germinating passifloras.. passion flower

[Riz]

Salaam everyone's....

One of my all time favourite climbers the passion flower, The first time i saw the flower i couldn't believe how unique and beautiful they could be.. so 2 seasons a go i got given a small cutting and i grew it on in a container the same season it grew so high and wrapped it self around the pear tree and the flowers were so striking ( alien) i did some reading on it and was completely fascinated by them, and how Christian missionaries in south America first saw them and it reminded them of Jesus and the last supper etc....

I had so many pics on my laptop and it crashed taking away all the pics, i hand pollinated the bottom part of the passion flower vine ( it got really tall) and got some green fruit growing( edible) they are supposed to ripen to orange but the weather was terrible at the time.




so i cut it back in September and made a newbie mistake by leaving the pot outside over winter i forgot it was a tropical plant and the roots need warmth over the winter months espically if you are growing in the British climate.

last season i saw a pack of the passion flower seeds in a seed store, so i bought a pack and today i started them off in a seed tray using potting soil, they need to be kept at temperatures of 20c for 8 weeks for them to germinate, so it will be interesting if i can grow it well.

here are some pics of the passion flower ( so many different kinds)

not my pics

[Riz]

the cutting i got given was the middle pic in above post... and the seeds i have bought are the same aswell

[Riz]

not my pics

[Riz]

ill show you the seeds in a minute and the seed tray i used....

[~Obsidian~]

Yeeaaayyyy

Another thread I was going to make (I start researching then get sidetracked :/) JazakhAllah! I soo wanna grow one of those, not likely to happen though!

[Riz]

why not ?

[~Obsidian~]

I don't think I can provide the necessary warmth. May attempt to do so though, if you've done it before! I love passion fruit :sunny:

[Riz]

well i will be growing it outside inshallah.. its best to grow it in a container outdoors as you can bring it indoors after you have cut it right back, when over wintering it you just have to remember to keep it in a warm room and water it sparingly.

If i get some to root in 8 weeks or under, ill send you a small seedling.. i germinated around 12 seeds

shame my laptop crashed otherwise you would have loved the pics of them, no flower comes close to its beauty and unique style... and its a real vigorous climber

[Riz]

the seeds i have are called " passiflora caerulea"

i wrapped some cling film over the seed tray to keep the moisture in.. i have around a dozen seeds sowed in the tray.

[Riz]

the seeds have tiny little craters on the shell

[Riz]

hoooray !!!!

one seed germinated :) i can see the tiny stem

[Foz]

oh those flowers are lovely!!!

[Riz]

^ thanks fozia ;)

here is the tiny seedling.. there are two of them the other is still pushing upwards

[~Obsidian~]

:tree-huggin:

[Riz]

i potted one of the seedlings in a individual container, spooned it out whole with the root ball and dirt intact. so another 2 seedlings popping out.. :)

[Tania]

Why are you moving them out in other ? The first container its not big enough?

[Riz]

the green tray is very shallow and i didn't want the roots to spread across the bottom of the tray, so i moved it into its own container so the roots will grow DOWN

[Tania]

Thank you for the tip. I couldn't understand why its neccesary to move the seedlings from one pot to another :o - until now

[Riz]

another 2 have popped out so that's 3 i have in total.. there should be atleast another 10 that still have not showed up...

[edibles]

I love the colour and structure of these flowers. looks like an alien.
why isnt this under growing flowers

[Riz]

why isnt this under growing flowers

I probably will take this to the flower section,once i put them outdoors permanent in mid may :)

i have 3 passion flower seedlings in individual containers, and i have another 2 popping out of the seed tray :)

[Riz]

so out of the 12 seeds i germinated, ive had 7 pop out.. all potted in there own small containers..

[Tania]

Its true that in the first year they don't have flowers? I almost bought a pack of seeds but i was confused by this small detail.

[Riz]

YES tania..

that is what i have read, they flower in the second season, i guess the first season they grow vegetative growth ( green).

i grew it from a small cutting 2 seasons ago and it became my favourite flowering climber.. i may even buy a plant from this website http://www.spaldingbulb.co.uk/index.aspx?Ntt=passion+flower&Ntk=NL&Ntx=mode+matchallany&Nty=1&N=0&D=passion+flower

[Tania]

I avoid to buy plants. Better to grow from the seeds :)

[Riz]

yeah very true,,

well i have 7 of them growing inshallah.. so maybe in june or july i will post you one small passion flower seedling :)

[Tania]

Thank you :)

[farah]

Oh they are beautiful a worrisome thought thats occured is what if this summer is like the previous two we've had, raining & cold often and only a very few 'hot' days? What will happen to the passifloras outside in those conditions?

[Riz]

once it fully grows it can handle cold days and nights to a certain extent, but in the winter it cant handle days and days of cold weather, so its best grown in pots and in September you can cut it right back and bring the pot indoors, and it will bounce right back in spring...

[farah]

every single year?

