How To Take Care of Dragon Fruit Cactus Plant
Introduction
Dragon is a tropical cactus which is famous for its bright pink, leathery skin with thorn-like fins. If you want to know about the taste of the fruit, dragon fruit is sweet on the inside and featured bright color flesh with tiny black seeds. Some common name of dragon fruit is Pitahaya, Queen of the Night, Night-blooming Cereus, Moonlight Cactus, Honolulu Queen, etc. In Mexico, Central America, and South America here dragon is native fruit but now they are planted in almost every country of the world. It is very fast growing and has ornamental value in outdoor garden. The dragon fruit has an another amazing quality which is, their flower is very large and only blooms at night with great fragrant. Dragon plants grow up to 20 feet tall and produce aerial roots. They also create their creeping, climbing habit. You can grow small types of dragon plants in your indoor garden as houseplant.
Varieties of Dragon Fruit
There are many types of dragon fruits for their color and flesh type. Each of them has distinct flavors and textures. Their different types of flavor and texture make them unique and popular in culinary uses.
Let’s know about them –
- Hylocereus Undatus: They have bright pink skin and white flesh with small black seeds. They are very common variety to people.
- Hylocereus Costaricensis: This dragons are red in color and they have pink to red skin and red flesh. Also they offer a sweeter flavor.
- Hylocereus Megalanthus: You can call them yellow dragon fruits. They are favourite to all for their uncommon yellow skin and white flesh. Their sweeter taste dazzle you.
- Selenicereus: They are called night blooming cereus. Their flowers bloom at late night and has a less common dragon fruit type.
Types of Dragon Fruit Cactus Plant
There are more than 15 types of dragon fruits. Let’s talk about some popular types –
- ‘American Beauty’: It is a self-fertile cultivar of Hylocereus Guatemalensis. It is favourite to all for its red skin with green bracts and bright, magenta-colored flesh.
- ‘Dark Star’: It is a self-sterile hybrid. The skin of dragon star is dark pink. It has purple flesh that has flavor like grape.
- ‘David Bowie’: It is a self-fertile cultivar. It has the quality of self-pollinating. It is popular for its pinkish-red skin that is covered with numerous green bracts. It taste like lemon and its flesh is white.
- ‘Purple Haze’: It grows vigorously and it is a kind of self-pollinating hybrid. They are larger than other kind of dragon fruit. They can be one or two pounds in weight. Their skin is pink and have green bracts. Their very sweet purple flesh taste like grape or kiwi.
- ‘Zamorano’: It is a self-pollinating hybrid. Its dark red flesh is very sweet and taste like mild flavour. You can plant it in containers as it is a slow growing plant.
How to Grow and Care Dragon Fruit
Here we will discuss about the growing techniques of dragon fruits. Proper caring is also essential to get a perfect result. You have to take challenges to get plants pollinated. So let’s start the discussion about growing and caring tips/ideas for dragon fruits.
Select a location
Dragon fruits love and enjoy warm weather and should be planted in full sun. But you should remember that the stem can be damaged in too much sun light especially in hot regions. Dragon plants grow best and faster in 100°F. So if your areas temperature is like that, you can plant them blindly. You have to plan them in a partial shade. Too much shade may results in less abundant fruit production and the quality of your harvest may not be as impressive.
Choose the Soil
Soil type or pH level is not very important in Dragon planting. The most important thing is, the soil must be moist, well draining and rich in organic matter. You should mulch the soil in drier regions to help the soil retain its moisture.
Watering the Dragon Plant
Though dragon plant is a cactus but they need more water than other cacti. Remember that they prefer to have their soil dry out slightly between waterings.
Bottom-watering can enable the roots to soak up the moisture they need. Put dragon fruit in a sink or basin with an inch of water to water them from the bottom. After soaking for 5-15 minutes, return the plant to its container and put it back in a sunny place. In normal conditions, Dragon fruits should be watered about once every two weeks .Rock hard or swampy soil is not good for dragon fruit, so you should check the soil with finger or moisture meter to know how damp the soil is.
Temperature and Humidity
In freezing weather, dragon fruits can’t survive as they are native to tropical regions. Temperature 65°F-80°F at the highest are good for considering optimal growing conditions.
Fertilizer
In the first year of growing, you have to fertilize them every couple of months with a complete balanced fertilizer. I recommend you to use fertilizer with a high nutrient content Lok 20-20-20.You can amend the soil with compost or organic matter a couple of times a year in addition.
When the plants are well-established, you will see that they are fine with just a couple of fertilizer applications in the spring and summer.
Pollination
Cross-Pollinating is also important to grow dragon fruits. Self-incompatible cultivars need two to three different varieties to ensure a better chance of fruit production. As the flower of dragon fruits blooms at night, they mostly pollinated by bats and moths. Some varieties of dragon fruits flowers opens in early morning and bees can pollinate them.
