Author Topic: Dragon Fruit thread.  (Read 940154 times)

simon_grow

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2475 on: December 17, 2017, 12:16:57 PM »
I know Edgar is the expert but I believe he is wrong. I state this because a forum member here has grown the giant variety here in California and fruited it to large size. He posted pictures on this forum but I forget under what thread title.

We should know in a few years because many people ordered seeds from Dragon.

Simon

SandyL

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2476 on: December 17, 2017, 05:17:22 PM »
I know Edgar is the expert but I believe he is wrong. I state this because a forum member here has grown the giant variety here in California and fruited it to large size. He posted pictures on this forum but I forget under what thread title.

We should know in a few years because many people ordered seeds from Dragon.

Simon

Ah.. this gives me hope. Good to know. Cause planted some Peruvian Giant yellow, so hopefully in a few years , I’ll have fruit which hopefully is bigger than the regular S.M.

Dragon? Is there a way I can order seeds from Dragon?

simon_grow

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2477 on: December 17, 2017, 08:12:15 PM »
Here you go, I’m not sure if this is the same seller from years past but he has seeds available.

http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=26031.0

Simon

SandyL

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2478 on: December 17, 2017, 10:09:59 PM »
Here you go, I’m not sure if this is the same seller from years past but he has seeds available.

http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=26031.0

Simon

Thanks Simon.
Ohh... that’s the guy I bought the Peruvian Giant yellow seeds from. It just sprouted a couple days ago.
Is the Peruvian giant the same as the one from Ecuador?
Now I just gonna wait a couple years to see what size fruit I get.

Rannman

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2479 on: December 18, 2017, 05:56:20 AM »
I’m not sure if this is legit, but it’s an interesting concept. Seedlings grafted onto mature stems.


ricshaw

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2480 on: December 18, 2017, 10:10:18 AM »
I’m not sure if this is legit, but it’s an interesting concept. Seedlings grafted onto mature stems.

Legit attempts to grafting seedlings onto mature Dragon Fruit stems.

Waiting for pictures of success.

NateTheGreat

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2481 on: December 18, 2017, 12:20:02 PM »
I’m not sure if this is legit, but it’s an interesting concept. Seedlings grafted onto mature stems.


I experimented with this with an ornamental epicactus cross I did last year (Aporocactus x Aporophyllum) and grafted the seedlings a bit further along. My grafts didn't take. Maybe if I used a humidity chamber or used Vaseline to keep in the moisture, but this year I'm just going to wait longer. I think I did five. For most I cut just above the cotyledons, but I know I did at least one with cotyledons attached as shown, and one where I grafted the roots on, since some people said that had worked for them. None of these took.











I've probably done two dozen attempts at grafting epicacti. In that time I think I've had two real successes, which were both on S. grandiflorus with all the areoles removed from the stock. When I haven't removed the areoles, it would just keep pushing out of the base. I've done probably a half dozen grafts onto Hylocereus, never had any success with that. Some of that's technique (or lack thereof).

I think that picture is fake. Even if you managed to graft a seedling with only cotyledons, those don't look like DF cotyledons to me, the seedling's too big, and the callus looks odd. Here's what a S. megalanthus seedling looks like next to a mature (undatus) cutting:



You'll note the woody vascular bundle. Because of that one generally grafts to young growth. I think the main way to graft to H. undatus, like they do for the chlorophyll-lacking cacti, is to cut off a 4-6" new shoot of undatus, graft onto that, root, and once it's got roots on it cut away the areoles. Doing this though means you can't graft onto a huge piece. I've tried doing this without cutting the young undatus piece off, and cutting a few feet of mature growth with it, but the grafts didn't take at all. The pictured piece is from one of those experiments, which is why I have it lying around.
« Last Edit: December 18, 2017, 12:29:54 PM by NateTheGreat »

simon_grow

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Rannman

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2483 on: December 21, 2017, 04:50:28 AM »



Here’s a few I picked today. They’re growing a bit quick and starting to split. All good solid fruit for cuttings in their second year!

Kada

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2484 on: December 21, 2017, 07:13:09 AM »
I've grafted tens of thousands of cactus on hylocereus stocks
  Seedlings included.  Hylocereus needs to be prepared and by the pics above it looks they they did it alright.  Trick is using new growth as cuttings, removing areoles and apical meristem and allowing to swell before grafting.  Trouble with hylocereus grafting is the vascular tissues get woody fast, but if all the growth points are removed it won't get woody.

Although a great stock, the prep work requires cuttings a few months before being ready.  Generally the cactus family readily graft to each other and I use different species for seedlings grafts.  But I would put hylocereus, sepenicereus and acanthocereus right up there with fast root stock options!

I wrote some articles on my site about cactus grafting.  If it's allowed I can post links, note they are quite old but the majority of the content still holds true.

TheWaterbug

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2485 on: December 21, 2017, 05:42:38 PM »
Are the skins/rinds from regular red Dragonfruit edible? What do they taste like, if they are edible?


They have such a great color that I'm wondering if I could extract it into a liquer or something.
Sunset 23/USDA 11a, Elev. 783', Frost free since 8,000 BC. Plagued by squirrels, gophers, and peafowl, but coming to terms with it!

Dangermouse01

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2486 on: December 21, 2017, 08:32:53 PM »
Are the skins/rinds from regular red Dragonfruit edible? What do they taste like, if they are edible?


They have such a great color that I'm wondering if I could extract it into a liquer or something.
Never tried to eat the skins, but I have dehydrated them and then seep them in hot water for a tea type of drink.

