How to Grow Dragon Fruit

Overview

The mysterious and colorful dragon fruit, also called pitaya, tastes like a cross between strawberry and pear. It is actually the fruit of a vine-like jungle cactus with spectacular night-blooming flowers from Southern Mexico and Central America. Easily propagated from cuttings or seeds, the cactus adapts well to a wide range of soils, and will even tolerate light frost. In colder areas, dragon fruit can be successfully grown in greenhouses, or even in pots. You will need to devote a fair amount of room to this cactus because it has spines and will grow to be quite large.

Propagation from Cuttings

Step 1

Fold several pieces of newspaper to make a long, flat, 2- to 3-inch-wide collar. Wear gloves and wrap the collar around a healthy branch so that you can grasp the cactus without getting stuck by the spines.

Step 2

Make a diagonal cut with the sharp knife to remove an entire stem segment, or cut off 6 to 12 inches from an end tip.

Step 3

Allow the cutting to dry in shady, covered place for five to seven days.

Step 4

Bury the bottom third of the cutting in a sturdy 3-gallon pot filled three-quarters full with potting mix. Use a wooden stake to secure larger cuttings. Place in filtered sun.

Step 5

Water well at planting, and then keep soil barely moist until new growth appears.

Care

Step 1

Plant your rooted dragon fruit in the ground, in rich, well-drained soil in light shade. You can also continue to grow the cactus in a pot. In optimal conditions, your cutting grown plants will begin to bear in as little as two years.

Step 2

Water well twice a week to keep soil evenly moist.

Step 3

Allow the cactus to ramble over a low wall, or build a sturdy trellis for support because the plant must weigh about 10 pounds before it will bear fruit. Secure new growth onto the trellis with strong cotton twine.

Step 4

Improve fruit set by hand-pollinating the flowers. Use a soft watercolor paintbrush to collect pollen from the anthers, deep in the inner flower. Then, transfer the pollen to the pronounced, star-shaped stigma, which protrudes beyond the petals.