Maximum Yield Australia/New Zealand 2020 September/October | Page 45

Dragon fruit (Hylocereus sp.) are a unique crop because the fruit are produced on a large, climbing cactus which, in their native environment, trail up tree trunks and are anchored by aerial roots. Under cultivation, the plants are provided with supports or stakes and pruned to restrict height and improve productivity. Plants are long-lived and can be kept in production for up to 20 years with the first fruit forming within two years of propagation from cuttings. The dragon fruit plant has fleshy triangular stem segments that are tied to trellising systems to support the weight of the fruit and provide a surface to which the aerial roots can anchor. Plants require a warm, humid climate, however, unlike many desert cacti, dragon fruit are sensitive to high light levels and require shading for optimum growth and yields. Having adapted to the growing conditions of a tropical rainforest understory, plants need protection from intense sunlight as excessive light will cause the stems to become bleached and restrict growth. Under hydroponic production the use of shade or net houses provides an ideal climate, however, dragon fruit can also be grown indoors under artificial light sources when plant size and height are carefully controlled. Being tropical or subtropical in nature, dragon fruit plants require warm temperatures in the optimal range of 25-32°C, though temperature sensitivity varies between different cultivars. Most pitaya plants can withstand cool temperatures for a short period of time, although this will delay growth and development. Temperature extremes of below 3°C and above 44°C will damage plant tissue and may result in plant death. “ Newly raised plants are genetically identical to the parent so will have known fruiting characteristics.” Propagation and Young Plant Care What makes dragon fruit a particularly appealing new crop for small hydroponic growers is it can be easily and rapidly grown from seed collected from mature fruit. With dragon fruit becoming more available, extraction of the small, highly viable black seeds from the flesh and germinating these to grow a few plants is relatively simple. Seed should be well washed so all flesh is removed and can be sown immediately onto a sterilised, fine seed-raising medium and lightly covered. Under warm temperatures of 25-27°C these should germinate within three weeks and can be grown until large enough to plant into a hydroponic production system. Young dragon fruit plants make attractive specimens as house plants and have the appearance of a tall cactus with a similar growth habit. The main issue with seed-raised pitaya plants is the time to first fruit production is slower than plants propagated from cuttings, taking up to four years. Seedling growth is relatively slow in the first one to two years. Propagation from cuttings is the preferred method for commercial plantations of dragon fruit and ensures newly raised plants are genetically identical to the parent so will have known fruiting characteristics. the MOST TRUSTED CO2 MONITORING DAY/NIGHT CO2 MONITOR AND GROW CONTROLLER • Accurate CO2 Generator Control • Photo sensor turns off CO2 at Night name in • Customizable low and high set points • Used in agriculture facilities, worldwide [email protected] | 877-678-4259 tweet it. follow us on twitter. @max_yield maximumyield.com Maximum Yield 45