why do dragon fruit crack?

[Steve in Los Osos]

This is a sad and too common occurrence with my dragon fruits:



Sometimes the cracking occurs where the skin has developed soft brown spots (another too common issue  ), sometimes at the blossom end. Either way, it spoils the fruit (although there is still some of it that can be eaten, admittedly). Worse, it often causes me to pick a fruit before I otherwise would, so as not to lose the entire thing.

I have three more fruits still to pick, two just starting to blush and one still pretty green. So far, no brown spots or cracking. Someone on another forum suggested spraying with sulfur just before blooming or right after (that's what I did) but it doesn't seem to have helped the two shown above.

Is this a result of too much water?

[bangkok]

Looks like whole pieces of peel are missing, i don't really see cracks. Did you find those missing pieces of peel?

[HMHausman]

Must be a California thing.  I have never seen here in Florida.  Could there be some connection to temps or humidity?  There are many dragon fruit gurus in California that I'll bet have an answer for you. Have you tired the Yahoo Dragon Fruit Group for an answer? http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/PitayaFruit/info

[Steve in Los Osos]

The peel is actually not missing but the fruit has cracked open and sort of swollen so that great gaps appear. I know it almost looks like some creature has gotten into them, but that's not what's happening.

I'm sure the growing conditions are not ideal. We have cool and often foggy weather in the summer and although the plant is in a high tunnel for some heat gain, there are still days (sometimes several in a row) when the sun never comes out at all. Then on a day like today it will shine the entire day. That may be the issue with the soft brown spots on the peel which sometimes develop into splits (other times the splits just happen by themselves).

[eNorm]

Hi Steve,

I've never seen a fruit split that badly before.  A typical crack would be 1/4" or less.  A fruit often splits because it gets too much water and the skin can only expand so much.  The longer you leave a fruit to ripen will also likely split.  Some varieties are more prone to split as well.  How long do you leave the fruit after it fully flushes red?

As for soft brown spots, it is likely bacterial or fungal in nature.  The humidity likely makes it worse.
eNorm

[Californiatropicals]

Wikipedia says overwatering will cause the fruit to crack

[maui guy]

We have seen this on over ripe fruits & when more than normal amount of rain. We have cut off the exposed portion & used them [ if no maggots ].
 

[Mike T]

Here's my 2 bobs worth.
Some varieties in many fruit species are more prone to cracking due to their skin characteristics. This problem has been looked at before and for many species you could probably pin it mostly on water. It is not just overwatering but drying followed by heavy watering. If fruit get wet too often there can be uneven water absorption through the skin upsetting osmotic balances and also slight rotting, weakening of the skin and fungal effects.

It seems likely that some the macro and micronutrients involved in cell wall and cell membrane development and tissue strengthening could be at less than availability as well.

[Steve in Los Osos]

I've never seen a fruit split that badly before.  A typical crack would be 1/4" or less.  A fruit often splits because it gets too much water and the skin can only expand so much.  The longer you leave a fruit to ripen will also likely split.  Some varieties are more prone to split as well.  How long do you leave the fruit after it fully flushes red?

As for soft brown spots, it is likely bacterial or fungal in nature.  The humidity likely makes it worse.

I may be leaving them on too long. It has been my understanding that they are ripe when the scales actually start to dry up a little. I never see this on my fruit so I just let them go until they are almost cherry red (unless splits develop). I guess I may not know when to pick them. I've always felt the flavor is somewhat "elusive" so I figured I was picking them under-ripe. Maybe it's just the reverse!

[Future]

There is no justifiable reason to do dragon fruit crack.  Or any other kind of crack.  Being addicted to tropical fruits is enough.

[thao]

Steve,

Maybe the combination of your location, being so close to the coast with it's high humidity and it's drier condition, from being inside the high tunnel, cause the split? Btw, how is your lychee doing, any better, than your last post, about how sad, it was looking, a while ago? Mine, from the same source, is doing a little better. I'll make a thread about it soon. It's currently flushing.

[plantlover13]

That's a crack? looks like something ate it or something!!

