In this article, I want to show you a practical guide on how to grow healthy and fruitful granadillas from cuttings.
“Growing granadillas from cuttings help to eliminate genetic variation in the plants and also help to speed the growth rate — increase production efficiency,” according to Jenny B. Ryals, Patricia R. Knight, and Eric T. Stafne, from American Society For Horticultural Science.
Granadillas don’t require much water, especially when the weather is extremely cold. Cultivating granadillas from cuttings is one of the sure ways to speed up their growth and fruit bearings.
To grow granadillas from cuttings, use a clean and sharp pruner (cliff off) to cut the softwood granadillas stem just below their nodes. Remove 2 – 3 most bottom leaves and tendrils after cuttings. Dip the cut off stems into rooting hormone for 5 minutes. Then, plant ½ inch of cuttings granadillas into well-drained and highly-rich nutrient soil.
Propagate granadillas from cutting requires you to expose them to full sunlight. mostly, when the plants are still tender. How much care you provide the plants when cultivating them from cutting, it’s what determines how fruitful they’ll be.
Guide On How To Grow Healthy Granadillas From Cuttings
Growing granadillas from cuttings is quite easy when you know what to do. Some people find it difficult to grow productive granadillas because the plants require active care.
Granadillas don’t require direct harsh sun. So, when growing them in a tropical area, make the place a bit cool by providing a sun shield protector.
The sun shield will help you to reduce the harsh weather from getting directly on the plants.
Likewise, over moist do affect the granadillas as well. When watering the soil, avoid water logs. Water logs cause the stems to rot and die off instead of germination to develop roots.
But with this simple guide you can grow granadillas that flourish at any weather conditions — produce much fruit as well.
Why You Must Cut Granadillas Stems With Sharp And Clean Pruner/Knife
Granadilla stems are softwood, which doesn’t mean you should cut them by hand without using a pruner or knife.
Some people pluck granadillas stems out from the vine with their hands because they’re soft, unknown to them the hands pluck affect their germination.
Cutting granadillar with your hand without using a knife or pruner damages the cell, which affects the rooting system.
Hand cutting of granadillas when propagating through cuttings delays their germination process.
Even though the plant’s stems are soft doesn’t mean you should cut it with your hands. Hands will squeeze out the chemical substance that will aid their fast growth unknowing to you.
It’s most important that you use a knife or pruner to cut granadilla stems if you want the plants to germinate.
When using a pruner or knife to cut granadillas, don’t cut it strength but slant the knife or pruner to cut
Let the base be slanting after cutting. The stems will grow roots faster when they are slanting.
After cutting then stick into well-drained and rich nutrient soil to produce a healthy plant.
The tip bottom of the stems easily develop roots compared to when the stem has equal cut without slant.
Cut 4 – 6 Inches Tall Granadillas Stems From Healthy Vines
The length of granadilla stems that you cut out are very important. If the length is below 4 inches it will affect the germination.
Such length will prevent the bottom leaves from coming in contact with the soil. Also, you’ll not have enough lengthened stems that you can stick in the soil.
Multiple side germination of granadillas do affect the healthy state of the plants, especially when cultivating them from cuttings.
At the initial stage of growing the plants from cutting, instead of the leaf becoming greenish it starts to decay for it to grow roots.
Once any leaves come in contact with soil at the process of developing roots will experience delay or The process of developing roots because they come into contact with soil affects the healthy state of the plants.
When the stem is at least 4 inches long, it will prevent the bottom leaf from touching soil that could delay the germination process.
Remove 2 – 3 Leaves From The Stem Before You Stick It On Soil
To reaffirm what I said in the previous subheading, granadillas leaves are not to allow touch soil when cultivating them from cuttings.
Irrespective of the length, you still need to remove at least 2 leaves from each stem before planting.
Pruning cuttings stem before planting is very essential because it helps to make the germination process faster than when the leaves touch soil.
Instead of having multiple directional absorption of nutrients by one stem, removing some leaves makes it have one directional nutrients absorption.
Sometimes, the stem may bend toward breeze directions and make the bottom leaves touch soil. In such a scenario, quickly pluck out the leaves.
But when you remove some leaves, no matter how it bent toward the direction of the breeze, no leaf will touch the soil because they’re far from the soil.
