Are you looking for a truly amazing plant to be the centerpiece of your garden? Then look no further! You can plant dragon fruit! Also known as pitaya, pitahaya, strawberry pear, night-blooming cereus, the beauty of the night and even as cactus fruit, dragon fruit is native to Mexico, Central America and South America, and most importantly, it is one of the fruits grown directly from specific species of cacti.
What is dragon fruit
Known for its deep pink and leathery skin, dragon fruit is unusual, nutritious and eye-catching, with sweet juice inside highlighting the bright white flesh and tiny black seeds. The plant is a large, climbing cactus plant that forms tall, thick, succulent-like branches and produces bright red or yellow fruits that are dense, juicy and sweet - ideal for eating raw, chopping for salads or blending for smoothies or ice cream . As if all that wasn't enough,bring the cactialso produces some of the largest flowers in the world, often referred to as “night-blooming cereas.” They bloom for just one night as beautiful white flowers, filling the air with a unique tropical scent.
Planting dragon fruit from seeds
You can plant dragon fruit by purchasing a dragon fruit from the supermarket and planting the seeds. However, keep in mind that it can take several years (sometimes up to five) for a plant to bear fruit from seed. Prepare the soil bed. The cacti need full sun. Therefore, choose a sunny spot in your garden or a sunny windowsill that gets at least six hours of sun a day. Choose potting soil that is well-draining (plants are sensitive to “wet feet” or constantly wet roots) and rich in organic matter.
Don't use cactus soil - as tropical plants, dragon fruits like more water thanother cactiand need soil that retains moisture a little better. Prepare the seeds. Cut a mature plant in half and scoop out the black seeds. Wash the pulp from the seeds and place the seeds on a damp paper towel for at least twelve hours. Plant the seeds. Scatter the seeds on the soil surface and cover them with a thin layer of soil. It's okay if it barely covers the seeds - they don't need to be planted deeply.
Watering the plants
Water or mist the soil bed regularly and keep it evenly moist. If your soil tends to dry out, cover the soil bed with plastic wrap to retain moisture until the seeds germinate.
Thin out and transplant
As your seedlings continue to grow, thin them out to give each new plant room. If you are growing them indoors, transplant them into larger pots. A ripe dragon fruit needs a pot at least 20 inches wide for optimal health.
Support the cactus plants
Once your plant is twelve inches tall, it needs a support system to continue growing. Set up a trellis or wooden stake for the plant to grow up.
Grow the cactus from cuttings
You can just plant dragon fruitfrom a cuttinga mature plant. Prepare the soil bed. Choose a sunny spot in your garden or a sunny windowsill that gets at least six hours of sun a day - and good drainage to avoid “wet feet”. Using pruning shears, carefully cut a twelve-inch branch from an established plant to create a new plant from a cutting.
Make sure youwith each cuttingPay attention to the “up” direction – when planting them you need to plant them upright so they can grow properly. Plant each cutting by burying the base an inch or two into the soil and pressing the soil around the cutting to keep it secure and upright.
- Water
Water or spray the soil bed evenly with water and keep it moist. In three to four weeks you should see new growth and a developing root system.
- Pruning
Prune back dead, dying, diseased or crowded branches to keep the plant from contracting disease and growing well on its support system.
- Fertilize
Fertilize your plant once a month during the growing season to provide it with the nutrients it needs. Organic fertilizer, such as manure or compost, is a good source of nutrients. Purchase rotted manure from your hardware store or make one at homeeven composther.
- Pollinate
Dragon fruit plants rely on the work of nocturnal pollinators such as moths to enable them to bear fruit. If you're growing your dragon fruit as a houseplant, you'll need to pollinate it by hand after it blooms: swirl a clean cotton swab or paintbrush in the center of the flower to collect pollen, then brush the pollen onto the flower's stigma, one high branched part in the middle of the flower. Certain varieties are self-pollinating, while others require another plant for cross-pollination - check which variety you have and whether you need more than one plant to produce fruit.
Best Climate for Growing Pitahaya
Although the plant belongs to the cactus family, it is not comparable to the cacti you usually see in the desert. It's actually a subtropical cactus, meaning it thrives in mild, humid environments. About theGrow cactus successfully, you need to make sure that the plant can only tolerate temperatures between 0 and 35 degrees Celsius. If your climate outside is too cold or too warm for dragon fruit, you can also successfully grow a plant indoors in a pot.
How do you harvest the fruits?
Once your dragon fruit tree bears fruit, harvesting is easy. Look for well-colored fruits whose “wings” (the flaps of skin on the outside of the fruit) are beginning to wilt. Turn the fruit carefully - if it is ripe, it will easily separate from the stem. Do not wait until the fruit separates from the stem on its own, because then it is overripe. Unpeeled fruit will last for several days on the counter or in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Plant dragon fruit indoors
If you are growing your cacti indoors, periodically rotate the pot 180 degrees to ensure the plant receives even sunlight. If you cannot ensure 6 to 8 hours of sunlight year-round, you can mimic sunlight conditions by placing powerful LED grow lights near the pots. Place the LED grow lights 30 centimeters apart initially and move them closer to the pot over time. Always choose places in the house where the room temperature does not exceed 37 degrees. The dragon fruit cactus loves a humidity of 30 to 50% in the room. You can test the humidity with a humidity tester. Use duringdrought in summera humidifier or mist the plant's leaves with a water sprayer.
