Author Topic: Dragon Fruit thread.  (Read 941498 times)

ricshaw

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2250 on: August 26, 2017, 12:32:04 PM »
I think some people in Florida don't realize how dry and different California weather is compared to Vietnam, Malaysia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Florida.

The Dragon Fruit Production Tour pictures above are of Southern California commercial growers, not the UC.

ricshaw

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2251 on: August 26, 2017, 01:57:53 PM »
Ric,

In your video of 2014 irrigation trials, the plants are absolutely white with scale. What sort of results does that give? 


¯\_(ツ)_/¯  How little water can be used?   ::)

Remember: The UC Farm Advisory trials are research.

UCCE MVP Farms Pitahaya/Dragon Fruit Field Day-October 3, 2014
« Last Edit: August 26, 2017, 03:27:26 PM by ricshaw »

ricshaw

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2252 on: August 26, 2017, 03:22:44 PM »



Note: "Topics to be Discussed"

I am not a commercial DF grower or UC researcher.

Some more pictures posted yesterday on Facebook of Dragon Fruit Production Tour.

David Melendez and Paco Frausto shared:

Some are saying this is Selenacereus grandaflorus






Gray Martin, Commercial DF grower and Ramiro Lobo, UC DF researcher.



FYI: For those who have never heard of Gray E. Martin... the GEM Avocado was named after him.

TheWaterbug

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2253 on: August 26, 2017, 06:06:56 PM »
Whoa! I just found a monster dragon fruit planting, right near the McDonalds that I frequent in Lomita, CA:







It's not as big as the one from ricshaw's photo, but it's pretty impressive, especially for Los Angeles.

Look at that stem in the 3rd photo! It's as big around as my biceps, and there's a second one around the back.

There are plenty of blooms on it right now (lower right of photo #1) but I saw zero fruit set. They probably need pollinators and/or different pollen.

I removed the geotag from the photos, but if anyone in LA wants to make a pilgrimage, send me a PM.

Bad news: the owner of this house apparently passed away recently.

Good news: he willed the property to the City of Lomita to develop into Teuchert Park! It's beautiful! So now anyone can go and view this extraordinary dragonfruit plant.

Bad news: There are dozens of dropped blossoms on the ground, and no fruit set. This may need a cross-pollinator.

Good news: I might sneak into the park some time and stealth-plant another variety  :D

Bad news: There are no hours posted, and when I stopped by yesterday evening, the gate was locked.  >:(
« Last Edit: August 26, 2017, 06:08:33 PM by TheWaterbug »
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pineislander

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2254 on: August 27, 2017, 08:12:10 AM »
Ric,

In your video of 2014 irrigation trials, the plants are absolutely white with scale. What sort of results does that give? 


¯\_(ツ)_/¯  How little water can be used?   ::)

Remember: The UC Farm Advisory trials are research.

UCCE MVP Farms Pitahaya/Dragon Fruit Field Day-October 3, 2014
What I saw was a new planting and wondered why all the plants were white?


Then you zoomed in and I could see the total scale infestation.


I'm sure there are PhD entomologists at UC who could have diagnosed that, anybody could see it. In a research project that is really called a "confounding factor", a no-go introducing a variable which could introduce a spurious result.

ricshaw

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2255 on: August 27, 2017, 10:59:47 AM »

What I saw was a new planting and wondered why all the plants were white?


Then you zoomed in and I could see the total scale infestation.


I'm sure there are PhD entomologists at UC who could have diagnosed that, anybody could see it. In a research project that is really called a "confounding factor", a no-go introducing a variable which could introduce a spurious result.

 ;D  What I see is diluted white latex paint used to protect plants from sunburn. Very common on young avocado and citrus trees.

TheWaterbug

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2256 on: August 27, 2017, 12:13:35 PM »
I think some people in Florida don't realize how dry and different California weather is compared to Vietnam, Malaysia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Florida.


Yup. Especially Southern California. Many areas are, climatologically-speaking, a desert. In many years we get less than 10" of rain.


I can't think of any food crops in S. California that are not irrigated.
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spaugh

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2257 on: August 27, 2017, 01:46:40 PM »
I think some people in Florida don't realize how dry and different California weather is compared to Vietnam, Malaysia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Florida.


Yup. Especially Southern California. Many areas are, climatologically-speaking, a desert. In many years we get less than 10" of rain.


I can't think of any food crops in S. California that are not irrigated.

Prickly pear cactus does ok
Brad Spaugh

SandyL

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2258 on: September 03, 2017, 01:04:57 PM »
For someone who has tasted or knowledge of both S8 and Frankie's Red , which one you think is superior in taste and worth adding to ones collection?

simon_grow

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2259 on: September 03, 2017, 01:55:38 PM »
I have both varieties and have tasted both varieties. I would highly recommend planting both.

S8 or Sugar Dragon is a universal pollinator and has multiple crops a season. It's production is very high, probably due to the very small size of the fruit but the eating quality is exceptional. Because it produces so many flowers throughout the year, you will have a better chance of it cross pollinating any other variety of DF planted in your yard. The flavor of the fruit is very sweet with a hint of berry acidity common to the varieties with purplish pink colored flesh.

