Author Topic: Dragon Fruit thread.  (Read 935482 times)

LEOOEL

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #625 on: June 25, 2014, 05:53:06 PM »
Thank you, Starling1, for that, I appreciate it. I'm 'gonna' go with a length of 3 feet for each of the six pieces, to build the square 'wooden-crown' at the top of the round peg wood post. Then, come hell or high water, I'm 'gonna' take a picture of the finished job and post it.
« Last Edit: June 25, 2014, 05:56:12 PM by LEOOEL »
'Virtue' should be taught, learned and propagated, in order to save others and oneself.

starling1

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #626 on: June 25, 2014, 06:12:21 PM »
Thank you, Starling1, for that, I appreciate it. I'm 'gonna' go with a length of 3 feet for each of the six pieces, to build the square 'wooden-crown' at the top of the round peg wood post. Then, come hell or high water, I'm 'gonna' take a picture of the finished job and post it.

Don't use a round post, the screws you use won't sit flush with surface and won't be as stable. Use a square post.

The post in the picture also has countersunk screws. You'll probably need to do this too, make sure you have a countersinking wood drill bill. Because the wood is pine, don't countersink too deep, go 1/3 of the total width only others the wood will break at these points after weight is applied.

JeffDM

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #627 on: June 25, 2014, 06:16:37 PM »
Just started growing my first Dragon Fruit a few months ago.
What are the buds growing out of the top of the plant?
Is it just branching or are those the start of flowers?





starling1

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #628 on: June 25, 2014, 06:20:23 PM »
Just started growing my first Dragon Fruit a few months ago.
What are the buds growing out of the top of the plant?
Is it just branching or are those the start of flowers?





That's new growth Jeff.

If you fertilise them with charlie carp/liquid fish fertiliser  mixed strong you can really hurry them along.

ricshaw

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #629 on: June 26, 2014, 12:01:40 AM »

That's new growth Jeff.

If you fertilise them with charlie carp/liquid fish fertiliser  mixed strong you can really hurry them along.

Is Charlie Carp fertilizer sold in the U.S.?

starling1

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #630 on: June 26, 2014, 12:46:32 AM »


Not sure Ric. If not you can probably just buy it off ebay.

If some company in the US isn't already making it somebody should, I know the US has an even bigger problem with Asian carp then Australia.

fyliu

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #631 on: June 26, 2014, 01:54:27 PM »
Very nice comprehensive list of DF cultivars.  What's the history behind the G2?  I got some cuttings from the OC scion exchange but I cannot find any information on it.  What's the flesh color, brix level, and frost tolerance?

Good luck.  I got a potted cutting from Irvine Pitahaya Festival labeled "D-47".  Don't know anything about it except it came from the UCCE Irvine Pitahaya Research Center.
That G2 might have been from me :). I originally got it from Jim Rockoff in SD. It's a wild selection. Medium large size, magenta color, very good sweet flavor and thin skin. Vines are more narrow than other varieties, with 1 spine over each bud, like other "Guatemalan types". It's been used for DF breeding but I don't think the resulting varieties like the ones by Paul Thomson are any better than G2.
I think there were G1 G2 G3 but I haven't heard much about the other ones.

ricshaw

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #632 on: June 26, 2014, 03:05:31 PM »
My guess is the original G1, G2, & G3 are seedlings from one piece of fruit.

Dangermouse01

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #633 on: June 26, 2014, 04:07:47 PM »
Thank you, Starling1, for that, I appreciate it. I'm 'gonna' go with a length of 3 feet for each of the six pieces, to build the square 'wooden-crown' at the top of the round peg wood post. Then, come hell or high water, I'm 'gonna' take a picture of the finished job and post it.

Mine are actually a 30" x 27" rectangle rather than a square. They are 30" across the front because it left 42" between the rectangle frame of the next trellis, and 27" front to back so I could have 4 feet from the rectangle and the fence behind the row, so I could walk behind them easy. Also those dimensions probably let me get the most out of  all my 8' long 2x4's with the minimal waste.

Assuming you are using 8 foot lengths, cutting for a 3 foot square frame, only lets you get two 3 foot piece and leaves you a piece right about 2 foot long from each 8 foot length.

DM

xshen

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #634 on: June 26, 2014, 04:21:46 PM »
Very nice comprehensive list of DF cultivars.  What's the history behind the G2?  I got some cuttings from the OC scion exchange but I cannot find any information on it.  What's the flesh color, brix level, and frost tolerance?