[Riz]

In the ground they come back year after year for decades they are very evasive, so they can be grown in pots for years and years as long as you bring them indoors when the cold weather really starts, you can also take cuttings from the plant and grow on..

i got a cutting from an elderly neighbour who's husband planted it 35 year ago and it blooms every year and its in the ground outdoors.. she gave me a root cutting and i grew it in a pot, if you grow from seed they flower in the second season from what i have read, but i grew it from a cutting in a b&q bucket under the pear tree and in one season its tendrils climbed all over the pear tree and it flowered, the weirdest striking flower ive seen seriously !! they actually have fruit that grow from the flower when it gets pollinated, i missed out on the fruit, being a novice and pruned it back well before the fruit developed...

not my pics

[Riz]

check this link out, quite an interesting history

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A6379518

this site is dedicated to the passion flowers and has a Q&A section

http://www.passionflow.co.uk/

[farah]

very strange history as well!

i got a cutting from an elderly neighbour who's husband planted it 35 year ago and it blooms every year and its in the ground outdoors..

What a fantastic flower though & one that stays around for a long long time

[Riz]

The passiflora caerulea are the hardiest of all the varieties and these have the best chance of growing outdoors in uk and being left outdoors all the time from what i have been reading..

[Tania]

I bought today a pack of seeds of passiflora caerulea :) I will sow them in april straight in the ground.

[Riz]

cool ^

make sure the birds dont eat the seeds though.. :)

[Riz]

its getting taller my little passion seedling..... the rest are quite small, this one is way ahead in growth.. gave it a very weak solution of miracle grow ( pour and feed)mixed with water..

[Riz]

i have been doing some research on the passion flower grown in UK, and the variety i am growing are hardy enough to make it through the winter in UK and most places in Europe....

[Tania]

Thats good because i think its natural the plants to remain in the same place during their life. I intend to do that.

[Riz]

The passion flower seedlings are really taking off, one of them has long slim tendrils with a little hook on the end, to hook onto something just like a climbing vine... ( awww)

[Riz]

i have left the passion flower seedlings at the windowsill, they are a bit stretchy and spindly, but looking great,, the little tendrils are going all over the place..

[Tania]

They grow really very fast. I like how look the curly trendils.

[Riz]

^ in some countries, north and south America , they are considered a pest, because they grow out of control when they have the right optimum environment to grow. they grow through branches of other tress and totally overwhelm it..

[Tania]

It means its not a good idea to sow them in the soil near to my trees trunk? I wanted to make the trees green from soil to branches

[Foz]

i got one of these!!

i planted it straight outdoors? should i have kept it in for a while?

[Riz]

did you buy the plant !?

it should be ok outdoors inshallah :)

is it the same variety :) !?

[Foz]

yeah i bought it...

said passiflora on it and looks like the blue one in your pics.... so i think its the same.....

[edibles]

It means its not a good idea to sow them in the soil near to my trees trunk? I wanted to make the trees green from soil to branches

dont worry i am sure they'll die during winter leaving your trees fine.

I remember looking at these in someones garden as a child, coming home from school it was mesmorising

[Riz]

lidl are selling passion flower plants for 1.55 each

http://www.lidl.co.uk/uk/home.nsf/pages/c.o.20090312.p.Climbing_Plants_and_Ornamental_Bush es.ar2

[Tania]

Looking how tall they grow in short time i would not buy a plant. Better from seed.

[Riz]

Looking how tall they grow in short time i would not buy a plant. Better from seed.


Its true they do grow rapidly. I grew mine from seed so it wont flower in the first season only in the second season basically in its first season it will just grow vegetative growth ( green leafs) from what i have been reading online.

I think the ones sold at LIDL are cuttings taken from an established vine and grown on, and these will flower in the first season...

i might get one or two, even though i have around 6 seedlings that i grew from the seed.
1.55 pence its not much to pay for them i feel... but in some countries around the world they are not liked because they are so invasive, but luckily for us europeans the weather never gets that exotic, i will probraley grow one in a pot and one in the ground right at the back of the garden right in front of the garden panels ill have to look out for a trellis as well so the vines can grow through them and it has something to grow up...

I only go to LIDL to buy tools ( spanners, screwdrivers, drills etc) sometimes things like that are really cheap, and of course plants, nutrients and fertilizers are really cheap, i have noticed though most of the stuff they sell are bankrupt stock from all over europe, you may have noticed sometimes on the package that its in a foreign language.. i dont care though as long as they have bargains like they do right now !!

[Riz]

my passion flower seedlings are doing really well indoors, they grabbed onto the curtain with the tendrils :)


here is some pics i taken of them outdoors :)

gonna give them a good watering, and find a place were i can pot them outdoors, might have to buy a plastic trellis as well...

[Tania]

They are doing really well and are tall. The leaves looks like some hands

[Riz]

ll take pics tomorrow........

the passion flower is quite hardy too, they are still in pots and i am looking for a nice spot in the garden to plant one and keep the other one in a container....