I highly recommend also planting Frankie's Red because it will extend your season. FR ripens from about now until Winter. It ripens kinda in between the red/Purple/white and the S Megalanthus but there is overlap. To really extend the season, also plant the S/H Megalanthus for very late fruit. The FR is a sweet fruit with flavor that is a mix of the Megalanthus and the Red/purple varieties. The fruit are typically larger than the S8. The fruit also has spines on it like the Megalanthus so they are less likely to be eaten by varmin.

Simon

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2260 on: September 03, 2017, 02:35:54 PM »
I have both varieties and have tasted both varieties. I would highly recommend planting both.

S8 or Sugar Dragon is a universal pollinator and has multiple crops a season. It's production is very high, probably due to the very small size of the fruit but the eating quality is exceptional. Because it produces so many flowers throughout the year, you will have a better chance of it cross pollinating any other variety of DF planted in your yard. The flavor of the fruit is very sweet with a hint of berry acidity common to the varieties with purplish pink colored flesh.

I highly recommend also planting Frankie's Red because it will extend your season. FR ripens from about now until Winter. It ripens kinda in between the red/Purple/white and the S Megalanthus but there is overlap. To really extend the season, also plant the S/H Megalanthus for very late fruit. The FR is a sweet fruit with flavor that is a mix of the Megalanthus and the Red/purple varieties. The fruit are typically larger than the S8. The fruit also has spines on it like the Megalanthus so they are less likely to be eaten by varmin.

Simon


Ah I see. So both has their pros. S8 being really sweet with hints of berry while the FR extends your fruit harvest.
I'm glad I picked up a S8 cutting. But unfortunately the FR is so hard to get ones hand on. I found a site that sells it but I recently bought a cutting from him and results weren't good. Item arrived damaged and most likely damaged during transit. So I was left with a few inches of cutting...ugh
So I'm really hesitant in ordering from him again. The cutting was only wrapped with a thin sheet of newspaper like material and then boxed. So there's goes my chance of getting a FR from him.
Mattslandscape site for some reason is not working .
I guess I'll probably have to wait until it becomes more readily available.
But thank for the insite on both varieties.
« Last Edit: September 03, 2017, 02:37:53 PM by SandyL »

wayne23

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2261 on: September 04, 2017, 02:40:10 AM »
I think some people in Florida don't realize how dry and different California weather is compared to Vietnam, Malaysia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Florida.


Yup. Especially Southern California. Many areas are, climatologically-speaking, a desert. In many years we get less than 10" of rain.


I can't think of any food crops in S. California that are not irrigated.

Prickly pear cactus does ok

You should grow a Peruvian Apple.  Very sweet fruit with crunchy seed like sugar crystals.  Absolutely delicious.

JF

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2262 on: September 06, 2017, 12:21:10 AM »
valdivia roja
sweet dragon
san ignacio
guatemala
arizona purple
physical grafitti


spaugh

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2263 on: September 06, 2017, 12:29:33 AM »
I think some people in Florida don't realize how dry and different California weather is compared to Vietnam, Malaysia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Florida.


Yup. Especially Southern California. Many areas are, climatologically-speaking, a desert. In many years we get less than 10" of rain.


I can't think of any food crops in S. California that are not irrigated.

Prickly pear cactus does ok

You should grow a Peruvian Apple.  Very sweet fruit with crunchy seed like sugar crystals.  Absolutely delicious.

I had some of those growing but believe it or not deer ate the entire cactus.  Maybe I will try again insude the deer fence.  They are all over in town in poway.
Brad Spaugh

SandyL

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2264 on: September 08, 2017, 01:02:09 PM »
Omg! I'm soooo excited! I had my first bloom and only bloom last night!
Two other buds were killed off by sudden heat wave we had. I went out last night at around 11 pm to hand pollinate this Purple Haze bloom.
Is there a recommend time frame after the flower opens to pollinate for better fruit set?
And I know it's Sept right now but is it possible for the plant to have another flush of buds?

« Last Edit: September 08, 2017, 01:03:58 PM by SandyL »

TheWaterbug

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2265 on: September 08, 2017, 05:12:37 PM »
Nice flower, SandyL!


I'm excited, too. My La Verne Yellow just pushed out its first buds:





I hope it's self-fertile, because I don't have any other similar varieties around, and I'm sort of assuming it won't cross with regular DF, correct?


Then again even my regular DFs won't pollinate each other. I've been putting La Verne Pink's pollen on my Physical Graffiti and vice versa, but neither has set any fruit yet. >:( >:(
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SandyL

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2266 on: September 08, 2017, 05:37:03 PM »
Thanks! And congrats on your buds too TheWaterBug!!!
If it's the yellow variety with the spines on the fruit then I think it's self fertile.
I'm not sure about the pink pollen with the physical
Graffiti though, maybe it's too simialr in variety. I heard physical graffiti is not self fertile.  If you can get a hold of S8 aka sugar dragon, it's universal pollinator.
Hope you share pics of your fruits of the yellow variety!
« Last Edit: September 08, 2017, 05:42:22 PM by SandyL »

TheWaterbug

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2267 on: September 08, 2017, 06:04:47 PM »
I have two S-8 cuttings (thanks, Ric!) that have rooted and that are growing now, but I'm probably at least a year from having flowers.


