Purple Passion Plant Care: [Complete Beginner’s Guide]

The purple passion plant, known as the Velvet Plant, is loved for its vibrant, velvety, and unique foliage. Its evergreen leaves make them ideal as both outdoor and indoor plants. In addition, the leaves and stems of this tropical plant are lushly coated with tiny, velvety purple hair, which provides them with a rich, elegant pop of color.

The purple passion plant is relatively simple to care for; its soil should be evenly moist but not soggy, or else it may get root rot. Fertilize your plant biweekly with regular houseplant fertilizer. Choose a location with adequate sunlight and where the nighttime temperature does not fall below 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

Despite its exotic look, this plant is relatively easy to maintain and hence is an ideal choice for new plant parents. Just maintain the right growing conditions and look for any diseases, and you are good to go.

What is a Purple passion plant?

Purple Passion Plant, also known as Gynura Aurantiaca, is a popular houseplant that belongs to the family Asteraceae. Because of its bright purple leaves, this plant is also referred to as the purple velvet plant or purple passion vine. This velvety texture of its leaves is due to fluffy, soft purple hairs that cover the stem.

Unfortunately, Purple Passion Plant has a limited lifespan of two to three years. Therefore, its young leaves feature a more vibrant color than the mature ones. When kept in ideal lighting conditions, your Gynura can develop intense purple leaves, which makes it outshine other plants on your lawn.

Growing Conditions For A Purple Passion Plant

Growing a purple passion plant is relatively simple. However, it requires careful watering and fertilizer application to thrive indoors and outdoors.

Place your plant under bright indirect light and use a well-draining potting soil to help it develop. Remember not to place it directly under the late summer sun, or it will scorch the plant’s distinct foliage.

Conditions To Grow It Outdoors

Purple passion plants can be grown outdoors in USDA hardiness zones of 10 to 12. They should be kept in partial shade with filtered light and under an ideal daytime temperature of 60 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit and a nighttime temperature of no less than 60.

Conditions To Grow It Indoors

Provide a nutrient-rich, well-draining soil mix when growing a purple passion plant indoors. Water the plant thoroughly once a week till the excess water drains out to help the soil retain the moisture. Using a humidifier or a water-filled pebble tray, you can also maintain the proper humidity levels.

How To Take Care Of Your Purple Passion Plant

Sunlight

Gynura typically favors partial shade and bright indirect sunlight to thrive. Want your plant to get plenty of light? If so, place it close to the window. However, never put it under direct sunlight, as it may burn the leaves.

When the plant is exposed to low light, it does not develop purple hair, and the leaves stay green, indicating that it needs light.

Humidity And Temperatures

The purple passion plant survives best in temperatures ranging from 60 to 70 Fahrenheit. Native to warm and humid climates, this plant requires moderate humidity levels of 40 to 60%, which renders this an excellent houseplant.

Soil

Evenly moist, well-draining soil is ideal for growing a Gynura. As a result, when making its compost, make sure to use equal parts peat moss, vermiculite, coarse sand, and perlite. These ingredients will help bind the moisture for an extended period.

Fertilizer

The correct feeding routine can boost the growth and the formation of the purple leaves within the plant. Fertilize your plant every two weeks during the spring and summer months. You can do this using a half-strength dilution of a liquid houseplant fertilizer (compost or Inorganic synthetic fertilizers).

Reduce fertilizer application to once a month during the winter to avoid leaf burn.

Common Problems While Taking Care Of Your Passion Plant

Why Are My Passion Plant Leaves Distorted?

Distorted leaves dotted with crinkles and pale yellow spots are one of the major signs that your plant is suffering from the woodiness virus.

Other symptoms include leaf mottling, ring marks on young leaves, chlorotic patches on foliage, and fading pulp-less fruit.

Aphids can spread the Passion Woodiness virus by feeding on an infected plant and spreading the pathogen to an uninfected one by subsequent feeding.

Additionally, grafting and pruning instruments can also spread the virus. Therefore, selecting virus-free instruments and routinely examining and roguing infected plants are standard methods of controlling the disease.

Despite the existence of insecticides to combat aphids, prevention is more effective since this virus spreads quickly.

Why Are The Leaves Of My Passion Plant Turning Pale Green, Wilting, And Dropping Off The Vine?

Root and Crown Rot is a fungal infection caused by the fungus Phytophthora cinnamomi and P. nicotianae. Chlorosis, wilting, yellowing and burnt leaves, and death are typical signs.

Lengthy stretches of rainfall, hot weather, and poor soil drainage can increase its occurrence. Applying a certified fungicide to the plant collar can be helpful in effectively controlling Root and Crown Rot.

Why Do Fruit Surfaces Get Sunken Gray Lesions?

The fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides can cause Passion Fruit Anthracnose. Defoliation, wilting, withering, fruit rot, and brown-stained foliage are the common symptoms that can ultimately result in the plant’s death.

This fungus can spread through water droplets, contaminated seeds, and cutting instruments. The disease is more prevalent in moist and hot temperatures.

Disease-free seedlings, trimming off infected branches, enhancing air circulation, and improving lighting conditions can help a great deal in controlling this illness. Applications of preventative fungicides are another way to fight it.

What Do Those Little Holes On The Leaves Represent?

The caterpillar Agraulis vanillae L. is a pest responsible for eating passion fruit leaves. It can harm your plant by feeding on its leaves and indirectly decreasing fruit production.

Patrol plants are often used to keep Agraulis under control. They do this by removing the caterpillar and destroying its eggs. However, insecticide treatment should be your best bet if you want to control these pests on a broader scale. Spraying insecticides that are effective against caterpillars but harmless to other pollinating insects are crucial for not only killing the pest but also increasing the crop output.

Why Do Fruits Sometimes Have Tiny Holes And Lumps Of Wood?

Three fruit fly species—Anastrepha Scheiner (Tephritidae), Lonchaea fell (Lonchaeidae), and A. cocon Sabrinare pests are responsible for feeding on the vines of passion fruit and causing premature fruit drops.

When flies feed on young, sensitive fruits, a woody patch grows around the wound, which can cause the fruit to wilt or fall as it matures.

Fruit with this wound becomes cosmetically flawed and can not be sold fresh. However, it can still be sold as juice.

To control the fruit flies, don’t let the fruit overripe and remove it immediately once it gets developed. Planting your passion vines far from potential host plants can also aid in the fruit’s protection.

Conclusion

To sum it up in a few lines, the Purple Passion Plant is a fun way to spruce things up on your lawn. It is pretty easy to handle, but if you aren’t careful enough, this simple task can soon become challenging and damage your plant. We hope this guide is helpful in educating you on how to take care of your Passion Plant.