How do I prune this Passion Fruit/flower thingy?
By Ian_digs_v2
Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom
I want to move these passion fruit/flowers from this semi shade area to the front but obviously its going to take to much to sort all of the different stems out. There are six plants that I managed to grow from seed this year. I have been told you should prune them at the end of the season but as I know absolutely nothing about them I need to know where to prune them and how? Also when should I do it? Thank you for reading yet another daft Digsy question. :~))
- 26 Aug, 2009
Answers
Thanks Bamboo, Yes I can wait as long as it takes, What do you mean by excessive growth?
26 Aug, 2009
Well you've not got that currently, but eventually you may have plants anything up to 16 feet of growth, and that might mean they need to be reduced as new growth starts in the spring.
Only thing that's bothering me slightly is that I know these plants are quite difficult to dig up, you never seem to get all the root out, and obviously, the longer you leave them, the more difficult it'll be and I can see you've got them planted in a tiny space between paving and a fence, which doesn't give much room to get a fork in there and lever them out. So I think I'd be inclined to do it late autumn early winter, not cutting tops if possible, because by then they'll have died back anyway, more or less.
26 Aug, 2009
Thank you again Bamboo, I had thought of them as evergreen and not realized they die back. Like I said at the beginning, I have ABSOLUTELY no idea what to do with them. Lol :~))
As for the paving slabs, I can easily lift them while I dig around! ! ! Early winter sounds ideal as it will fit in with my plans for both gardens.
One last question, if you don't mind. How will I sperate them from the fence wire and each other?
26 Aug, 2009
First, it can be semi evergreen. Second, if you can lift those slabs, then I would wait until March and do it then, because you may have to cut off anything clinging either to the wires or to each other, and doing that in March will be fine. You'll just have to wing it when the time comes - hopefully, if you catch it right, they'll be sufficiently died back to get them off the fence easily, and new growth won't have become clinging yet.
Separating the roots, ah, well, if you grew them in pots, hopefully they've got their own rootballs - if not, make sure the soil around the roots is very, very wet (soak it if necessary, having dug them all up together) and then tease out by pulling gently on the main stem of each plant and tracing where its roots go. and separating them out.
26 Aug, 2009
Just checked Ian and it does say that most of them are evergreen - however, where I live, the only customer I've got with one, it dies back quite a lot in the winter - last year it virtually disappeared, just the main stems with no foliage, but it grew well this season.
26 Aug, 2009
Wow thank yet again Bamboo, I did grow them in pots, but in newspaper pots which I then planted straight into the soil.
So what I'm looking for is the point when they have died right back and are just producing new growth? then I can afford to seperate the stems and possibly loose some of this older growth. Is that right?
I understand the root problem so thats one less thing to worry about! ! ! :~))
26 Aug, 2009
Hi Ian...... my passion flower dies right back down in the winter..... so i think it would be best to move them when they start growing again next Spring.....
26 Aug, 2009
Thanks Holly, Now can you understand why I think Veggies are easier than flowery things?
26 Aug, 2009
LOL.....Ian.. i think its the other way round for me.....
26 Aug, 2009
They're not, Ian, it's just you know how to do the veggie thing and, at this rate, you'll soon know how with more ornamental plants.
And to answer your last Q, do it in March, even if they're still green - at that point it will be fine to lose some of the topgrowth when you take them off the fence.
26 Aug, 2009
By Gad, I think I've got it........... Lol :~))
Thank you sooooo much.
26 Aug, 2009
No problem - just don't ask me about veggies, what I know about growing them wouldn't fill the head of a pin....
26 Aug, 2009
Not so, actually, they shouldn't be pruned now, should be done in the spring, when you take off any excessive growth. However, if you want to move them, you will have to remove some of the topgrowth. I wouldn't recommend you move them now, personally, simply because of the need to cut them down - can you wait till spring? Otherwise, you could wait till early winter, when they're fairly dormant, and risk it then.
26 Aug, 2009