Good luck.  I got a potted cutting from Irvine Pitahaya Festival labeled "D-47".  Don't know anything about it except it came from the UCCE Irvine Pitahaya Research Center.
That G2 might have been from me :). I originally got it from Jim Rockoff in SD. It's a wild selection. Medium large size, magenta color, very good sweet flavor and thin skin. Vines are more narrow than other varieties, with 1 spine over each bud, like other "Guatemalan types". It's been used for DF breeding but I don't think the resulting varieties like the ones by Paul Thomson are any better than G2.
I think there were G1 G2 G3 but I haven't heard much about the other ones.


Thanks for the explaination Fang.  This sounds like a good variety to keep around. 

The valdivia roja I got from you is blooming and the flower looks viable and I am going to manually pollinate it. 

I'll have to take pic.

MassSpectrum

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #635 on: June 26, 2014, 06:52:25 PM »
Blue Dragon Fruit??

This page mention w/ tiny pic a "NEW Blue":
http://botanicalgrowersnetwork.net/znetsol/1-ProductPages/Dragon/default.p.htm

Puzzled I google'd and found a Vietnamese page mentioning "Blue" but I dont see what they mean:
http://vietnam.vnanet.vn/vnp/en-us/13/36452/economy/blue-dragon-fruits-with-red-flesh-in-hanoi.html


starling1

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #636 on: June 26, 2014, 06:55:24 PM »
Blue Dragon Fruit??

This page mention w/ tiny pic a "NEW Blue":
http://botanicalgrowersnetwork.net/znetsol/1-ProductPages/Dragon/default.p.htm

Puzzled I google'd and found a Vietnamese page mentioning "Blue" but I dont see what they mean:
http://vietnam.vnanet.vn/vnp/en-us/13/36452/economy/blue-dragon-fruits-with-red-flesh-in-hanoi.html

Although I'm only speculating, I'm guessing they are referring to the colour of the plant itself, the way grey is sometimes referred to as blue in dog breeds.

MassSpectrum

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #637 on: June 26, 2014, 07:03:46 PM »
That's what it looks like in the first page, but I dont see it in the second.

Here it is:
Hylocereus Bronxensis Blue
http://w3flora.com/RealFloraDragonFruit.aspx?submenuheader=7&page=2

"Rare and endangered this three sided segmented climbing cactus is like no other. New growth is lime green soon turning to smoky blue. Flowers have never been seen yet."

Wonder what they mean by "In 7" Deep Cone".

Annoying how everything else is named by 'color'. I can see how it got so messy like that with all the sellers on ebay doing that.
« Last Edit: June 26, 2014, 07:05:57 PM by MassSpectrum »

LEOOEL

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #638 on: June 26, 2014, 11:01:58 PM »
Thank you, Starling1, for that, I appreciate it. I'm 'gonna' go with a length of 3 feet for each of the six pieces, to build the square 'wooden-crown' at the top of the round peg wood post. Then, come hell or high water, I'm 'gonna' take a picture of the finished job and post it.

Mine are actually a 30" x 27" rectangle rather than a square. They are 30" across the front because it left 42" between the rectangle frame of the next trellis, and 27" front to back so I could have 4 feet from the rectangle and the fence behind the row, so I could walk behind them easy. Also those dimensions probably let me get the most out of  all my 8' long 2x4's with the minimal waste.

Assuming you are using 8 foot lengths, cutting for a 3 foot square frame, only lets you get two 3 foot piece and leaves you a piece right about 2 foot long from each 8 foot length.

DM

DM, thanks for the info. Your 'wood crown' is about 6" less on each side than what I had it mind. But, your explanation above is brilliant, thank you so much. I now understand completly. To build the 'wood crown' I need a total of 6 pieces of wood, all of equal lengths. And, the only way to get those 6 wood pieces out of two 8' long 2"X4" long, is if they are each 30" long.

It looks like my 6 pieces of wood to make the 'wood crown' will have the same lengths as yours, 30". And, when my wood crown is finished, I'm sure it will look similar to yours.

I can't wait to have this 'DF Wood Crown' built, installed and posting a picture of it.This is the info. that I was looking for, thank you so much, I really appreciate it.
'Virtue' should be taught, learned and propagated, in order to save others and oneself.

xshen

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #639 on: June 27, 2014, 02:27:14 AM »
Here is a valdivia roja that bloomed tonight.  Beautiful flower.




MassSpectrum

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #640 on: June 27, 2014, 02:37:54 AM »
Hey cool the eventual flower looks a lot like my Queen of the Night (selenecereus grandifloris) that bloomed the night before last:










That bud you have there itself is stunning though. It really lives up to the "dragon" look too!

