image – Flickr/Dinesh Valke
Before knowing what to take into account to cultivate the fruit of the passion in Spain, it is necessary to learn about the climate of its place of origin, and where it lives. Thus, we can get an idea of what it takes to be beautiful in our country.
And we’ll start by saying that it originated in tropical America; that is, it lives in regions where the climate is warm all year round and where, in addition, it rains frequently. To be more exact, grows in Brazil, Paraguay and northern Argentina, although it is also widely cultivated from the southeastern United States (Florida more specifically), through Mexico, Central America and reaching northern Argentina. If we want to be even more specific, that is, if we wanted to go see it in its natural habitat, we would have to go to forests and jungles.
In addition, it is a climbing plant that seeks direct sunlight, so it does well only in forested areas where the canopy of trees and palms allows sunlight to reach the undergrowth. And yet, no matter how much light you have, you will always want more. Proof of this is its own genetics, which stimulate its growth to such an extent that it can reach 10-15 meters in height.
And how do you do? has no tendrilsbut as its stems are capricious, they wind around the trunks and thus gain height.
Can we have it in Spain?
Passion fruit is a plant that I personally feel is increasingly being cultivated in Spain, as it is increasingly easy to find it in nurseries and garden centers. And this for a reason: because it is not demanding, or at least not as demanding as other equally tropical species, such as the Phalaenopsis orchids or the coconut palm. Indeed, unlike these it can withstand the cold, and even light frosts down to -2ºC as long as they are very short and punctual.
And we can never forget its tropical origin, that’s why it would also not be a good idea to have it outside if during the winter the temperature drops too muchOtherwise, the next day we would find it with very damaged leaves.
If we take this into account, it will be very interesting to grow passion fruit in many areas of the Canary Islands (especially at low altitude, where the climate is warmer), as well as in other places on the Iberian Peninsula (Malaga, Cadiz, etc.) like from the Balearics (especially in coastal cities).
How is passion fruit cured in Spain?
Image – Flickr/Dinesh Valke
It is a plant that will only grow during the warm months, that is, in spring and summer. The rest of the year it will rest, so the care we give it will have to be somewhat different from what we give it when it is active. But what are these worries? We will see it:
- Location: as it needs a lot, a lot of direct light, it will have to be placed outside, in a sunny place. For example, you can use it to cover an arch, a trellis or a wall, because it doesn’t matter if you have it in a pot or on the ground, because it adapts very well to living in one or the other of these two places.
- Ground: it is indifferent to him, but it is important that they have good drainage. If it is going to be in a pot, we will put a universal substrate of a well-known brand, such as Flower.
- Irrigation: It is necessary to water frequently in summer, and more in the event of a heat wave. During this time, it may be necessary to water 3 to 4 times a week. The rest of the year, on the other hand, we will space out the waterings.
- Subscriber: very interesting to fertilize it with organic fertilizers, such as guano or earthworm humus, during its vegetative period (spring-summer).
- To harvest: passion fruit flowers are hermaphroditic, so it only takes one plant to produce fruit. These are harvested in the summer, when they are a little soft when pressed gently.
Passion fruit is a climber with edible fruits which, as we have seen, needs little to be beautiful.