Author Topic: Dragon Fruit thread.  (Read 940260 times)

spaugh

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2850 on: October 29, 2018, 02:25:16 PM »
Some cool looking fruit sets.  Ive got a bunch of types to test and narrow down the best ones to plant out on some large supports.  Anyone have input on what thry think is a good commercial variety?  So far Im liking american beauty, condor, dark star, S8.  Still have more side by side testing to do before deciding which types to do larger plantings of.






Brad Spaugh

Brandon909

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2851 on: November 06, 2018, 09:58:03 PM »
Does anyone know the name of these little bastards? they've been eating my new Dragon fruit stems


Brandon909

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2852 on: November 06, 2018, 10:08:30 PM »
I bought a couple of Haley's comet cuttings from mattslandscape a year ago, it looks like he gave me the wrong variety


spaugh

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2853 on: November 22, 2018, 01:06:56 PM »
Tried this Bruni yesterday.  Its quite sweet (brix 20).  Very similar to megalanthus fruits taste and sweetness.  It was picked a little early (wanted to try it before animals got it) and late in the year.   These could easily be mid 20s on the brix scale next year.  Its lacking in the flavor department but if its sugar you want, these deliver.

Brad Spaugh

NateTheGreat

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2854 on: November 22, 2018, 02:56:00 PM »
I picked that Bruni fruit a while back, the one I posted a picture of. It was okay, tasted like a typical white-fleshed dragonfruit. I only ate a little bit, since I wanted the seeds, but they haven't sprouted, after about a week. It's possible I did something wrong in drying them, but I kinda doubt that. They may be infertile, since they were intergeneric hybrids.

beicadad

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2855 on: November 22, 2018, 03:42:22 PM »
Tried this Bruni yesterday.  Its quite sweet (brix 20).  Very similar to megalanthus fruits taste and sweetness.  It was picked a little early (wanted to try it before animals got it) and late in the year.   These could easily be mid 20s on the brix scale next year.  Its lacking in the flavor department but if its sugar you want, these deliver.



Brad, sounds like a variety that kids would enjoy. Is the peel supposed to be green when ripe? They have purple flowers right?

spaugh

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2856 on: November 22, 2018, 04:13:34 PM »
Peel is green when ripe but could get more red blush if left longer.  I only had 2 fruits and they were on a potted plant and fruit was on the ground.  Mice got half of one so I took them both off.  They needed another week or 2. 
Brad Spaugh

pineislander

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2857 on: November 27, 2018, 05:32:00 PM »
I'm pleased to show some good fruits from my DF picked today. I planted 10 posts with four cuttings each a year ago, they grew well and flowered well early in the summer but all flowers yellowed and fell. Later in the summer there was a second flowering which I hand pollinated and got a few fruits but many flowers became infested with fruit fly larvae and fell. The last flowering was sparse and I just ignored them and they came through with two very nice fruits. Perhaps the plants just needed more time and things worked out. This is an unnamed variety which was planted on a tree when I bought the property and propagated. There were several varieties most white fleshed this was my favorite. I'll try to get a brix when I find my refractometer but it was average sweet to me.

Here is  a section of the planting a few months ago:



Here are the fruits from today:


« Last Edit: November 27, 2018, 05:33:52 PM by pineislander »

kitemaker4

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2858 on: December 15, 2018, 07:41:51 PM »
Hi, I just joined the forum last week.  I have been growing dragon fruit for a year now and it looks like this is where in the future I will post some cuttings of my plants when I prune them.  I have a lot of reading to do and I am very excited to learn all I can about dragon fruit.

Susan

kitemaker4

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2859 on: December 15, 2018, 07:45:08 PM »


This is my dragon fruits winter home.

Susan

Galka

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2860 on: December 16, 2018, 02:57:15 AM »
You really should get ahold of some Sugar Dragon variety. I personally havnt tried the new, larger yellow fruits that have started showing up recently, but I know I wasn't a fan of the original yellow Megalanthus. It wasn't its sugar content either that turned me off, in fact, it was almost the opposite. To me, Megalanthus yellow tastes almost entirely of sugar, like eating old time rock candy, pure sweet but no other flavor. I do know some of the darker reds and magentas are getting pushed into high sugar production, but for me its not all about sweet. Add a bit of fruity flavor to that, though , and now we're talking.
Having said that, Im hoping I can get a chance to check out that new yellow variety sometime soon to I can give an honest, personal, comparison.

Its just sugar flavor again.

I had some sugar bomb american beauties here that were as sweet as the yellows plus a nice grape floral rose flavor.  Excellent.  I prefer that any day over the giant yellow. The fruits are larger and easier to grow too.
I've had the yellow Megalanthus fruits from different countries and I notised a slite difference in appearance and taste. One was sugar sweet with no other flavor and the other one had a sweet lemonade like flavor which I liked more. Had anyone else tasted one with the lemonade flavor?

Jose Spain

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2861 on: December 16, 2018, 01:32:12 PM »
At least some Palora sold here in Spain have that lemon like taste for what I've heard.

ricshaw

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2862 on: December 16, 2018, 01:42:11 PM »
I've had the yellow Megalanthus fruits from different countries and I notised a slite difference in appearance and taste. One was sugar sweet with no other flavor and the other one had a sweet lemonade like flavor which I liked more. Had anyone else tasted one with the lemonade flavor?

