What is wrong with my passionfruit? (forum)

Kylie starts with ...
My Panama passionfruit vine is in great health, it grew beautifully and has over 40 fruit currently on it, the vine is now approx 3 years old and this is it's second fruiting and third flowering.

All of the leaves are healthy, no wilting or discolouration, the roots are healthy and well drained, soil healthy.

The problem is the fruit all grows great, perfect round huge and very healthy looking, but then as they are getting to the ripening stage, suddenly these brown/yellow spots appear on the top side of the fruit, and then it just spreads and deteriorates the skin of the fruit. Why is it doing this??

I have attached a pic of 3 passionfruit with 3 stages, you can see the top right fruit has a yellow blemish, this will turn into what is on the other fruit..

Is there a way to stop this??

The fruit is supposed to turn yellow, and while I have one come off the vine with this spot and still ripen with the flesh fine, the skin where the brown spot was was deteriorated and did not look normal.
Pictures - Click to enlarge

Picture: 1

Time: 18th March 2012 2:00pm

Reply | LIKE this Answer(0) | LIKE this Question (0) | Report
Original Post was last edited: 18th March 2012 2:10pm

About the Author Kylie7
Brisbane
#UserID: 6724
Posts: 3
View All Kylie7's Edible Fruit Trees

Kylie says...
another picture with a later stage of the spot.
Pictures - Click to enlarge

Picture: 1

Time: 18th March 2012 2:04pm

Reply | LIKE this Answer(0) | LIKE this Question (0) | Report

About the Author Kylie7
Brisbane
#UserID: 6724
Posts: 3
View All Kylie7's Edible Fruit Trees

Brendan says...
I'd say it's sunburn. Can't do much about the sun, but we can make the plant stronger with sulphate of potash.
Spread at 1 handful / sq metre around the plant and water in, then I'd
spray it with liquid potash.
Could be lacking some epsom salts & boron too.

Time: 19th March 2012 9:01am

Reply | LIKE this Answer(0) | LIKE this Question (0) | Report

About the Author Brendan
Mackay, Q
#UserID: 1947
Posts: 1722
View All Brendan's Edible Fruit Trees

amanda says...
Hi kylie...this could be one of two things...(sunburn one of them) - but the end result is the same...fungal invasion.

If the fruit has a small sunburnt patch that is then getting wet all the time - it can allow a fungus to take hold.

The other thing that could be happening is that the fungus has been allowed to take hold and grow due to the remaining bit of the flower on the stem being constantly wet.

I rarely get sunburnt fruit...even with many, many days above 40 oC but I water every day if temps remain above 35 oC, and the vines have good foliage cover.

But - I often have a load of fruit that carry thru winter to ripen in spring. This means they are on the vine during our rainy season...this is when I will lose some fruit due to rotting around the fruit stem too.

Did u turn the fruit to take the pic? Or are these patches all facing the sun..? Are you hosing the foliage at all? You still getting a lot of rain?

Either way - it would be worth spraying the fruit with either Kocide (a copper based spray) or Anti-Rot (phosphate based) - both safe - and seeing if u can slavage some.
Maybe pegging some 40-50% shade cloth, or even old net curtains, to the vine for shade - just until the weather cools..?

(ps...plus Brendans suggestions too... potash does help to toughen up plant cells as well.. :)

Time: 19th March 2012 10:27am

Reply | LIKE this Answer(0) | LIKE this Question (0) | Report
Original Post was last edited: 19th March 2012 10:31am

About the Author amanda19
Geraldton. 400km north of Perth
#UserID: 2309
Posts: 4607
View All amanda19's Edible Fruit Trees