TheWaterbug

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2487 on: December 21, 2017, 08:34:32 PM »
How did the tea taste?

Sunset 23/USDA 11a, Elev. 783', Frost free since 8,000 BC. Plagued by squirrels, gophers, and peafowl, but coming to terms with it!

wayne23

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2488 on: December 22, 2017, 01:12:00 AM »
I've grafted tens of thousands of cactus on hylocereus stocks
  Seedlings included.  Hylocereus needs to be prepared and by the pics above it looks they they did it alright.  Trick is using new growth as cuttings, removing areoles and apical meristem and allowing to swell before grafting.  Trouble with hylocereus grafting is the vascular tissues get woody fast, but if all the growth points are removed it won't get woody.

Although a great stock, the prep work requires cuttings a few months before being ready.  Generally the cactus family readily graft to each other and I use different species for seedlings grafts.  But I would put hylocereus, sepenicereus and acanthocereus right up there with fast root stock options!

I wrote some articles on my site about cactus grafting.  If it's allowed I can post links, note they are quite old but the majority of the content still holds true.
Please share your links.  Thanks

SandyL

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2489 on: January 06, 2018, 10:31:41 PM »
Stopped by at the grocery store and noticed they were selling 2 different sizes of the yellow dragon. They had the smaller one, about the size of a guava. And this one, which I bought. It was I think 14 oz, so almost a pound. It was being sold at $8.99/ lb and the smaller one was $6.99/ lb. I wonder why the price difference. I’m wondering if it’s due to the size or could the bigger one be the giant yellow. But it still tastes good. 😋 I
I also see that it's getting to be more readily available especially in Asian maekets. I just found it being sold in another market.


Kada

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2490 on: January 21, 2018, 10:26:21 AM »
note these are written a while ago and some of my opinions have changed with growing things since then, but the basics hold true for grafting.

some of the articles are here: http://kadasgardens.com/Articles.html

because hylocereus have thin ribs, they dehydrate super fast.  i would graft tips, or cut the tips and wait for new offsets to emerge and graft teh new offsets for a thicker, rounder scion that is a hundred times easier to work with.

note this is mainly focused on using hylocereus as the root stock for slower and rarer cactus species, but it would be the logical rootstock for a hylocereus plantation as well so may be useful.
http://kadasgardens.com/grafting5.html

and if you are a breeder and trying to get new seeds up to snuff, this is the the best option for such endeavors.
http://kadasgardens.com/grafting1.html

ricshaw

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2491 on: January 21, 2018, 10:35:22 AM »
note these are written a while ago and some of my opinions have changed with growing things since then, but the basics hold true for grafting.
some of the articles are here: http://kadasgardens.com/Articles.html
because hylocereus have thin ribs, they dehydrate super fast.  i would graft tips, or cut the tips and wait for new offsets to emerge and graft teh new offsets for a thicker, rounder scion that is a hundred times easier to work with.
note this is mainly focused on using hylocereus as the root stock for slower and rarer cactus species, but it would be the logical rootstock for a hylocereus plantation as well so may be useful.
http://kadasgardens.com/grafting5.html
and if you are a breeder and trying to get new seeds up to snuff, this is the the best option for such endeavors.
http://kadasgardens.com/grafting1.html

Several Southern California Dragon Fruit hobbyist are interested and have shared pictures on Facebook of grafting Dragon Fruit onto hylocereus stock.
I am sure that it can be done, but still waiting for pictures of success getting the grafts to flowering stage.

Kada

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2492 on: January 21, 2018, 10:42:35 AM »
its easy, they just dry out easy so care should be taken in that aspect.  the areoles can be grafted if not much scion stock is around.  but generally once  a person has plants growing, there is no real logical reason to graft as cuttings are fast and easy.  grafting tends to just be done when one is either breeding or only has a very limited supply and wants to proliferate fast, thus cutting tips and grafting offsets or areole grafting is the way to go.  in my opinion is a bit silly to graft hylocereus onto hylocereus unless there is some kind of environmental condition to be overcome.  if proliferation is the goal, pereskiopsis is the stock to use.

FamilyJ

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2493 on: January 21, 2018, 10:58:19 AM »
not sure why to graft they grow super fast, but still waiting to get hands on Asunta Family

Orkine

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2494 on: January 28, 2018, 06:24:22 PM »
I have seeds from the fruit in the link below for anyone who wants some.
I have germinated some and don't need the rest.


http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=26562.0


Orkine

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2495 on: January 28, 2018, 06:24:45 PM »
Duplicate

Anto989

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2496 on: February 08, 2018, 03:33:34 PM »
Hi guys,I bought epsom salt for my dragons,but don't know if best to spray or put on the soil ,any advice? need also to know the quantities to use.

Same for vermicast,bought about 50kg  ::)

beicadad

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2497 on: February 09, 2018, 10:22:24 PM »
I have pots with 25 inch diameter, how many cuttings can I grow in each pot? Thanks!

wayne23

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2498 on: February 10, 2018, 12:32:56 AM »
Hi guys,I bought epsom salt for my dragons,but don't know if best to spray or put on the soil ,any advice? need also to know the quantities to use.

Same for vermicast,bought about 50kg  ::)

I mixed 1tbsp per gallon of water.  Applied using watering can directly to the soil. 

ricshaw

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2499 on: February 10, 2018, 01:19:26 AM »
I have pots with 25 inch diameter, how many cuttings can I grow in each pot? Thanks!

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