[Riz]

i had to trim them down too, just too perk them up and now they are loving it outdoors

[Riz]

i planted one of my plants in the ground, I need to buy or a construct a trellis later on..

i grew these from seed so they wont flower in the first season only in the 2nd season and onwards... it already had little tendrils on it, so after i planted in the ground i screwed some screws in the garden panel and use some string and wrapped the tendrils around the string hopefully they should start climbing it...... i tied the string to some bricks lol.. Once they start climbing really well, i will affix a trellis to the garden panel so they can climb that and use it for support....

ps.. i know the bricks are a bit ghetto style .. i like using stuff around the garden instead of buying a plastic trellis or other aids, its more satisfying when you grow veggies and flowers and spend the least amount of money doing it,, that's when it becomes really gratifying :)

[Riz]

the passion flowers is growing really well and shooting up wrapping its tendrills around the twine.. :)

[Riz]

the passion flower has stretched too well over 7 feet tall...............

[Ummbilal]

mashallah your plants look good!

I love passion flowers they are so beautiful, I've tried planting two plants of it in my garden and both have died, the first was strimmed to death by my son who mistook it for grass :eek:dont ask!!
the second was in a pot and died during the hot weather despite being in a shady spot and watered regulaly.

what ones are hardy??

[Riz]

what ones are hardy??

passiflora caerulea is hardy in uk climates, that is one that i am growing, but i am growing from a seed so it will only flower in its second season...

[Riz]

an update on my passion flower climber which i started from a seed last season so inshallah if all goes well it will flower in the 2010 season

One of my neighbours has a passion flower growing over a trellis in his garden, i took a cutting from it and it rooted really well in a smallish container, so i may plant this in a biggish pot outdoors in mid-may and this one will flower in its first season as its from a established vine

[Riz]

the passion flower i planted outdoors last season is not looking too good, hopefully it will bounce back....

its a good job i grew one indoors just in case..... i re-potted it a while ago and now its really taking off, just gave it room temp tap water with no other nutrients...................

[Carcharos]

We actually have a passion flower that grows wild around here. I never even really knew what it was until last year, when I happened to stumble across some pictures of passion fruit.

We call them "Maypops." Always thought the flowers were pretty, but never occurred to me to eat the fruit. I always stomped on it when I was little, because the fruit sort of exploded, which was amusing.

It's apparently this variety: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passiflora_incarnata

[Riz]

thats a pretty flower.... i have never eaten the fruit either, It can be a very evasive plant too, in some countries its considered a pest :)

[Riz]

the passion flower is very slowly beginning to show some improvement, i am so glad though because i have been nursing this plant from a seed for 2 seasons now, and remember if you grow from seed it will only flower in its second season... :)

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa300/sajid_012/DSC00831.jpg

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa300/sajid_012/DSC00832.jpg

[Riz]

finally the vine is showing some growth on the side of the stems, so pleased though, i have been nursing this from a seed for 2 season now :)

[Riz]

the passion vine is growing well and branching out slowly..

side of stem you can see the little bud growing


http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa300/sajid_012/DSC01789.jpg


after a week or so its grows and the tendril spreads out, it has a little hook on the end which it uses to hook onto other branches and flowers to grow through and upwards


http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa300/sajid_012/DSC01787.jpg



http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa300/sajid_012/DSC01808.jpg

[Riz]

small flower blooming


http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa300/sajid_012/DSC01790.jpg

[Foz]

thats doing well mashAllah

[Riz]

its taking off, i got some gardners twine form BnQ and have trained the stems on to it so it can climb up it

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa300/sajid_012/DSC02291.jpg


http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa300/sajid_012/DSC02292.jpg

[Riz]

one flower has fully bloomed at the moment and lots of little buds are forming,, needles to say i am really proud of this vine as i grew it from a seed two seasons ago :)


http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa300/sajid_012/DSC02436.jpg

[Riz]

great weather last week and they are really growing quickly...


http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa300/sajid_012/DSC03283.jpg

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa300/sajid_012/DSC03282.jpg

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa300/sajid_012/DSC03284.jpg

[Riz]

only got handful of flowers from this vine in total and not all bloomed at the same time, Its in its second season grown from seed, i am thinking once the rootball is established by next season it will really flourish i am hoping it will stay alive in southern England through the winter, its in a sheltered position near the bamboo bush...

[khabbab]

Wow that is great. 2 seasons is not a long time if you are growing passies from seed. I got some seeds of few species of passion flower but i was afraid to sow them before spring. Now will sow them today and if they germinate i am sure they will survive our mild winters :)

[Riz]

yep..

and then in the 2nd season onwards you can take cuttings from the vine which will flower in the same season.

[Foz]

oh they look great!
well done!

[Riz]

passion flower growing again, thought i lost it for good...

[Foreveryoung]

^ This is one of the most exotic looking flower I have ever seen :) Such surprises are hard for me to handle . lol . But may be it's because i am hardly successful at growing stuff so when I find seasonal flowers coming back, it gives me immense pleasure.

Congrats. :GreenThumbs: :GreenThumbs:

[Riz]

my passion flower indoors doing great :)