Author Topic: Dragon Fruit thread.  (Read 940238 times)

RobPatterson

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2525 on: March 12, 2018, 06:27:15 PM »
Personally, I don't know that I would white out the pots, myself. I don't know that it is ever going to get so hot down in San Diego that additional sunlight would heat up the pots enough to damage roots, given proper summer watering, but the dark color might actually help in winter months by warming roots and plant base. Hopefully you have access to both sides of that fence. As for planting cuttings, I'd double or triple up on the cuttings, per pot, if you have enough plant stock. It will lessen the chances of you losing a complete pot worth of work if a plant goes sideways. Just space them out an extra foot or two apart. This will also allow you to wedge new plants in between the existing, in the event you end up with a type you don't particularly care for, or was mis-labeled, but you don't want to just remove due to all the work you put into getting it to fruit production age. Also, new varieties keep popping up, so you'll want to make sure you leave some room for future planting. The plants will grow as big as you allow them, provided they are healthy, but that also means you can manually control a maximum size too, and prune them down if they get too thick, so there's very little chance of 'overplanting' an area, as long as you don't put TOO many in a single pot and they have to fight for resources.
Just remember, when you fill your pots, start out at about 65-75% fill. This is for 2 reasons. If you decide to use liquid fertilizer, the types you mix into water, its ALOT easier to be able to mix a gallon of water and just dump it into a pot when you don't have to worry about it spilling over because the soil level is too high. And second, if you also plan on using time release fertilizer, its nice to be able to sprinkle some into the pot and then add an inch or so of topsoil on top. Remember, dragonfruit have VERY shallow rooting systems, sometimes being just below soil surface, so 'scratching in' fertilizer can do serious damage when added.
Finally, remember to both label your pots with the cuttings planted (don't trust markings on the plants themselves) and alternate the order in which you place the cuttings. Make life easier on your pollinators by placing the species not in groups, but A,B,C (etc.) order. Even self-fertile species benefit from pollen from other plants.

spaugh

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2526 on: March 12, 2018, 09:18:20 PM »
Rob, thanks for the detailed reply.  Both sides of the fence are mine, it's my deer protection for the land we are farming.  Whatever hangs on the other side will probably be eaten by deer.  Plan is to train them up the inside then loop through and back over at the top to keep most inside.  Worse case, I can throw an electric wire along the outside of the fence if need be.  I am not sure the white paint will be a bad thing, it's pretty hot where I live.  Like surface of the sun hot.  We are way inland on a south facing hill that gets roasted.   I may try and put 1 of each type in 1 black and 1 white pot and see how that goes or maybe 2 per pot like you said.  I also have a lot more of the fence panels laying around not being used.  At least 6 more 24 ft sections that are laying in another part of my yard.  And lots more welded wire.  And lots more pots and dirt.  I am going to put them on a drip system so I don't have to deal with watering.  Very good input on alternating species and under filling pots.  I will make a spreadsheet and try and order things accordingly.  Was going to group them by color but your idea is better.  Thank you very muchfor the help.

Brad
« Last Edit: March 13, 2018, 12:03:23 AM by spaugh »
Brad Spaugh

Rannman

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2527 on: March 28, 2018, 06:43:56 AM »
Just out of curiosity, is the correct name spelling Halley’s Comet or Haille’s Comet?

spaugh

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2528 on: March 28, 2018, 09:45:28 AM »
Got the cement mixer out and used it to mix up 13 pots wirth of dirt.  DG+compost+manure+slow release+sulfer concoction.  That was a lot of work shoveling and mixing and moving all the heavy pots around.

Not sure if I will end up regretting the location and spacing on these but here it is.  I plan to add another support on the inside of the fence 6ft up and 2ft out from the fence.  Going to put some nursery down spray drips on them next.



Here is the varieties and how they are laid out.  The ones with indents are on DF supports not on the fence but close by.

