Passion fruit sounds exotic, but it doesn’t look that way. That fruit is slightly smaller than a lemon. It grows on climbing passion flower vines in tropical regions. Passion Fruits have an outer shell that is hard and slippery. The interior of both fruits is a transparent pulp with hard black seeds. The pulp is the edible part of the fruits, it is soft, sweet-tasting, aromatic and it has a distinct smell often reproduced in bath products and candles. You might confuse it for a small lemon or plum – until you slice it in half. Inside, it’s filled with crunchy seeds in juicy yellow pulp. The fruit, also called granadilla and maracuya, ended up with the name, too. Only the pulp and seeds are OK to eat, and there are a lot of health benefits in just a few spoonful’s.
Passion Fruit Plant is a perennial, evergreen vining plant in tropical regions. It can grow to 30 or 40 feet high and nearly as wide. It is widely grown in tropical and semitropical regions of the world.
Benefits:
Raw passion fruit is 73% water, 22% carbohydrates, 2% protein and 0.7% fat (table). In a 100 gram reference amount, raw passion fruit supplies 97 calories and is a rich source (20% or more of the Daily Value, DV) of vitamin C (36% DV) and a moderate source (10-19% DV) of riboflavin, niacin, iron and phosphorus (table). No other micronutrients are in significant content.
Vitamin C– Move over, oranges. Passion fruit is full of this antioxidant. Your body uses it to make blood vessels, cartilage, muscles, and collagen, which keeps skin looking young. It also helps your body heal, lowers inflammation, and protects your cells from damage.
Vitamin A- Passion fruit’s pulp and crunchy seeds have 8% of the vitamin A, you need every day. It’s a key to healthy eyes and cells, reproduction, and immunity.
Fiber- Passion fruit has a lot of it. Fiber keeps your bowels healthy and moving, and it makes you feel fuller longer. It also lowers your cholesterol and your risk for diabetes, heart disease, and certain kinds of cancer.
Nutrients- Passion fruit also gives your body calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and folate. These help your kidneys, nerves, muscles, and heart rhythm in big ways.
Sunlight:
Passion fruit requires at least five hours of direct sunshine a day. They should be planted in a sunny spot with no trees or competitive roots.
Watering:
Water deeply once a week in the spring and summer and spread the fertilizer and mulch over the entire root system, not just around the base of the stem. Passion fruit thrive on any fertilizer designed to encourage flowering and fruiting. Apply fertilizer in spring and then every four weeks during the summer months.
Soil:
The vines grow in many soil types, but light to heavy sandy loams, pH 6.5-7.5, are the most suitable. Passionfruit requires excellent drainage and the soil should be rich in organic matter. Dig in organic matter like Tui Sheep Pellets and compost to your soil before planting.
Fertilizer:
Passion fruit thrive on any fertilizer designed to encourage flowering and fruiting. Apply fertilizer in spring and then every four weeks during the summer months. Always water well when applying fertilizer. It can take 12–18 months for a newly planted vine to reach fruiting size.