Speaking of which, I probably need to build at least 1 or 2 more trellises. I know how I'm spending my weekend!
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Louie

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2268 on: September 08, 2017, 06:20:28 PM »







Hi Everyone, I was looking for some advice.  I have a few dragonfruit in various stages of ripeness.  I also have a few friends who are coming into town next Sunday (9/17) who i have promised said dragonfruit to.  I would like the fruit to be as good as possible and was wondering if it would be better to pick the fruit that is dead ripe now and store in the fridge, or if it would be better to leave the ripe fruit on the vine until next Sunday even though it is perfectly ripe now.  I have previously left dragonfruit in the fridge for a little over a week and it seemed good, just wondering if anyone knows if it is better to leave on the vine.  Thanks for any help and suggestions.

boopnloop

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2269 on: September 08, 2017, 06:38:29 PM »
Hey fellow dragonfruit growers! I'm a complete newbie when it comes to this. Have a couple questions!

 My plants (where I got them from) were started as tissue cultures. I read that growing from seed can take years to produce, are tissue cultures the same? Or would it be similar to a small cutting?

Also, what size pot do y'all recommend for small plants? (Under 1 foot tall)

SandyL

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2270 on: September 08, 2017, 08:18:15 PM »
I have two S-8 cuttings (thanks, Ric!) that have rooted and that are growing now, but I'm probably at least a year from having flowers.


Speaking of which, I probably need to build at least 1 or 2 more trellises. I know how I'm spending my weekend!

That's great! I too have some S8 cuttings that are in the same position as yours. Now I'm just looking to see if I can find a Frankie's red.
I didn't know la Verne nursery sells the yellow one. Did you order online?

TheWaterbug

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2271 on: September 08, 2017, 09:46:22 PM »
That's great! I too have some S8 cuttings that are in the same position as yours. Now I'm just looking to see if I can find a Frankie's red.
I didn't know la Verne nursery sells the yellow one. Did you order online?


I bought in person it during a pilgrimage to La Verne's nursery in Fillmore a few years ago.
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TheWaterbug

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2272 on: September 08, 2017, 09:56:23 PM »
For support you might try something like this:


I'm pretty happy with how the bottom part turned out, and with the overall strength. I'm 220#, and I can hang from the top supports without any scary creaky sounds. It should be able to handle whatever grows through it.

But I wasn't really thinking very clearly when I made the top a mirror of the bottom. As it is I have to thread the vertical stems through the gaps between the 2 x 4s, and there really isn't much in the way of lateral supports for the horizontal branches. I might nail some 2 x 4s diagonally across the corners of the top supports, but that makes for a funky miter angle.

Due to the way I've nailed these together, disassembly is pretty much impossible.

If I were to do these over again I'd probably do something like what Tim did at the top of his trellises:


except bigger. Come to think of it, I could use Tim's design both top and bottom. From what I can see it uses less wood and labor.
After some thought I think I like my design for the bottom of the trellis and Tim's for the top. So I modeled it in Sketchup:



There's a free version of Sketchup (see link, above), so anyone can download the model, view it, modify it, etc. It's dimensionally accurate, so you can click on segments and get lengths, etc.

It's a pretty big trellis; the center 4 x 4 post is 6' tall. The upper "clear" distance/radius around the center post is 1' in both directions, and the bottom arms extend 2' from the center post. It could probably be scaled down, but I like to overbuild things. ;D
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ricshaw

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2273 on: September 08, 2017, 10:09:20 PM »
Nice flower, SandyL!


I'm excited, too. My La Verne Yellow just pushed out its first buds:





I hope it's self-fertile, because I don't have any other similar varieties around, and I'm sort of assuming it won't cross with regular DF, correct?


Then again even my regular DFs won't pollinate each other. I've been putting La Verne Pink's pollen on my Physical Graffiti and vice versa, but neither has set any fruit yet. >:( >:(

You should be able to cross pollinate megalanthus with regular DF pollen.

Frankie's Red is a megalanthus x polyrhizus hybrid.

dmk

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2274 on: September 09, 2017, 03:08:15 AM »
Hey fellow dragonfruit growers! I'm a complete newbie when it comes to this. Have a couple questions!

 My plants (where I got them from) were started as tissue cultures. I read that growing from seed can take years to produce, are tissue cultures the same? Or would it be similar to a small cutting?

Also, what size pot do y'all recommend for small plants? (Under 1 foot tall)

I have tissue culture plants about 3 years old and they haven't yet fruited. I think they take as long as seedling plants. Shall update if I ever get a fruit.