The various passion flowers are not only pleasingly easy to care for, but also easy to grow yourself. Young passiflora bloom particularly quickly if they have been propagated from cuttings. In contrast to propagation by seeds, you can also obtain offspring from (often sterile) hybrids in this way.
How do I grow passion flower cuttings correctly?
To successfully grow passion flower cuttings, cut off a he althy shoot about 20 cm long without flower buds, remove shoot tendrils and lower leaves, shorten remaining leaves and dip the lower end in rooting substrate. Plant the cuttings in peat pots or potting soil, keep the substrate moist and place it in a warm, bright location.
Propagate cuttings for passion flowers – instructions
When pulling passionflower cuttings, two things are very important: cleanliness and warmth. To cut the offshoot, use scissors that are clean and, if possible, disinfected beforehand; sharp nail scissors are particularly suitable. Cut so that the cut surfaces are as smooth as possible and do not fray. You should also cut directly on the stem. Both measures prevent mold and other pathogens from finding an entry point and ruining your efforts. Furthermore, young passiflora in particular love warmth, which is why cuttings root even better in a warm, perhaps even heated location.
The step-by-step instructions
- Select a he althy shoot about 20 centimeters long.
- This should have no brown spots and should also be free of pests.
- A side shoot without flower buds is best.
- Remove all vines.
- Dissect the shoot into individual cuttings.
- These should have a maximum of three sheets, with the bottom one removed.
- The interface of the shoot should be as slanted as possible to make it easier for the plant to absorb water.
- Little tip: The rooting point, i.e. “bottom”, is where the shoot axis is. Shoot axes are always under a leaf, while the leaves always turn towards the light.
- Short the leaves by about half.
- Dip the shoot end into a rooting substrate (€8.00 on Amazon).
- Plant the cutting in a peat pot or in potting soil.
- Cactus soil also shows very good results.
- Keep the substrate evenly moist, but avoid getting wet.
Care for young plants properly
The ideal location for the young plant is bright and warm - for example above a heater on a south-facing window or similar. To increase the humidity, you can also place a plastic bag with air holes over the cutting. A (heated) indoor greenhouse or a converted aquarium are also ideal. By the way, the young plant feels most comfortable at temperatures between 20 and 25 °C.
Tips & Tricks
As a rule, cut shoots of passiflora root very quickly, but some species are a little more demanding. Propagation from cuttings is less successful, for example with Passiflora racemosa and P. alata.