It does take months and months for the seeds to sprout. I have tried the tricks of pre-soaking in vinegar and nicking the seed with no apparent improvement. The best thing I have found is to plant the seeds and wait many weeks or several months (maybe less waiting would work too), then disturb the top few inches of soil where they are planted, and continue watering and waiting. I have had good luck with sprouts appearing right after the soil being tilled. Then you have to go through a very long seedling phase, where they don't grow at all for months and then suddenly one day there is a vine taking off for the sky. Anyway that's my experience so far and would sure like to learn more ways to speed this gift from the gods.

Can't you just find a vine - cut it short to where it enters the ground - then dig it up and transplant ? Just an idea - never done it.

seems like it wouldn't be too hard to take cuttings from although i haven't tried it.

i planted some p. alata seeds a few years ago and they sprouted right away. i kept them under refrigeration before planting, doubt that made a difference.

There is a passiflora forum here where you might get some better answers. They might even have a FAQ ; )

I've had very good luck starting reluctant sprouters by heating up enough water (not the seeds at this point!) to cover the seeds(10 sec in the microwave works well), then putting the seeds in to soak for an hour or so. Haven't specifically tried this for Lilikoi yet, as I was given a very nice litte seedling.

I tried taking yellow and purple fruits and took half the seeds and washed them clean, and the other half, I left the sticky covering on. I dried them both for two days. I put them in 3" containers with potting mix. 95% of the seeds started within 2 weeks outside, watering once daily. It didn't seem to matter if they were clean or not. This was August on Maui, so probably the warm weather helped.

I think ScottonMaui is right about the warm weather. I planted several tablespoons of seeds that I had stored in the refrigerator for a month in July and it appears that every seed grew. I had a few pots with dense clumps of seedlings pushing through. The seeds were from the yellow and purple variety and pushed through the potting mix in about two weeks.

I just planted my beautiful, thriving, 1' tall lilikoi grown from Hawai'i Island seeds that I pulled out of a fruit on the side of the road. Now it's in my garden on Maui and suddenly drooping after just a few hours, when it did so well in my kitchen :( Any suggestions? Is full sun not good? Its seeds came from a huge vine growing in full sun...

It's hard on plants to make a big change. Sounds like it's getting more sun and less humidity. Try moving into a shadier area and gradually moving it out into full sun.

Mahalo Steiconi...your comment just made my life easier. Aloha from Kauai

That's hilarious! I was just complaining to my grandma, about 3 minutes before seeing this post, about how I can't seem to get anything BUT lilikoi started from seed! Well, if it helps, I just threw the seeds and rinds of a juiced lilikoi (yellow) into my worm bin, and forgot it out in the hot/sunny side yard for about a week, (somehow didn't kill my worms) and ever since then, I've been finding sprouts popping up in my worm bin every few days! The first ones, I transplanted in a pot of half topsoil (Scott's brand) and half coir (ecoearth coco coir, which I use in my snail terrarium then reuse in the garden when it's full of snail poop... gross but amazing fertilizer). I kept them in partial sun by placing thr pot underneath a big leafy plant (think mountain conditions) and kept it moist, and "hardened them off" by brushing my fingers against them. They grew rapidly and I soon had to make mini trellises with coffee stir sticks and twine (zig zagged), then I put them in the ground, which a few died from but the other few were okay. After a heavy rainstorm one died and another was eaten by slugs, but the one resilient one prevailed and is thriving and shooting up high! I'm sure if u tool better care of it than me yours would survive better.

Ok, I don't know if anyone knows that there is a site that talks about the different types of Lilikoi (as Hawaiians call them) or Passion Fruit. Here is a Link. There you will find different ways to plant your Passion Fruit from seeds. But the other alternative is to find a Local Nursery and buy one already growing.

I find that if I plant some seeds from a ripe fruit the germination rate is awesome and sprout in a week or so (red, yellow and purple...although half of the purples come out yellow) straight into the ground.. Tried drying the seed first and they never sprouted. With cuttings (I use rooting hormone) I get about a 60-75% success rate.. (Oahu, Hawaii)

What stores can I find a fresh lilikoi from?

Where do you live, Beatris? Around here, I would ask friends and neighbors for one.

They can be fairly slow to germinate, so be prepared for that. What I've done with great success is place all the planted seeds' pots in a shady place, planting them perhaps 1/4" into soil with decent drainage but also reasonable moisture-retention, and check daily to ensure they're kept moist. Drying them out, especially while they're small will typically kill them. I've sprouted 3 different species this way, the regular yellows, the orange Jamaicans, and the Giant Quadrangularis, and have had around 90-95% success rate with all of them this way.

A lot of tropical plant species seeds are recalcitrant, meaning they do not survive or remain viable for very long once removed from the fruit. Drying or chilling outright kills a great number of them. While I'm not positive if drying kills them or not, to ensure they have the BEST chance possible, I gather the seeds as I eat the pulp and once I'm done I go straight to planting.

As someone stated, you can also start them from cuttings. I've done this method as well. While they can both be successful, I feel its preferable to start from seed when possible because the end result is a plant with a healthier and stronger root system.

Hope this helps, and best of luck with your future attempts!