Just like propagation from cuttings, sinkers are clones of the mother plant. Their advantage, however, is that the young plants are fed by the adult Passiflora until they have rooted themselves.
Lowerers are more resilient than cuttings
Although sinkers need an average of at least eight months until they have formed enough roots and can be separated from the mother plant - ergo much longer than cuttings that are left to their own devices from the start - they are also more resistant to diseases and pests. With many perennials and shrubs, the lowering method promises significantly better results than the propagation of cuttings, but with the passion flower, the method chosen is basically irrelevant. Passiflora cuttings usually root quickly and reliably, but are quite susceptible to infestation with spider mites and similar pests that suck plant sap.
Propagation of Passiflora by lowering
In order to be able to successfully grow sinkers, your Passiflora should either be in a sufficiently large pot or you have the option of attaching or placing a smaller seed pot in the immediate vicinity. This method is to be preferred if possible, otherwise the roots of the individual plants may become confused. Planters should be planted in spring.
- Choose a pliable, young and healthy shoot.
- Remove all but two of the leaves on the "tuft" of the shoot.
- Cut the shoot diagonally below the tuft over a length of two to three centimetres.
- Caution! The branch is only cut, but not cut through!
- Hold the cut open with a piece of plastic, a match, or something similar.
- Now plant the shoot with the incision in a pot with potting soil.
- The tuft looks out on the other side of the trough.
- You can dip the incision site in a rooting hormone.
- Fix the sinker with a piece of wire or something similar.
- Keep the spot moist, but don't fertilize.
The sinker should remain on the mother plant until the following spring and overwinter together with it.
tips and tricks
Shoots that have grown in winter usually do not produce flowers, which is why you can cut them back in spring. A cut also stimulates the growth and branching of the young plant, which should be separated from the mother plant around April / May.