Thompson
G2
Voodoo child
Rixford
Bloody mary
         Makasupa
         Dark star
Bruni
Purple haze
Simon purple
        Cosmic charlie
        Haley comet
        physical graphitti
Yellow?
Orijana
Neon
         Am beauty
         San ignacio
Nicaragua red
Delight
Yellow mega peru
                           S8
                           S8
                           Condor
                           Condor
Brad Spaugh

ricshaw

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2529 on: March 28, 2018, 12:08:04 PM »
Just out of curiosity, is the correct name spelling Halley’s Comet or Haille’s Comet?

Halley’s Comet

sidney

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2530 on: March 30, 2018, 08:58:44 AM »
Some of my vines are yellowing at the base and the green fleah is falling away. Disease?

Mark in Texas

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2531 on: March 30, 2018, 09:24:31 AM »




Simply amazing!  You've got it down pat.

Yesterday I got some Sugar Pitaya cuttings in.   Will pot up 2, share the others.  Any one have any info on this one?  Gifter loves it but searching for info has been limited.
 

 
I'm stocked up and ready to go - grafting Atis atemoya, some cherimoyas, etc. to seedlings.  My fave is 4 c.f. coarse vermiculite.  Also, the fine quality of the pine bark mulch from Lowe's was shocking.  Really nice stuff from fines to light airy chunks.



ricshaw

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2532 on: March 30, 2018, 11:49:49 AM »

Yesterday I got some Sugar Pitaya cuttings in.   Will pot up 2, share the others.  Any one have any info on this one?  Gifter loves it but searching for info has been limited.
 

 

Is it Sugar Dragon?  "Sugar Dragon" is the name Linda Nickerson gave to Paul Thomson's 'S-8' (or '8-S') .

http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=12824.0

FamilyJ

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2533 on: March 30, 2018, 02:47:50 PM »





spaugh

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2534 on: March 30, 2018, 03:18:42 PM »




Simply amazing!  You've got it down pat.

Yesterday I got some Sugar Pitaya cuttings in.   Will pot up 2, share the others.  Any one have any info on this one?  Gifter loves it but searching for info has been limited.
 

 
I'm stocked up and ready to go - grafting Atis atemoya, some cherimoyas, etc. to seedlings.  My fave is 4 c.f. coarse vermiculite.  Also, the fine quality of the pine bark mulch from Lowe's was shocking.  Really nice stuff from fines to light airy chunks.



Mark, pop the cuttings in dry mix and leave them for a few days then water once and leave again for a week or 2.  Keep doing that until you see buds.  Cutting the terminal end if not already done helps speed it up also.  Seriously go easy on the water, they do well with very little water until they hit their stride.
Brad Spaugh

Mark in Texas

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2535 on: March 30, 2018, 08:32:47 PM »

Is it Sugar Dragon?  "Sugar Dragon" is the name Linda Nickerson gave to Paul Thomson's 'S-8' (or '8-S') .

http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=12824.0

yep

Well do Brad, thanks.

FamilyJ

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2536 on: March 30, 2018, 09:37:36 PM »
My FloridaSunset and Condor are blooming already





Dangermouse01

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2537 on: March 31, 2018, 07:01:14 AM »
My FloridaSunset and Condor are blooming already





Turning yellow already, falling off in 3....2.....1

Mark in Texas

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2538 on: March 31, 2018, 08:23:52 AM »
OK, now realize pitaya has very shallow roots that spread wide and far.  Here's my plan.  Thoughts are welcome.   Gonna take a long strip of 16" RootBuilder, cut it in half making it 8" tall.  Wrap and tie it into a large rectangle about 8' long X 18" wide squaring off the corners and place it against a greenhouse wall.  Backfill with a very sandy/vermiculite soil with some humus and LAY the cuttings down so that 1 side is just below the surface for rooting.  Done this with cacti, why not pitaya?   Should give me a lot of output along the cutting.  I can plant 3 different available varieties in this one long pot.
« Last Edit: March 31, 2018, 08:29:51 AM by Mark in Texas »

ricshaw

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2539 on: March 31, 2018, 10:56:43 AM »
OK, now realize pitaya has very shallow roots that spread wide and far.  Here's my plan.  Thoughts are welcome.   Gonna take a long strip of 16" RootBuilder, cut it in half making it 8" tall.  Wrap and tie it into a large rectangle about 8' long X 18" wide squaring off the corners and place it against a greenhouse wall.  Backfill with a very sandy/vermiculite soil with some humus and LAY the cuttings down so that 1 side is just below the surface for rooting.  Done this with cacti, why not pitaya?   Should give me a lot of output along the cutting.  I can plant 3 different available varieties in this one long pot.