There is an acid/sugar ratio that is different.  I have not heard the "lemonade flavor" used much.




pineislander

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2863 on: December 16, 2018, 07:38:59 PM »
I'm pleased to show some good fruits from my DF picked today. I planted 10 posts with four cuttings each a year ago, they grew well and flowered well early in the summer but all flowers yellowed and fell. Later in the summer there was a second flowering which I hand pollinated and got a few fruits but many flowers became infested with fruit fly larvae and fell. The last flowering was sparse and I just ignored them and they came through with two very nice fruits. Perhaps the plants just needed more time and things worked out. This is an unnamed variety which was planted on a tree when I bought the property and propagated. There were several varieties most white fleshed this was my favorite. I'll try to get a brix when I find my refractometer but it was average sweet to me.

Here is  a section of the planting a few months ago:



Here are the fruits from today:



I've done some heavy pruning in advance of next year. Each post had four leaders last year which when tipped produced about 10 branches. This tipping of 10 or so branches I hope will result in 20 or more branches.
 
Typical post:


The row:


kitemaker4

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2864 on: December 27, 2018, 11:39:33 AM »
Hey, I am looking for 3 sugar dragon cuttings.  Does anyone here have any to sell.

Thanks
Susan

RodneyS

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2865 on: December 27, 2018, 08:41:26 PM »
Sent message
« Last Edit: December 27, 2018, 08:43:03 PM by RodneyS »

Ulfr

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2866 on: December 29, 2018, 09:38:24 PM »
Finally made my posts.

150mm pvc pipe cut lengthways and used as a mould. End cap on the bottom and clamps the whole way up. On the third lot now using the same moulds. I am going to cast tops similar to pine islanders that slip over the poles





NateTheGreat

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2867 on: February 08, 2019, 11:48:58 AM »
So I pollinated my Bruni (Hylocereus stenopterus X Hylocereus undatus) with Selenicereus grandiflorus. The fruit was the size of a normal dragonfruit, so huge from Bruni, which I believe is directly correlated with % pollenization. My other Bruni fruits did not set. The seeds did not germinate as quickly or with as high a rate as I expect from dragonfruit. I think I planted 12-15 seeds and have three alive, all stuck at cotyledons, as they have been for four months. I had one or two others that eventually withered and died. Does anyone have insight into this? I've read about intergeneric hybridization causing embryos to abort but I don't even know what to search for. It would be nice if there were a way to stimulate them, though I don't hold out much hope for that. I'm also just curious to learn about why this happened.

spaugh

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2868 on: February 08, 2019, 01:03:45 PM »
So I pollinated my Bruni (Hylocereus stenopterus X Hylocereus undatus) with Selenicereus grandiflorus. The fruit was the size of a normal dragonfruit, so huge from Bruni, which I believe is directly correlated with % pollenization. My other Bruni fruits did not set. The seeds did not germinate as quickly or with as high a rate as I expect from dragonfruit. I think I planted 12-15 seeds and have three alive, all stuck at cotyledons, as they have been for four months. I had one or two others that eventually withered and died. Does anyone have insight into this? I've read about intergeneric hybridization causing embryos to abort but I don't even know what to search for. It would be nice if there were a way to stimulate them, though I don't hold out much hope for that. I'm also just curious to learn about why this happened.

What kind environment are the plants in?  Indoors, outdoors, grow lights etc?
Brad Spaugh

NateTheGreat

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2869 on: February 08, 2019, 01:10:47 PM »
Indoors, SW-facing window, though it has some kind of tint on it.

spaugh

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2870 on: February 08, 2019, 01:21:29 PM »
Indoors, SW-facing window, though it has some kind of tint on it.

Probably needs more light input.  Even a CFL bulb would help.  Ideally run it on a timer for 14hrs a day until its warm enough to move outdoors. 

You probably already know but its super important to thin to a single vine ASAP on those DF seedlings.  You will get the growth you want if you always remove new vines and focus all energy into 1 vine.  If you let a seedling go with many vines thry just stall out and take forever to grow. 
Brad Spaugh

NateTheGreat

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2871 on: February 08, 2019, 01:30:41 PM »
Indoors, SW-facing window, though it has some kind of tint on it.

Probably needs more light input.  Even a CFL bulb would help.  Ideally run it on a timer for 14hrs a day until its warm enough to move outdoors. 

You probably already know but its super important to thin to a single vine ASAP on those DF seedlings.  You will get the growth you want if you always remove new vines and focus all energy into 1 vine.  If you let a seedling go with many vines thry just stall out and take forever to grow. 

10-4, I think this bout of cold will be over soon and out they will go. I didn't realize it was such a priority, I have some older seedlings from a large yellow fruit which I hadn't had the heart to prune yet. I'll get on that, thank you.

FamilyJ

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2872 on: February 10, 2019, 07:43:10 PM »
Been making notes on the varieties of my 60 different varieties which does great in South Florida and what is no good in Florida

Anto989

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2873 on: February 13, 2019, 05:01:43 AM »
Hello guys, I have aged sheep manure (8months old) with redworms and grasses growing above, I want to put it on my dragons soon, they are now potted but I'm going to plant them in field until next month. My cutting are 1 and 2 years old, how much the quantity per plant should be? Furthermore, how much epsom salt you use to spray plants?
Thanks

FamilyJ

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2874 on: February 13, 2019, 06:45:51 AM »
Hello guys, I have aged sheep manure (8months old) with redworms and grasses growing above, I want to put it on my dragons soon, they are now potted but I'm going to plant them in field until next month. My cutting are 1 and 2 years old, how much the quantity per plant should be? Furthermore, how much epsom salt you use to spray plants?
Thanks
If you have Facebook the Epsom salt i posted on US dragon fruit growers
https://www.facebook.com/groups/373619656486562/