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.
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