Hello All,

I bought some passiflora incarnata and passiflora caerulea seeds from a well-rated vendor on Etsy. The directions specified to first rub the seeds with fine sandpaper and then soak the seeds for 24 hours with warm water, changing the water out every 8 hours to keep it warm. It suggested placing the seeds on top of moist seed starter soil because they need light to germinate, and putting a clear plastic bag over them to retain heat and moisture. I did all of this, plus put my seeds outside in direct sun with the bag open slightly to ventilate. The bag acts as a mini greenhouse and gets pretty hot inside, but the opening allows the bag to ventilate with fresh air.

I have been doing this for five or six days, but no sign of the seeds swelling or beginning to germinate. Any suggestions? I have heard that passiflora seeds are notoriously difficult to germinate and can take a very long time. I am really hoping to get my little guys growing this year!

Old way to germinate was to soak in orange juice. Ya might try that?

I've never tried them.

Karen

GardenDreaming said:Hello All,

I bought some passiflora incarnata and passiflora caerulea seeds from a well-rated vendor on Etsy. The directions specified to first rub the seeds with fine sandpaper and then soak the seeds for 24 hours with warm water, changing the water out every 8 hours to keep it warm. It suggested placing the seeds on top of moist seed starter soil because they need light to germinate, and putting a clear plastic bag over them to retain heat and moisture. I did all of this, plus put my seeds outside in direct sun with the bag open slightly to ventilate. The bag acts as a mini greenhouse and gets pretty hot inside, but the opening allows the bag to ventilate with fresh air.

I have been doing this for five or six days, but no sign of the seeds swelling or beginning to germinate. Any suggestions? I have heard that passiflora seeds are notoriously difficult to germinate and can take a very long time. I am really hoping to get my little guys growing this year!

Can you ask the vendor how old they are? Old passiflora seeds are a PAIN to germinate.

I got a few from a local walmart and they germinated after a month because they were not fresh. I just put them in soil and watered them.

If all goes wrong, go to the grocery store, buy a passionfruit, enjoy the yummy deliciousness, take out the seeds, dry them, and plant them. They will germinate really fast.

sedumzz said:

Can you ask the vendor how old they are? Old passiflora seeds are a PAIN to germinate.

I got a few from a local walmart and they germinated after a month because they were not fresh. I just put them in soil and watered them.

If all goes wrong, go to the grocery store, buy a passionfruit, enjoy the yummy deliciousness, take out the seeds, dry them, and plant them. They will germinate really fast.

sedumzz, I like how you think! Good excuse to buy some tasty passionfruit : )

GardenDreaming said:

sedumzz, I like how you think! Good excuse to buy some tasty passionfruit : )

Yes! Plus, it is proven that the fresher the seeds are, the better they germinate.

Also, the more wrinkly a passionfruit is (not dried/cracked though), the fresher it is. I would buy however many the store lets you buy. I would keep 2 or 3 out on the counter, and let them age for a week or so, and than harvest the seeds.