[Steve in Los Osos]

That's a crack? looks like something ate it or something!!

I know it must look that way from the photo, but it truly is not being eaten (except the remains, by me!)

Thao: the lychee is no worse. It has had a mini-flush so it has a few more green leaves which actually look a little more healthy this time around. Maybe in another two or three years.......

[thao]

That's a crack? looks like something ate it or something!!

I know it must look that way from the photo, but it truly is not being eaten (except the remains, by me!)

Thao: the lychee is no worse. It has had a mini-flush so it has a few more green leaves which actually look a little more healthy this time around. Maybe in another two or three years.......

If, you have time, you should give it a weekly foilar spray, like nullzero recommend last time. I have been giving mine a spray every other week or when ever, I remember to do so. Before, I spray. the flushes, were of misshapen leaves and small size. Since, I have been spraying so, it has been getting normal size and shape. But, my mixture is very simple and doesn't contain as many ingredients as nullzero recommended. It's only the organic fish+kelp(seaweed premix concentration fertilizer diluted) + a little of Epsom salt, sprayed 2x a month and liquid(the same as the spray concoction) drench weekly. I'll just post on your thread, so I won't have to start a new one, tomorrow, after, I get a chance to take some pictures.

It's the angle of your DF,in the picture, that is making, it look, like a chunk has been eaten out of it.

[Steve in Los Osos]

Hooray! This is the second DF (American Beauty) I have harvested (1 lb. 4 oz.) which was not cracked/split/partly rotted/etc. 



There is one larger one left on the plant which also looks good so far. I didn't change anything but these last few fruits were among those I sprayed with a sulfur suspension either right before or just after bloom. Someone on another forum suggested that since I was having problems with small soft brown spots. I think maybe these brown spots, either at random places on the skin or at the blossom attachment point, were major contributors to the splitting problem since they weakened the skin. I hope this is the solution for my growing conditions.

A plus is that the first split-free fruit harvested tasted much better than the previous fruits 

[thao]

YAY! for non splitting DF. The color looks amazing, starting from the middle of the fruit, it is turning kinda of a darker color of purple. Looks very pretty. BTW, is your AMB  DF branch stem small and thin? Mine looks very thin and not as thick as the other DF I have. If you also want to look at my lychee pictures, I posted a few pictures of how it looks like in your "Saddest lychee prize thread".

[Steve in Los Osos]

YAY! for non splitting DF. The color looks amazing, starting from the middle of the fruit, it is turning kinda of a darker color of purple. Looks very pretty. BTW, is your AMB  DF branch stem small and thin? Mine looks very thin and not as thick as the other DF I have. If you also want to look at my lychee pictures, I posted a few pictures of how it looks like in your "Saddest lychee prize thread".

I did see your lychee picture, which certainly looks better than mine. I'll just soldier along with the liquid seaweed foliar and soil fert. It's improving, if slowly. Of course, cold weather is on the way.......The furnace came on this morning for the first time since Spring.

I only grow American Beauty DF so I don't have anything to compare the stems to. They don't seem "small" to me, though. It takes more than one cut to get through a stem with a pair of secateurs.

[thao]

Can you post up pictures of your AMB DF stem, if you have time? If, you're interested in a few other varieties to grow, I have a few varieties, that I can trade you for 2 of your AMB cuttings?

[Steve in Los Osos]

Here's a pic of the stems with my hand for comparison:



I really don't have room for another DF plant and I'm always hacking away at this one to keep it in bounds. I'll send you a couple of cuttings. I suppose different varieties can be grafted onto another plant. Seems I read about that somewhere. But I'm not that impressed with the flavor to make me want to grow all kinds of them. It's a nice treat and something different, but five or six fruits a season is fine with me. The flowers are spectacular, but I'm the only one who sees them/smells them as the plant is growing in a high tunnel.

[thao]

Yay, mine looks about that size too. It's is less thick than my other ones apparently. Yes, I too have read you can graft other variety onto them. In fact people often use dragon fruit for grafting root stock of other slow growing desert cactus and other similar vining cactus. I'll PM you.