A friend brought over a 7' long piece, rather thin, a couple months ago, but before I got around to sticking an end of it into soil it was already forming that flower . It had little feeler roots coming out the end, so I planted them and 2 nights later it opened. I've had one in a gallon pot for over a year and it hasn't formed a bud yet...
« Last Edit: June 27, 2014, 02:57:52 AM by MassSpectrum »

Dangermouse01

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #641 on: June 27, 2014, 08:01:19 AM »
DM, thanks for the info. Your 'wood crown' is about 6" less on each side than what I had it mind. But, your explanation above is brilliant, thank you so much. I now understand completly. To build the 'wood crown' I need a total of 6 pieces of wood, all of equal lengths. And, the only way to get those 6 wood pieces out of two 8' long 2"X4" long, is if they are each 30" long.

It looks like my 6 pieces of wood to make the 'wood crown' will have the same lengths as yours, 30". And, when my wood crown is finished, I'm sure it will look similar to yours.

I can't wait to have this 'DF Wood Crown' built, installed and posting a picture of it.This is the info. that I was looking for, thank you so much, I really appreciate it.

If you cut all six pieces equal at 30", you will end up with a rectangle that is 30" x 33". If you want a square, for the 4 pieces that connect the front beam to the back beam, you have to reduce the length by the thickness of two 2x4's (thickness of one 2x4 is 1.50", so reduce by 3.00"). So, to get a 30" square, you would cut two pieces at 30" long and four pieces at 27" long.

Good luck.

DM

starling1

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #642 on: June 27, 2014, 05:26:41 PM »
DM, thanks for the info. Your 'wood crown' is about 6" less on each side than what I had it mind. But, your explanation above is brilliant, thank you so much. I now understand completly. To build the 'wood crown' I need a total of 6 pieces of wood, all of equal lengths. And, the only way to get those 6 wood pieces out of two 8' long 2"X4" long, is if they are each 30" long.

It looks like my 6 pieces of wood to make the 'wood crown' will have the same lengths as yours, 30". And, when my wood crown is finished, I'm sure it will look similar to yours.

I can't wait to have this 'DF Wood Crown' built, installed and posting a picture of it.This is the info. that I was looking for, thank you so much, I really appreciate it.

If you cut all six pieces equal at 30", you will end up with a rectangle that is 30" x 33". If you want a square, for the 4 pieces that connect the front beam to the back beam, you have to reduce the length by the thickness of two 2x4's (thickness of one 2x4 is 1.50", so reduce by 3.00"). So, to get a 30" square, you would cut two pieces at 30" long and four pieces at 27" long.

Good luck.

DM

Also remember that squares are stronger shapes than rectangles.

fyliu

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #643 on: June 28, 2014, 12:48:20 AM »
Wow that's a pretty nice flower. I only have a bud on my valdivia roja. It's from the Irvine field station and their fruits are pretty small for this variety. Hopefully your pollination will make it larger.

LEOOEL

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #644 on: June 28, 2014, 12:53:11 AM »
Thank you Starling1, I agree that squares are stronger shapes than rectangles. Nonetheless, I'm 'gonna' go with DangerMouse01's approach, I'm gonna keep it simple and go with the rectangle shape because it's just simpler/easier to build.

The crown will consist of 6 pieces of the same length. I've decided to go with a 3' length per piece after all. The 'wood-crown' will be built as follows: two of the wood pieces will be set opposed one another. Between them, will be two pieces set perpendicularly at the ends, and all four corners will be held together by 2 screws per corner. This completes the rectangle part of the 'wood-crown.'

Finally, the last two pieces of wood that will fall into 2 indentations at the top of the round peg pole, will also, of course, be screwed to and thus hold the wood-rectangle in place. And, voila, there you have it.

I hope everything turns out all right. All the material has been purchased and the construction/set-up will take place and be completed tomorrow.
My main worry now is to make sure that the crown is balanced. That is, that it does not tilt to one side or another.

Thank you guys for all the support and encouragement. Hopefully I'll report back tomorrow with the good news of a good installation outcome.
« Last Edit: June 28, 2014, 12:55:35 AM by LEOOEL »
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ricshaw

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #645 on: June 28, 2014, 12:57:09 AM »
I hope everything turns out all right. All the material has been purchased and the construction/set-up will take place and be completed tomorrow.

Takes some pictures!

starling1

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #646 on: June 28, 2014, 02:49:04 AM »
Thank you Starling1, I agree that squares are stronger shapes than rectangles. Nonetheless, I'm 'gonna' go with DangerMouse01's approach, I'm gonna keep it simple and go with the rectangle shape because it's just simpler/easier to build.

The crown will consist of 6 pieces of the same length. I've decided to go with a 3' length per piece after all. The 'wood-crown' will be built as follows: two of the wood pieces will be set opposed one another. Between them, will be two pieces set perpendicularly at the ends, and all four corners will be held together by 2 screws per corner. This completes the rectangle part of the 'wood-crown.'

