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 77-90°F, 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 37°F
and above 112°F 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
sterilized, fine seed-raising medium and lightly
covered. Under warm temperatures of 77-81°F
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.
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Maximum Yield 37