Have you ever grown passion flowers? They’re a beautiful, fun plant with purple flowers that add vibrancy to any garden. But what do you do with these plants after they flower?
After your passion flowers have bloomed, you’ll want to prepare them for fruit. You need to give your plant the ideal growing conditions so it can thrive and produce passion fruits. You may also dispose of old flowers by adding them to a compost pile.
This article will further explain what you should do after your passion flowers have flowered. It will also go into detail on how you can use your spent blooms in a compost pile.
Prepare the Flowers for Producing Fruits
Passion flowers need the right amount of water, nutrients, and light to produce fruit. Make sure your plant gets plenty of sunlight (4 to 6 hours per day is ideal). You should also make sure it has access to adequate water regularly.
Pollinate As Necessary
If you want to grow passion fruit, you must ensure the flowers get pollinated. Depending on the variety, you may need to hand-pollinate your flowers, which can be done using a small brush to transfer pollen from one flower to another.
Pollination involves the transfer of pollen grains from one flower to the stigma of another flower. There are two main types of passion flowers: self-compatible and self-incompatible.
Self-fertile varieties don’t need pollen from another plant to make fruit. Self-incompatible varieties, on the other hand, need pollen from another cultivar to make fruit. Knowing which type you have will help you determine what kind of care your passion flowers need to produce fruit.
If you want bigger fruits, you can feed them with a fertilizer specifically designed for passion fruit plants. This will give them the nutrients they need to flourish and produce larger fruits.
Protect Fruit From Pests and Diseases
Once your passion fruit starts ripening, it will become more vulnerable to pests and diseases.
To protect your fruit, make sure you check your plants regularly for signs of infestation or disease. You should also prune away any dead or diseased branches as soon as possible to keep your plant healthy.
Harvesting and Storing Passion Fruit
Harvesting passion fruit can be done by gently squeezing the fruit with your fingers until it comes off the vine easily.
The skin should be slightly wrinkled when ripe, but if it’s too soft, then it has probably gone bad.
Once the passion fruits are harvested, they should be stored in a refrigerator to extend their shelf life.
Here are some of the best ways to store passion fruits:
- Keep them in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. This helps keep them fresh and prevents them from spoiling prematurely.
- Place them in an airtight container or plastic bag and refrigerate them. I recommend this option if you want to store passion fruit for longer than a few days.
- Freeze the whole fruits on a baking sheet before transferring them into an airtight container. You may also use a freezer-safe bag when keeping them in the freezer. When it comes time to use your frozen passion fruit, simply thaw it overnight in the refrigerator or warm it briefly in a microwave before using it as desired.
Add Old Blooms To Your Compost Pile
While preparing for fruits is what you should ideally do with passion flowers, you can also add the spent blooms to your compost pile. This helps enrich your soil for future plants, and it’s an eco-friendly way of disposing of old flowers.
Not only does this help keep your garden tidy and clean, but it also helps add vital nutrients to the compost. Let’s take a look at how you can identify old blooms and prepare them for composting.
Identify Old Blooms
Passion flowers are beautiful plants with bright, colorful flowers. However, after the blooms are spent, they can become an eyesore in your garden.
To prevent accidentally composting any new or healthy blooms, you should keep in mind a few telltale signs that will let you know when it’s time to cut off the old ones.
Look for brown spots on the petals or wilted petals that droop down from the center of the bloom. You’ll also want to check for any other signs of disease or damage, such as mold or fungus, on the bloom itself.
Prepare Passion Flower Blooms for Composting
Before adding the blooms to the compost pile, they should be cut into smaller pieces to help them break down more quickly. It is also a good idea to remove any leaves or stems that may be diseased or infested with pests.
Add Passion Flower Blooms to the Compost Pile
Once you’ve identified which blooms need to be removed from your passion flower plant, it’s time to prepare them for composting.
- Start by cutting off each bloom at its base with sharp scissors or pruners.
- Make sure not to leave any of the stems attached, as these can attract pests and diseases into your compost pile.
- Next, remove any diseased foliage around the base of each bloom and discard it in the trash.
- Finally, place all of the prepared blossoms onto a compost pile and cover it with a thin layer of soil. You can also use water to help your compost break down more quickly.
While you’re at it, I also recommend that you check out my article discussing why passion flowers only last one day. It’ll give you some insight into the biology of the flower (and plant) and help you take better care of it.
The Benefits of Composting Passion Flower Blooms
When you compost with passion flowers, it helps the soil they are planted in. The decaying material creates a place that is good for helpful tiny organisms and earthworms.
This then improves drainage, how much air can circulate, and provides food for the soil. Also, composting helps reduce waste whenever possible because it recycles things that would have gone to landfills or been burned otherwise.
How To Start Composting
Composting is relatively simple and doesn’t take up much time or energy. Follow these simple steps:
- Collect plant debris (which includes the spent buds, leaves, stems, and petals) after they have finished blooming.
- Place them in a compost bin.
- Cover them up with some soil or mulch to keep all the moisture inside, then add some water if needed.
The compost bin should be placed somewhere shady, as too much sun will dry out the material too quickly and make it difficult for beneficial microorganisms to thrive. After a few months, your nutrient-rich compost will be ready for use in your garden!
Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Compost Pile
Balance of Materials
A healthy compost pile should be balanced between green and brown materials. The ratio of these two components should be roughly 1:1. Brown materials provide carbon for your heap, while green materials add nitrogen.
Aerate Often
Aerating a compost pile is important because it gives the good microorganisms that break down the organic matter oxygen. This can be done with a pitchfork or shovel, breaking up any clumps and mixing all of the contents.
Moisten As Needed
A compost pile should remain moist but not wet. If it feels like a wrung-out sponge, you’re on the right track. If it feels too dry or too wet, the microorganisms won’t be able to do their job properly. Add water as needed to keep moisture levels balanced.
Cover Your Pile
By covering your compost pile, you can keep the heat and moisture in and keep pests away. A tarp is a great way to accomplish this, but make sure it has holes poked in it so the compost can breathe.
Monitor Temperature
Regularly monitoring the temperature of your compost pile is a great way to make sure that everything is working as it should. A thermometer inserted into the center of the heap should read between 135 and 160 degrees Fahrenheit (57 to 71 degrees Celsius) if all is well. If not, it could mean that your pile is too wet, too dry, or not aerated properly.
Pest Control
Take steps to deter pests from taking up residence in your compost pile. Make sure the area is free of trash and debris, and regularly remove any weeds that may be growing nearby.
Covering the pile with a tarp can also help prevent pest problems. Lastly, you might want to sprinkle ground cayenne pepper on top of the pile occasionally. This can help keep away some pests.
Addition of Activator
Adding a compost activator to your heap can help jump-start the decomposition process. Some popular options include manure, bone meal, or specially formulated commercial products. Adding an activator is not necessary, but it may be helpful if you’re having trouble getting your pile to heat up properly.
Conclusion
After your passion flower has flowered, you can expect fruits to appear. Once the fruits have ripened, you can also collect the seeds from the inside and use them to propagate more fruits.
You can also use old blooms to power your composting efforts and create nutrient-rich soil for your garden. By taking proper care of your passion flower plants post-bloom, you can ensure that your plants will grow and thrive for many years to come.