Finally, the last two pieces of wood that will fall into 2 indentations at the top of the round peg pole, will also, of course, be screwed to and thus hold the wood-rectangle in place. And, voila, there you have it.

I hope everything turns out all right. All the material has been purchased and the construction/set-up will take place and be completed tomorrow.
My main worry now is to make sure that the crown is balanced. That is, that it does not tilt to one side or another.

Thank you guys for all the support and encouragement. Hopefully I'll report back tomorrow with the good news of a good installation outcome.

Before you put the post in, consider a concrete one.

I've been thinking about this today. My solution is simple:

I'm going to get 15 cm plumbing pipe, and enough concrete to fill it, as well as the hole.

Then, I'm going to dig a hole (with a post hole digger) three feet deep. Then, I'm going to get two 8ft star pickets, and hammer these into the bottom of the hole as deep as I can, leaving at least 1ft sticking above the top of the hole.

Then, I'm going to slip the pipe over the star pickets, and fill this with concrete--I will set the star picket inside with concrete.

Then I'm going to fill in the hole with concrete. This will give me an enormous amount of anchorage strength. The post will last 25-30 years at least.

I can't think of a post which will have greater longevity.

LEOOEL

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #647 on: June 29, 2014, 12:08:24 AM »
ricshaw, I wasn't able to complete the job today but everything's on track. I definitely plan to post picture(s) when it's all said and done. BTW, if you could E-Mail me on how to post a photo, I'll do it as soon as I get the instructions; not to speak of how appreciative I'll be for your assistance.

Starling1, I already have a pressure treated 'round peg' wooden post with a 'David Bowie' variety Dragon Fruit that has already reached and past the top of the 8' tall pole. The fruit of this variety is said to be medium-ish in size, but very productive and sweet, although I haven't tasted it because it hasn't yet fruited. I'm thinking of wrapping the pole in burlap, I hope this may speed up the time it'll take to fruit. Also, I can't help but wonder if the DF will be happier climbing a wood pole or a concrete pole.
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starling1

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #648 on: June 29, 2014, 02:30:20 AM »
ricshaw, I wasn't able to complete the job today but everything's on track. I definitely plan to post picture(s) when it's all said and done. BTW, if you could E-Mail me on how to post a photo, I'll do it as soon as I get the instructions; not to speak of how appreciative I'll be for your assistance.

Starling1, I already have a pressure treated 'round peg' wooden post with a 'David Bowie' variety Dragon Fruit that has already reached and past the top of the 8' tall pole. The fruit of this variety is said to be medium-ish in size, but very productive and sweet, although I haven't tasted it because it hasn't yet fruited. I'm thinking of wrapping the pole in burlap, I hope this may speed up the time it'll take to fruit. Also, I can't help but wonder if the DF will be happier climbing a wood pole or a concrete pole.

The pressure treated wood pole will be treated with a range of nasty chemicals--this is a problem facing my hardwood posts too) but the burlap will help greatly. I actually started building my new post today and will post pics and a detailed walkthrough later this week. I'm REALLY happy with how it is turning out....effectively I've managed to anchor it 7 feet into the ground, it feels rock solid (much more stable than my hardwood posts). The dragonfruit will grow up stormwater piping which is totally inert, and invulnerable to all weather.

This one is going to be the coup de gras. This one really will have absolutely nothing which is vulnerable to the elements, It will last 25 years at least.

Re the David Bowie it's the best of the whites as far as reports go. The burlap will not help to speed up fruiting time (the aerial roots of dragon fruit actually adsorb almost nothing in way of nutrients from what they are growing against, they are not true epihpytes ) but the burlap will definitely be better for grip. I really recommend a fish based liquid fertilizer if you can get any, one with seaweed is perfect. I use powerfeed.

Make sure you post pics of the completed trellis, I love seeing people's builds!
« Last Edit: June 29, 2014, 02:36:05 AM by starling1 »

MassSpectrum

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #649 on: June 30, 2014, 12:51:36 AM »
The burlap will not help to speed up fruiting time (the aerial roots of dragon fruit actually adsorb almost nothing in way of nutrients from what they are growing against, they are not true epihpytes ) but the burlap will definitely be better for grip. I really recommend a fish based liquid fertilizer if you can get any, one with seaweed is perfect. I use powerfeed.

Are you sure the aerial roots dont absorb? I've read several spots now claiming they do feed from there so I've been stoked figuring out a wicked liquid-spray feed using nut's/biostim's to maximize output in confined spaces.