Mark, Dragon Fruit are more like epiphyllums, not like desert cacti. I would use the same rooting techniques epiphyllum and Dragon Fruit grower use.

kalan

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2540 on: March 31, 2018, 11:51:09 AM »
South Florida people:
I emailed Linda Nickerson hoping to purchase a cutting or two of her s-8. She informed me that she ships only in large flat rate boxes ($25) plus $8 for a large cutting. Seems like it makes sense to order 10-20 cuttings if I go in with a few forum members.

If you are interested, check the buy and sell forum or PM me directly.
Keith

FamilyJ

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2541 on: March 31, 2018, 01:39:14 PM »
South Florida people:
I emailed Linda Nickerson hoping to purchase a cutting or two of her s-8. She informed me that she ships only in large flat rate boxes ($25) plus $8 for a large cutting. Seems like it makes sense to order 10-20 cuttings if I go in with a few forum members.

If you are interested, check the buy and sell forum or PM me directly.
Keith
Sorry already have a S8 in  S FL

bassisti95

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2542 on: March 31, 2018, 01:46:11 PM »
Hello, super new and super dumb here but if I could bother anybody to answer a few very basic questions about growing dragon fruit I would be so very grateful.. I really want to start growing Dragon Fruit (happy to keep it indoors when necessary due to my zone) but particularly a yellow. I found a place that has a yellow variety cutting in stock and in their description they say it is best to grow with 2-3 other varieties for cross pollination. I've looked up how to do the pollinating myself but, probably because this is such a stupid question, I haven't actually heard somebody directly state if a yellow dragon fruit can cross pollinate with a red variety for instance. My impression is you can but if you grow another fruit from the seeds produced it'll be a new variety and that's one reason (in addition to ease/speed) people use cuttings, to maintain favorable variety. I just don't want to buy the only yellow cutting I can find available online at the moment and pair it with something I'm too ignorant to realize isn't compatible. Also how would I cross pollinate with more than one variety if I were to buckle down and dedicate enough house space to three plants..? Do I just gather pollen from all three and swap or is it just best to shuffle it up after a harvest or two so it's not always the same thing..? Another thing that seems important, is there any way to influence two or more plants to flower at the same time? Do they have the internal clock or do I just hope for the best? I know the flowers don't last long and I've heard you can freeze the pollen for up to 30 days if you really need to but even then at the very least I can't pollinate the first flower I see. Not a big deal I'm just wondering if there's something I'm missing. Or can I buy a red variety that is self pollinating but also use that to pollinate a yellow variety that isn't..?
I would love to ask ten more questions and really go into this as prepared as possible but I'm also happy to fail until I get it right and really I just want to understand the cross pollination thing so I'll stop there. Thanks so much to anybody who let me take their time and good day to all

Mark in Texas

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2543 on: March 31, 2018, 03:50:26 PM »

Mark, Dragon Fruit are more like epiphyllums, not like desert cacti. I would use the same rooting techniques epiphyllum and Dragon Fruit grower use.

Will try both.

pineislander

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2544 on: March 31, 2018, 07:33:30 PM »
OK, now realize pitaya has very shallow roots that spread wide and far.  Here's my plan.  Thoughts are welcome.   Gonna take a long strip of 16" RootBuilder, cut it in half making it 8" tall.  Wrap and tie it into a large rectangle about 8' long X 18" wide squaring off the corners and place it against a greenhouse wall.  Backfill with a very sandy/vermiculite soil with some humus and LAY the cuttings down so that 1 side is just below the surface for rooting.  Done this with cacti, why not pitaya?   Should give me a lot of output along the cutting.  I can plant 3 different available varieties in this one long pot.
It will be interesting to compare pot and bed culture, you could be breaking new ground.

