Is this like the one you sent me? I hope it's one of the "man I just want more" varieties!! :) They're starting to send new growth up. Took a while but they now have a good start. Fruit by next month, right??!!?? Ha!

I used to have a nice healthy plant till my older bro had to turn the power off for our pump because it cracked, and accidentally turned off it in my greenhouse to. :( So the cold killed my Guava and Miracle Fruit. My Dragon Fruit got killed down pretty much to the pot. But now it's regrowing and is all most as big as before, but itÂs kind of sprawling out of the pot, before when I got it was tied to a little trellis in the pot, so I tried to tie it up again but it was going to break the branches. So do I prune the ones that are going to break and use them as cuttings, or do I just leave it how it is? They are so yummy so I hope it fruits in my greenhouse!

John

OK, folks, how much space does a dragonfruit need?

I have a small specimen, unnamed variety or maybe species.

SB

John: That's awesome that you are into growing tropicals. I started gardening with my mom when I was little and got into growing tropical fruit when I came back from the Philippines, when I was 15 (a few years ago) :) If more young people could get interested in our Earth's plants then not only will our supermarkets get a more delicious variety, but there'll be more preservation too-a definite good thing.

Jay, yes it is. The one I sent you produces much bigger and consistent tasting fruits though. The red flesh one is more of an inconsistent producer though. Glad to hear their sending up shoots, you thought about any kind of trellis system yet.
SB, space for fruiting? They can get quite large and spreading. But for it to fruit I one long stem that grows to about 7ft(with 1 or 2 ft) hanging and it will produce. Some suggest that it needs to achieve a certain amount of weight but I've seen just single long stems produce fruit before. However something more like this much space and growth is preferred,

Thanks Eggo. I can handle that much space in the GH, I think.

Would anyone agree with me, that this is another plant (like Plumeria) that should not go in a clay pot? I had a terrible time getting my little guy out of his 6" clay pot. The roots were very adherent. I had to slice around the outside with a knife AND poke the plant out throught the drain hole.

SB

Since their so small still, I haven't given a trellis system much thought yet. I would like to do something that looks kind of natural though. Do you know the PH and best soil requirements of this plant? I wondering if I could directly plant in the greenhouse without a lot of amending.

I transplanted the Nam Wa already. That thing was rooting like crazy. I could water and it would be dry 10 minutes later. I put it in a 24" diameter pot. This is another candidate that I may try to plant in greenhouse.

tropicaliste: Yah its really fun! My dad and I are going to build a 20x20 greenhouse in a few weeks, and my market gardening business has already made $600 for plants to fill it up with! Yay :) I'll post some pics when itÂs done.

John

SB, I've never use clay pots on them before but I have plants that have attach themselves to everything including cement walls.
Jay, I am not sure about the PH requirement. It seems to like lots of bark in the mixture. Also seems to enjoy mixture of manure in it also, I usually don't use much steer manure because too much don't seem to do well for some plants but bananas and dragonfruits seem to enjoy it enough. I'm glad to hear that the Namwa is doing well, your get fruits in no time, hehe.

Awesome, that sounds really great! The huge greenhouse will definitely come in handy. Kudos to your dad for encouraging your hobby. Are you gonna fill it up with any plants in particular?

Wow I just got through the same thing as John! I grew up in a mostly asian city so I grew up eating lots of guavas and lychees plus other things. When I was four years old we moved. First thing I did, beg for the closest thing to a guava. We put in a pineapple guava plant after that I was hooked on gardening. During this past spring my dad and I put in a GH. Now I have mostly small seedlings but next spring I want to put in a veggie garden like John's. Good luck with the GH.

Tasted my first dragonfruit today. Interesting taste. Sort of like a kiwi with pumpernickel seeds. LOL
I liked it and would try it again.

tropicaliste: I know i'm going to get Gauva, Miracle Fruit and mabye Jabocitota, Cheymoiya, Sugar Apple, Wax Jumba, Mangosteen, lots of Citrus.

John

Awesome! Make sure to keep us all updated. With a greenhouse like that you should be able to grow some nice healthy plants.
Also, do searches on nurseries online, and shop around. A lot of nurseries charge an arm and a leg for even common tropicals.

i miss my dragonfruit collection. i had 5 varietys of yellow red and pink but they all got mushy and died. i was mad because my friend gave me cuttings from her plants and she has passed away now so it was sentimental. they all got mushy and i dont think i overwatered them. maybe a disease?

