How to Propagate a Passion Vine
The intricate blooms of passion flowers have made them garden favorites. Most people are familiar with the blue passion flower, or the native purple variety also called maypop. There are many species of passion vines producing blooms of different colors, like Passiflora Phoenicia with its red and purple fragrant blossoms. Passion vines can be propagated by a variety of methods. The two most popular methods are by taking cuttings or separating suckers from the parent vine. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Container
- Wet paper toweling
- Rooting hormone
- Pruning shears
- Clean pots or seedling trays with drainage holes
- Compost
- Vermiculite
- Mister
- Seedling propagation mat (optional)
- Shovel
- Bucket one-quarter full of water
Instructions
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Taking Passion Vine Cuttings
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Take softwood cuttings from your passion vine in the late spring or early summer from new growth. Use strong, healthy plants for cuttings and avoid wilted or obviously insect infested growth. Take the cuttings just before you plan to use them.
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Cut a 4- to 6-inch section from stems that have stopped growing at the tips but haven't hardened completely yet. Make a 45-degree cut 1-inch below the spot where a leaf joins the stem.
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Remove all but the top two leaves from the cuttings and roll the ends up in wet paper toweling. Put the cuttings in your container. Cuttings should be planted immediately after you have taken as many as you need.
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Dip the tips of the cuttings in rooting hormone after removing from the wet paper toweling and before planting.
Rooting the Cuttings
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Prepare clean pots or seedling trays by putting a 1-inch layer of gravel or vermiculite in the bottoms for drainage. Fill the pots to just under the lip with a moist mix of 2 parts vermiculite and 1 part compost.
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Make 3-inch deep holes in the soil mix in your containers just larger around than your cuttings and 2 inches apart. Using large pots will enable you to put several cuttings into one pot. For seedling trays make offset rows of holes.
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Mist the cuttings three times a day and keep the soil moist in the pots. Do not over-water and let the soil get soggy. If you have a seedling propagation mat, use it to raise the soil temperature to 70 degrees Fahrenheit and speed rooting.
Propagating by Suckers
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Pick the locations for transplanting your passion vine suckers before taking them from the parent vine. Dig holes at the new locations for the divisions. Mix 1 part dug soil with 1 part compost at each planting site to create a rich soil mix for the divisions. Wet the planting holes and moisten the dug soil.
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Separate and remove suckers and their roots from the parent vines using a sharp shovel. Put the rooted suckers in a bucket of water to keep them from drying out if you are taking several divisions.
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Dig as many sucker divisions as desired. Plant them in the holes you have dug using your soil mix and water them immediately. Set a consistent watering schedule and keep to it for the next four to six weeks. Pull and discard any divisions that do not thrive.
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Tips & Warnings
Provide sturdy support for passion vines and plant in areas protected from wind so they are not ripped from their supports.
Mulching in summer from the main stem out to 1 or 2 feet with pine straw, pebbles, or fine bark will keep roots moist and cut down on watering.
Propagate seedlings by creating a mini greenhouse. Stake a clear plastic bag around the seedling pot without touching the seedlings. Cut a slit in the top to vent excess moisture.
Avoid planting passion vines in natural habitat where they do not normally grow. They can become invasive weeds.
Passion vines will die back to the ground in extremely cold areas. They should regrow the following spring by sending up new vines.
Passion flower vines grown from seed can take up to seven years to flower.