Hold the cuttings in a cool shady place till they get good and dry. Large growers just stand them up leaning but touching soil until they strike roots.  After that, plant in your beds. Some let cuttings heal and plant in pots or directly in soil, I did that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIx7tJrSPUc&t=3s

You want single growing stems going up with no branching, you should continually remove branches when they start and into the life of the plant. Train upwards to top of trellis and a little beyond, maybe five segments beyond then tip prune to encourage top branching. I have seen cattle panel trellis in a greenhouse used before.

You could try laying them down on an experimental basis.  But what you want is a very vigorous SINGLE stem growing upwards.
The plant seems to respond naturally to a single stem with fastest growth, and the goal is to get up as quickly as possible. If it slows down or stops for whatever reason you will have to wait for a new tip branch to form and accelerate upwards again. A good grower might never stop. Then when it reaches the top branch out and make the drooping form. Once those branches get full growth you are set to flower. With luck starting now that could be in early fall, about 8 months. Not sure what they will do during Fall in Texas, there may be some day length sensitivity.

I'm just getting started, and what I am telling you is mostly gleaned from watching what the professionals in Vietnam have done, they lead the world in production so I am trying to emulate them. Others may have new and different methods. Mine are just beginning to branch at the top. In my area established plants have come out of dormancy and are actively growing. Flowering here should be starting early summer.

ricshaw

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2545 on: March 31, 2018, 09:54:50 PM »
Hello, super new and super dumb here but if I could bother anybody to answer a few very basic questions about growing dragon fruit I would be so very grateful.. I really want to start growing Dragon Fruit (happy to keep it indoors when necessary due to my zone) but particularly a yellow. I found a place that has a yellow variety cutting in stock and in their description they say it is best to grow with 2-3 other varieties for cross pollination. <snip>

First you will need to learn the difference between the attractive, but bland tasting, yellow H. Undatus Dragon Fruit variety and the sweeter better tasting yellow S. Megalanthis Dragon Fruit variety.



The description that says it is best to grow 2 - 3 different varieties for cross pollination may indicate the seller is selling the yellow H. Undatus variety.
« Last Edit: March 31, 2018, 09:58:12 PM by ricshaw »

RobPatterson

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2546 on: April 01, 2018, 12:15:10 AM »
Hello, super new and super dumb here but if I could bother anybody to answer a few very basic questions about growing dragon fruit I would be so very grateful.. I really want to start growing Dragon Fruit (happy to keep it indoors when necessary due to my zone) but particularly a yellow. I found a place that has a yellow variety cutting in stock and in their description they say it is best to grow with 2-3 other varieties for cross pollination. I've looked up how to do the pollinating myself but, probably because this is such a stupid question, I haven't actually heard somebody directly state if a yellow dragon fruit can cross pollinate with a red variety for instance. My impression is you can but if you grow another fruit from the seeds produced it'll be a new variety and that's one reason (in addition to ease/speed) people use cuttings, to maintain favorable variety. I just don't want to buy the only yellow cutting I can find available online at the moment and pair it with something I'm too ignorant to realize isn't compatible. Also how would I cross pollinate with more than one variety if I were to buckle down and dedicate enough house space to three plants..? Do I just gather pollen from all three and swap or is it just best to shuffle it up after a harvest or two so it's not always the same thing..? Another thing that seems important, is there any way to influence two or more plants to flower at the same time? Do they have the internal clock or do I just hope for the best? I know the flowers don't last long and I've heard you can freeze the pollen for up to 30 days if you really need to but even then at the very least I can't pollinate the first flower I see. Not a big deal I'm just wondering if there's something I'm missing. Or can I buy a red variety that is self pollinating but also use that to pollinate a yellow variety that isn't..?
I would love to ask ten more questions and really go into this as prepared as possible but I'm also happy to fail until I get it right and really I just want to understand the cross pollination thing so I'll stop there. Thanks so much to anybody who let me take their time and good day to all
Ok, first off, your best bet is to start back a few pages and read up on past discussion. a lot of questions about pollinization, crossbreeding and such can be found there. Second, do NOT grow dragon fruit thinking your main crop is going to be the yellow fruit. The Megalanthus, the yellow that's actually good, is a giant pain in the rear to grow and to get to produce, and even harder to wait for, as it has a ripening time up to 3 TIMES that of common dragon fruit. What you should strive for is to produce a collection of fruit, and if you want to include the yellow into that, that's fine. Try and pick yourself up a good red/magenta variety, like American Beauty, or others, for fruit production, one of the sweeter white ones for presentation, and as I recommend to everyone, try and get at least one S-8 "sugar dragon" for both flavor and pollen production. You can add yellows, or anything else you fancy, to this list. Yellow Megalanthus is not what I would call a 'beginners' variety. I grew it for a while and Ive removed it from my collection. I have limited space and it wasn't worth the resources required to maintain it.
Other than that, welcome to the community. I'm sure we can help you get into the groove of things here.