Here's a web site you might enjoy
www.tropicalfruitnursery.com/dragon/index.htm

Eggo,if you would be so kind as to name the tastiest varieties please.

Who is growing what? Hylocereus undatus? Selenicereus? inquiring minds want to know. I am looking for a self pollinator that has exceptional fruit either in looks, size or flavor.

I was looking at this site last week and it had some info
http://www.daleysfruit.com.au/fruit%20pages/Pitaya.htm

Another question for Eggo, I am interested in the blue tubs in your photo. I assume that you drill drainage holes in the bottom. How long do they last if kept out in the sun? Do you ever move them around? I see them on sale all the time for cheap!I am always looking for inexpensive or interesting large containers to plant in.

Holedigger, I only tasted a very few varieties so I can't really say what is the tastiest. The consensus is that the red flesh varieties are usually sweeter and the yellow skin Selenicereus species is the best tasting fruits although small and not as cool looking.

I have a few different varieties but there is two that I would recommend just because of combination of easy growth and fruit production. I grow the variety Giant Vietnamese, flavor is good but definitely not the greatest, think of it as more of a commercially selected cultivar, easy growing, easy fruiting(extremely excellent size), good storage, and average tastes. I believe its a commercial variety in Vietnam and Thailand. Another variety is a self fertile red flesh Thai variety I'm growing, a bit more difficult to handle, doesn't really flower profusely or consistently, smaller fruit, but sweeter. If you would like to try these, please contact me offlist.

There were holes drilled in those containers. It was extremely difficult to move around, the soil along with the weight of the plants and tellis made it almost impossible to move without breaking any limbs. The plants were not in there for long though, it was used for a little over a 1 year and they were planted out.
I've used containers like these before and they do not really last long, 2 years maybe before they start to disintegrate rather quickly.

What kind of trees are best companions for the dragonfruit, as a living trellis?

I have heard that Hylocereus will take up not only moisture but nutrients from trees they climb therefore eventually killing it. I can't confirm this though.

I have seen some climbing palm trees, they may have a tougher time actually penetrating deep into palms therefore doesn't kill it. I can't confirm this either. =(

Eggo, yes, seems like dragonfruit vine plant actually suck moisture and nutrients, I have seen dead (completely) orange fruit trees and semi-dead Spondias purpurea fruit tree in which dragon fruit were growing (huge plant). At first I tought those orange and ciruela fruit trees were damaged by some kind of plague, but now seems very feasible that dragonfruit was the killer!!!!!!!.

I've also heard other stories too. Glad to hear you can confirm that Leonel. Earlier this year I had finished my construction of a new trellis made from a chopped down palm tree.

Hmmm...

Here's my Jacaranda with a Hylocereus undatus growing in it.

Both tree and vine seem to be doing fine. Actually, the vine presently has a few young fruits on it.

-Ron-

{{gwi:1323927}}

Nice pics Ron! How long have these been growing on the Jacaranda? How do you pick the fruits?

My new dragonfruit trellis, made from a chopped down palm tree.

I'm so glad this thread was started. I just didn't know the common name. I do grow one form of hylocereus. Does this plant need a lot of sun to flower, or does it prefer partial filtered sun, like under a tree? You all came through on ths identification, one terrific bunch of people, thank you all. Norma

Eggo, Do you grow them from seed? If so how long does it take from seed to fruit?

Honu, I don't grow any from seeds. I would not recommend it unless you love experimenting and it will be more than a couple of years of waiting.

The plant prefers filtered sun. If its exposed to full sun, there be sun damage and rotting of limbs. A couple of hours of full sun would not hurt it but it definitely should not be placed in a spot that gets full sun all day.

I got a red dragon fruit and planted 50+ seeds and they all germinated, will they be true to the type? I live in South California and was wondering if i need another variety. Does anyone have dragonfruit cuttings of red flesh, i would trade or buy from you.

They won't come true to type. You could end up getting superior fruits or inferior fruits from them. Some varieties will need cross pollination some will not. Its been a bit busy for me but contact me sometime next year if you need cuttings, maybe Feb or so. I'm also in California. And what's with your moniker...=)

Hi All I'm a fan of tropical and unusual plants. I'm currently living in country Turkey. I'd like to contact with anyone who can send me Dragon fruit stem cutting or seeds . If anyone want to trade it with me. I'll be so happy. I've got 4 variety pomegranates. Super Sweet Varietes.
please send me your message on viciasativa78@hotmail.com
Best Wishes