Have you ever wanted to cultivate exotic dragon fruit on your own? It’s not as hard as you may imagine, but pollination is one important step you can’t omit. Having a thorough understanding of the ins and outs of how to pollinate the dragon fruit is necessary! It can significantly impact your yield, regardless of the size of your commercial orchard or the few plants you’re growing in your garden.
Let’s understand Pollination…
The process of pollination involves moving pollen grains from one flower’s male (anther) to its female (stigma) parts, either separately or together. Fertilization, which results in the creation of seeds and fruit, depends on this transfer.
And of course, proper pollination is crucial for dragon fruit production. It is important to learn How to pollinate Dragon Fruit…
Dragon fruit plants (Hylocereus species) have hermaphroditic flowers. It means each flower contains both male and female reproductive organs. The male part, known as the anther, produces pollen. While the female part, the stigma, receives pollen. As we know, Dragon fruit are nocturnal, which means the flower of Dragon fruit blooms at night. So they rely primarily on nocturnal insects such as; moths, bats, and bees to pollinate their flowers.
Dragon fruit comes in different types and varieties. Each type has its own special needs for pollination. Some dragon fruits can pollinate themselves, while others need help from a different type of dragon fruit.
Types of Dragon Fruit Varieties Based on Pollination Requirements
Self-Fertile Dragon Fruit
These varieties can pollinate themselves, producing fruit without the need for cross-pollination.
Examples include:
- Hylocereus undatus (White Flesh Dragon Fruit)
- Hylocereus costaricensis (Red Flesh Dragon Fruit)
- This variety has red flesh and red or pink skin. Som
- American Beauty Dragon Fruit
- Dark Star Dragon Fruit
- Delight Dragon Fruit
- Florida Red Dragon Fruit
- Giant Vietnamese Dragon Fruit
- Hailey’s Comet Dragon Fruit
- Makisupa Dragon Fruit
- Rixford Dragon Fruit
- Seoul Kitchen Dragon Fruit
- Surinam Red Dragon Fruit
- Thai Dragon Dragon Fruit
- Thomson Dragon Fruit
- Vietnamese White Dragon Fruit
- Voodoo Child Dragon Fruit
- Wiangel Dragon Fruit
- Condor Dragon Fruit
- Natural Mystic Dragon Fruit
- Pink Diamond Dragon Fruit
- Oval white Dragon Fruit
- S4
- Tropical Pink Dragon Fruit
- White Sapphire Dragon Fruit
- Yellow Thai Dragon Fruit
- Pink Beauty Dragon Fruit
- Malaysian Purple Dragon Fruit
Self-Sterile Dragon Fruit
These varieties require pollen from another compatible variety to produce fruit. Cross-pollination between different varieties is essential.
Examples include:
- Hylocereus megalanthus (Yellow Dragon Fruit)
- Hylocereus guatemalensis (Purple Flesh Dragon Fruit)
- Purple Haze Dragon Fruit
- Yellow Cross 68
- Zomarano Dragon Fruit
- Albino Dragon Fruit- Hylocereus ocamponis
- Physical Graffiti Dragon Fruit
- Princess of the night
- Queen Daeneys Dragon Fruit- H. stenopterusx H. guatemalensis
- Armando Dragon Fruit- Hylocereus costaricensis
- Tricia Dragon Fruit- H, ocamponis x H. undatus
- Baby Cerrado Dragon Fruit- Selenicereus setaceus
- Black Velvet Dragon Fruit
- Hawaiian Red Dragon Fruit
- La Verne Red Dragon Fruit
- Thomson G2
- Leo’s Dragon
Important Note!!
“Even self-fertile Dragon Fruit varieties can benefit from cross-pollination. Because cross-pollination can lead to increased fruit sets and larger fruit sizes.”
What is Hand or Manual Pollination?
In commercial farming or home gardening, manual pollination is often practiced to ensure a higher fruit yield. This involves carefully collecting pollen from the stamens (male part) and applying it to the stigma (female part).
Both self-pollination and cross-pollination in a Dragon fruit can be done manually.
If a dragon fruit variety is self-fertile, you can manually transfer pollen from the anthers to the stigma of the same flower. And, for self-sterile varieties that require cross-pollination, you’ll need to transfer pollen from a different, compatible plant to ensure fertilization.
Manual Hand Pollination of Dragon Fruit
Let’s learn the process of manual hand pollination for Dragon Fruit
It is advised to pollinate in the early morning when the flowers are open and most receptive to pollen. Try to avoid pollination when there is rain, as rain can wash away pollen and hinder the pollination process.
The next step is to identify the flower’s male and female parts. Dragon fruit flowers have both male parts called anthers. They contain pollen. The female part called the stigma is where the pollen is received. Flowers that are pale yellow or white and fully open are usually ready for pollination.
Now collect pollen using a cotton swab. Gently brush a cotton swab over the anthers of a mature flower to collect pollen. Then transfer the pollens by carefully applying the collected pollen to the stigma of the same or another flower. Ensure that the pollen sticks.
You have to repeat this process and pollinate multiple flowers. Multiple attempts are necessary to improve the chances of successful pollination of Dragon fruit.
That is it… If the process of pollination is successful, fruit should begin to develop within a few weeks!
Additional Tips:
- Sometimes self-pollination can negatively affect fruit quality, it is advised to do cross-pollination for good results.
- While manual pollination, be careful not to damage the flowers, be gentle and careful!
- If you have multiple dragon fruit varieties, consider cross-pollinating them to increase genetic diversity.
- Doing pollination manually or hand pollination of dragon fruit may require a bit of your effort, but the results are well worth it.
- To prevent contamination, make sure your cotton swab is dry and clean before collecting pollens.
Bottom Line
By carefully understanding how to pollinate Dragon Fruit, you can enjoy a higher yield of large, delicious dragon fruits. Whether you’re growing them in your garden or on a larger scale, this guide will help you get the most out of your dragon fruit plants.
FAQs
Why is manual pollination necessary for dragon fruit?
Manual pollination is necessary in areas where natural pollinators like bats, bees, or moths are not found. It helps fruit quality, especially for self-sterile dragon fruit varieties that require pollen from a different plant.
When is the best time to pollinate dragon fruit flowers?
Early in the morning is the ideal time to pollinate dragon fruit blooms since the stigma is most responsive and the flowers are fully open.
How can I determine when a dragon fruit flower is ready to be pollinated?
When the flower of a dragon fruit tree is fully open, aromatic, and often pale yellow or white in color, it is ready for pollination. It will be sticky at the stigma, indicating that it is open to pollen.
How many flowers should I pollinate to ensure fruit production?
Pollinating as many flowers as possible can increase your chances of a successful fruit set. Pollinate all open flowers during their bloom period to maximize your harvest.
How long does it take to see fruit after pollination?
Within a few days to a few weeks following successful pollination, fruit development ought to begin.
Does cross-pollination result in larger fruits?
Yes, Cross-pollination can lead to larger, more flavorful fruits.
How to identify if my Dragon fruit is a self-fertile or self-sterile variety?
Dragon fruit varieties which are self-pollinating have a quite tiny stigma in the flowers, hidden under the anthers. Thus, the anther can easily come in contact with stigma encouraging self-pollination. While in self-sterile Dragon fruit varieties, the stigma is not always but usually very long.
Learn in-depth about different varieties of Dragon fruit, read here…. https://tasteofdragonfruit.com/dragon-fruit-cuttings-for-sale/
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