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Liliko'i

randg
14 years ago

My liliko'i vine, passion fruit, started flowering since a few weeks ago. The passion fruit I have is the purple variety. Anyone here are growing liliko'i, too? If so, are you having problems with it not able for the flower to become a fruit?

I'm starting to think that I may need another vine so they could cross pollinate to fruit. I don't have problem with bees, in fact there is a hive of carpenter bees next to my passion vine. These carpenter bees are using my old bamboo sticks as their hives! The passion fruit keeps flowering, but whenever I touch them after the bloom are spent they just keep falling off.

Comments (7)

  • nicolai
    13 years ago

    Could it be nutrient related? Have you been feeding it?

  • mauirose
    13 years ago

    Purple lilikois are supposed to be self fertile. Is this the first year for your vine to bear?

  • randg
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    When I planted this lilikoi, the main purpose was to screen for the neighbor's prying eyes. I haven't feeding it and I should do that right away. This is the first time it flower, never had it fruit. Just planted it last year. Perhaps they don't know what they are doing, yet? He he he. Good to know the purple variety is self-sterile.

    I forgot that I have a book "Growing Fruits in Hawai'i" by Kathy Oshiro and she recommends to plant several plants, since cross-pollination is necessary for successful crop. I don't know if this applies to all varieties of lilikoi.

    It's my first time seeing, touching, and smelling the Passion Flower. It's quite fragrant and the flower is extraordinary. The ants loves it, too.

    This is what the flower ends up, unfortunately.

    And here is the few of several bamboos I have that the carpenter bees decided to make a home of. These bamboos is protecting the propagation cuttings and seedlings underneath from the hot mid-noon sun. These bees sometimes startle me whenever I check the plants; the bees inside give this loud vibrating buzz sound like someone is being briefly tased.

  • sashahawaii
    13 years ago

    Check for ants. Whenever I have an infestation of big, black ants on my lilikoi vine, the flowers die and fall off. Maybe they eat all the pollen, I don't know. I put a few outdoor Terro ant traps by the base of the plant and the ants mostly go away.

  • ferraraSr
    11 years ago

    Trying to get liliko'i started from seed but they do not seem to sprout even though the seeds from a well dried fruit was used. also tried a few cuttings but they never took root. Is there some secret to this? I live in Kihei.

  • HawaiiFruitGrower
    11 years ago

    Lilikois take about one month to sprout from seed, the from there it takes about one year to flower, for best fruit production plant about 4 plants maybe 2 yellows and 2 purples the can cross pollinate and you get more fruit.

  • steiconi
    11 years ago

    I know you can grow the purple ones at elevation, not sure if they don't do well at sea level or what.

    I'm at 1500 feet; the purple blooms and fruits like crazy (though not right now).

    The yellow,orange, and giant lilikoi don't do much of anything for me.

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