Rannman

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2547 on: April 01, 2018, 05:54:03 AM »
Well said, Rob.
I’ve often wondered why people who are ‘really keen’ to get into growing dragonfruit, don’t take the time to browse through the 100+ pages of info on this particular thread!
I can honestly say that I’ve read every post on this thread and some posts, two or three times! Any question I’ve had is usually answered 10 fold if you take the time to sit down and read what’s on offer.
Having said that, growing half a dozen varieties is a whole lot more satisfying than focusing on 1 particular variety! I’ve waited all season for my megalanthus to flower(and it has just put out six buds heading into winter), and while waiting, I’ve collected probably 200kg of other varieties over the past 5 months!
More is better in growing dragonfruit!

On a different note, the variety G-2, has been the top pick with everyone who has sampled the varieties I’ve picked this season. Truly a top selection for anyone starting out!

beicadad

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2548 on: April 01, 2018, 12:30:40 PM »
Rob, can you share a little more on challenges of growing the giant yellow? I am grafting seedings onto other DF vines and would love to hear more about it.

Rannman, is there a more common name of G2? Not sure if it’s available in the states.

Thanks.

bassisti95

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2549 on: April 01, 2018, 05:12:23 PM »
Well said, Rob.
I’ve often wondered why people who are ‘really keen’ to get into growing dragonfruit, don’t take the time to browse through the 100+ pages of info on this particular thread!

Quite on the contrary my friend I'm very excited to have found a place with so much information and so many conversations for me to read through. I'm very sorry to ask questions that have already been answered it's just that like I said I have only found three websites that sell yellow dragon fruit cuttings and only one of them has it in stock, I was only hoping to find a quick answer to know if I can pollinate it properly so I can purchase a cutting before they sell out the last of their stock and I'm left without any places that have yellow cuttings in stock. I'm ecstatic to read through all of these posts and learn as much as I can and thank you so very much for your advice I truly appreciate it. Personally I'm not worried about the yellow plant spitting fruit out to me as fast as any variety that's why I'm not bothered that I need another plant anyway to cross pollinate. My working plan is to pair a red/pink/magenta variety with the yellow anyway but your point brings up to me that even if I'm okay with one fruiting much more slowly, I'm that much more likely to find myself with a flowering red while the yellow isn't ready to flower so I'd be unable to pollinate the red anyway. Def something good to consider beforehand so again thank you very much. I'm really trying to learn as much as possible I appreciate everybody's kindness. I guess if I'm going with the yellow I need to have three or more after all, two which can take care of each other and then I can just pollinate the yellow whenever it can produce
« Last Edit: April 01, 2018, 05:25:27 PM by bassisti95 »