Dragon fruit isn’t just delicious – it’s also pretty cool to grow. Let me walk you through everything you need to know about cultivating Dragon fruit!
How to Grow Your Dragon Fruit?
There are two adaptable propagation methods for cultivating Dragon fruit:
- Grow Dragon fruit plant from seeds
- Grow Dragon Fruit plant using Dragon Fruit cutting
How to Grow Dragon fruit plants from seeds? (Warning: Requires Patience!)
You can totally start from seeds if you’re feeling ambitious.
- First, munch on your favorite variety of dragon fruit and save those tiny black seeds.
- Give them a quick rinse and let them dry out.
- Pop them in some good potting soil that drains well.
- Keep things toasty (think beach weather – 75-85°F)
- Then play the waiting game – it’ll take about 10-14 days before you see any action.
☀️ Here is a complete guide to “How to grow a Dragon fruit plant from a seed!”
How To Grow Dragon Fruit Plants from Cuttings? (Recommended method)
- Get a healthy stem of the Dragon fruit variety you want to cultivate. It should be about the length of your forearm.
- You can buy it from a nursery or an online Dragon fruit cuttings selling store.
- Let the stem dry out for about a week. (seriously, don’t skip this!)
- Now plant it in well-drained nutritious soil.
- Boom – you’ll have roots in about a month.
What Your Dragon Fruit Plants Need To Grow?
Soil Requirements of a Dragon Fruit Plant
- Well-draining, sandy loam soil
- pH between 5.5-6.5
- Add organic matter for nutrition
- Consider raised beds for better drainage
Sunlight
- Dragon fruit plant needs full sun for about 6-8 hours daily.
- Young plants may need partial shade.
- Protect your plant from intense afternoon sun if you live in hot climates
Temperature
- Ideal range: 65-85°F
- Dragon fruit plant can tolerate brief periods down to 35°F
- Protect from frost!
Water Requirements
- Moderate watering!
- Most important; you should allow soil to dry between waterings
- Reduce watering in winter.
- For best results you can use drip irrigation to your young plant.
Dragon Fruit Requires Support To Grow!
Being a vining cacti, the Dragon fruit plants without proper support, will sprawl on the ground! You will be left with weaker-grown Dragon fruit plants and also lower fruit yields.
You will need a well-built Dragon fruit trellis that will not only help your plant thrive but also make harvesting easier for you.
☀️Here is a complete guide to “How to build a Dragon Fruit Trellis, DIY Dragon Fruit Trellis and it’s different types!!!
How To Maintain A Dragon Fruit Plant?
Do Pruning!
- Remove damaged or diseased stems immediately you notice!
- Trim to maintain the desired shape of your plant.
- Limit plant height to 6-7 feet for easy harvesting.
- Always prune your Dragon fruit plant after fruiting season.
Fertilization
For Young Plants: Use balanced fertilizer (10-10-10). During growing seasons add fertilizers at least once a month.
For Mature Plants: Usehigher phosphorus fertilizer during flowering. Add compost or aged manure annually.
Harvesting of Dragon Fruit!
When to Harvest?
- A normal dragon fruit takes 30-50 days to ripen.
- You can harvest when the color of fruit is fully developed.
How To Harvest Dragon Fruit?
- Use clean, sharp scissors to harvest Dragon fruit.
- Cut close to where the fruit meets the stem
- Treat your dragon fruit like eggs – they bruise easily!
That’s pretty much everything you need to know about cultivating a dragon fruit! Remember, gardening is all about learning as you go, so don’t stress if everything isn’t perfect right.
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