There are also some varieties which are not self-pollinating, in this case you have to do hand-pollination between dusk and dawn. First of all collect the pollen of the flowers from the stamen and softly dab it onto the stigma of another varieties flowers. A fresh cotton swab can be used for hand pollination.
Pruning
Pruning is very important for your dragon fruits. Pruning can minimize the risk of fungal disease and insect infestation.
Uncontrolled growth impacts fruit production. When the plants become very heavy, they can’t grow well. So prune them regularly that prevent Plant from becoming too heavy for the trellis. Pruning also encourages prolific flowering. Cut the overly long, damaged, tangled, or dead stems as often as two or three times per year.
Propagating Dragon Fruit Plant
Different from seed propagation, which is not advised because it can take up to seven years for the plant to begin generating fruit, stem cutting propagation of dragon fruit is simple and produces results quickly.
Here Is How To Use Stem Cuttings To Make A New Plant
Take a 10- to 12-inch cutting from a healthy stem. Treat the cut end with fungicide. Give the cutting callus seven to ten days in a dry, shaded area. Plant the cutting cut-side down in a pot with well-draining potting mix after dusting the cut end with rooting hormone.
Water it lightly and keep it moderately moist. Move the cutting gradually to a more sunny spot once it has begun to root (you can test this by gently tugging on it). The cuttings can be planted in larger pots into the landscape after 4 to 6 months of establishing a strong root system. You might harvest from a clipping planted one to three years later.
Potting and Repotting
A 25–30 gallon container with a 20–24 inch depth is needed for a mature dragon fruit plant. The plant will need to be often repotted to a larger container with fresh potting soil if it becomes root-bound due to its rapid rate of growth. Remember that the plant has tiny, hairy roots, so using additional care while repotting it will prevent injury to them.
Harvesting Dragon Fruit
When the pink outer skin flaps begin to seem wilted, you will know your dragon fruit is ready to harvest. When it’s ripe, it should be easy to twist off the stem. It’s crucial to time your harvest correctly because any fruit that has fallen off the stem on its own usually has a high sugar content. Dragon fruit can be refrigerated for up to two weeks.
The cactus also has magnificent, enormous edible blooms, which have a strong aroma and tend to be white. But because they are typically nocturnal, you can only pluck and enjoy them after the sun has set.
Propagating Dragon Fruit Plant
If you are a beginner, propagating from seed is not easy for you. You should propagate dragon fruit from stem and thus you can get result very fast. Propagating from seed takes about 7 years to bear fruits. At first take a 10- to 12 inch cutting from a healthy stem and treat the cut end with fungicide. Keep them in shady place for 7-10 days. The cut end should be dusted with rooting hormone and plant the cutting cut-side down in a pot. Filled the pot with well-draining potting mix.
Regularly watering is essential in this purpose and keep it moderately moist. Check by gently tugging on it and if the cutting has started root, they should be moved in a location with proper sunlight. After 4-6 months it will be ready to plant in landscape. Before planting check the root system development. You can use larger pot to plant them.
Potting and Repotting
25-30 gallon size container is needed for a mature dragon fruit plant. The depth should be 20-24 inches. If the plant becomes root bound, you have to change the container to larger container with fresh potting soil. You have to do all the process very carefully so that the roots of the plants should not be damaged. Remember that the roots of dragon fruit are very small and hairy, for this reason it is very tough to change their container.
Harvesting Dragon Fruit
You can harvest dragon fruits when the flaps on the pink outer skin starts to develop a withered appearance. It is very easy to harvest, just twist it from the stem with ease. The fruits should not be overripe, you have to harvest them in proper time. You can lasts up dragon for two weeks in refrigerator.
Common Pests & Plant Diseases
Wild animal can damage your dragon plant, so keep an eye on protecting them. You can use fences to protect animals and other types of pests or animals like rats, raccoons, birds, and more. Ants mealybugs, mites, and thrips are also attracted by dragon plants.
There are also some kind of disease which are harmful for dragon fruit. Such as canker, reddish-brown, yellowish, or white spots and lesions on the stems and blades (leaves). By removing the damaged, infected parts can help you to protect diseases. You can treat the plant with a fungicide. Proper care and monitoring is important for great result. Right amount of sun, moisture, and air circulation can help to prevent these types of issues.
Benefits of Dragon Fruits Cactus Plant
There are some common and fantastic benefits of dragon fruits. Dragon fruits are rich in nutrients and they are low in calories. They are high in high in vitamin C, fiber, and antioxidants. Dragon fruits support our digestive health. They promote good health as they contain enough fiber. Their vitamin C and other antioxidants help us to strengthen the immune system. They contain antioxidants and fiber which can improve your heart health. They have high amount of water and help to keep you hydrated. Play important rules for weight management and skin benefits.
Related Topic: Top 10 Vegetable Garden Ideas For Beginners
Conclusion
Above of the discussion, you have learnt so many ideas and techniques, these can help you to grow and care dragon fruits. Planting dragon fruits would be a fantastic idea for your garden by following all these process.