Deep The Cut Stems Inside Rooting Hormone For 5 Minutes
Rooting hormone is a chemical substance that aids granadillas roots’ to sprout easily especially when growing from cutting.
The chemical substance makes the stems develop roots in a few days than those sem that’re not dip inside the rooting hormone.
Instead of granadillas cut stems to develop roots in 10 days, rooting hormones make them develop roots in less than one week.
Rooting hormones help to speed up plants’ growth, which are propagated by cutting. The chemical substance softens the plant’s stem and opens up the veil for easy growth.
Plant Cut Granadillas Stems In Well-drained And Rich Nutrients Soil
Granadillas are known to have tap roots. Taps roots help the plant to withstand any harsh weather conditions.
At the early stage of cultivation, especially through cutting, you need to make the soil to be well-drained.
How drained is the soil will determine how fast the plants will develop roots. Likewise, it will enable the taps roots to penetrate into soil faster.
Granadillas also grow fibrous roots but not as much as the tap root. Fibrous make the plant to withstand any wind.
When the plants are fully developed you don’t need to bother about if the soil is well-drained. But ensure the soil is rich in nutrients.
Loam And Clay Are Most Preferable Soil To Grow Granadillas From Cuttings
Loam and clay soil are the most preferable soil to cultivate granadillas especially when propagating them by cuttings.
Loam and heavy clay soil has the capacity to hold nutrients and water during hot climates mostly when using planting pots.
Loam soil mixed with organic matter can easily make granadillas to develop and remain healthy — produce much fruits at every fruit season.
Using sandy soil to cultivate granadillas will delay its growth process. The plants will not produce much fruit compared to when planted in loam or clay soil.
Ensure you add soil organic to any type of soils you choose to grow granadillas from cuttings.
Organic soil will help to boost the soil nutrients that’ll speed up the growth process and make the plants remain healthy.
Expose Granadillas Plants Into Full Sunlight
Granadillas flourish under full sunlight. It needs full sunlight to remain healthy especially at the initial period of cultivation from cuttings.
Full sunlight aids photosynthesis that enable the plants to absorb nutrients from the soil easily.
The full sunlight makes the flowers blossom. The more blossom the flowers are the more fruits they bear.
Granadillas also thrive under partial shade. When exposing these plants into partial sunlight, flowers take a few minutes to open when the weather is cold.
Partial sunlight is good for the plants when the weather conditions are harsh. The partial sunlight will aid absorbance of more nutrients than full sunlight that’ll dry up the water from soil.
But during cold weather conditions, granadillas need full sunlight that’ll enable the plants to absorb more nutrients.
The full sunlight will keep the plants warm and gradually drill water down the soil. Granadillas need full sunlight during cold weather if you want the plants to blossom.
Stick ½ Inch Granadillas Stems Into Soil
The length of granadillas that goes inside the soil matter a lot. The ½ inch is enough for the plants to germinate easily.
When the stem that goes inside the soil is longer than ½ inch size, it will delay its germination.
The ½ inch is enough length for nutrients to move up into all parts of the plants. Whether planting cuttings, granadillas on the planting pots or garden, maintain ½ inch length of each stem.
Create ½ Inch Hole To Plant Granadillas
Irrespective of where you want to cultivate your granadillas, you need to create hole that’s not deeper than ½ inch.
Use a trowel or any spade to create the ½ inch hole, then stick a granadilla stem into each holes and cover it back.
When you’re done planting, make the soil to be well-drained and moist. But avoid water logs because they will rot the stem before germination.
Apply fertilizer if the soil is mixed with organic matters. Don’t apply fertilizer directly on the base of each stem.
Even when you use planting pots, give a few distances before applying fertilizer. You can apply fertilizer at the edge of the pot.
At the garden, you can maintain 2 – 5 inches distance to apply fertilizer. If granadillas are in row, then put fertilizer at the center between them.
Applying fertilizer directly at the base affects the productivity and sometimes kills the plants before germination.
Conclusion
Here you have a simple guide on how to grow granadillas from cuttings. This guide will not only make your cultivating granadillas from cuttings but also help you to grow florish.
Granadillas are highly sensitive to cimatic changes but when you know what to do at any weather change will make your granadillas remain healthy.
