Waikato
January
Q.
Two of my 3 young passion fruit vines look like they are about to die, the leaves on one have almost entirely disappeared while the other one has stopped growing & is yellowing off - the third plant looks ok & this is what I can't understand - they all receive the same watering/feeding amount of sun etc. do you have any suggestions of how I can revive the two that are not doing so well ... Cheers Col
Colin
A.
Probably a combination of heat and passion vine hopper which in very bad infestations can cause this type of damage. Keep it well watered and well fed, use Tui Organic Seaweed Plant Tonic every seven days and it should come right as the weather cools. The best way to attack passion vine hopper is with a hose rather than trying to spray. Alternatively, it could be a root disorder as they can be susceptible to root rot, make sure the soil is well drained and that the plants do not get excessively dry between watering as this can cause the tiny roots to burst and soil fungi can enter the plant causing root rot.
Passion vine hopper is a problem in summer, they are a sucking insect, the best way to control them is with a hose as they are very hard to control with an insecticide. Make sure the vine is well watered and regularly fertilised as when it gets stressed that is a signal to insects such as passion vine hopper that the plant is weak and they will move in quickly.
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Why is my passionfruit losing leaves and not growing? Comments
Hi, My passionfruit vine is yellowing and leaves are dropping off. WILL THE LEAVES GROW BACK?
Peter Crawford
Hi Peter, it is natural for passionfruit vines to lose their leaves in winter, especially when the seasons change and temperatures cool. Collect up the fallen leaves and dispose of in the rubbish so that pests and diseases cannot overwinter in the soil. At this time of year remove any dead, diseased, weak or spindly growth which will also help improve air circulation around the plant. Passionfruit vines fruit on new seasons growth, once you have your leaders established and to encourage new growth, in late winter, early spring before the vine starts putting on new growth trim side shoots back 15-20cm to the main leader. If the vine gets straggly they can be pruned right back to ground level and started again, this doesn't need to be done every year, just if growth starts getting weak and straggly. Passionfruit vines have a life of 5-7 years and then need replacing.
Lianne