Sick DragonFruit

[cyclonenat]

Hi its Natalie here i was wondering if everyone could help sort out my dragonfruit plants they arent looking to happy

[fyliu]

They're seedlings. I'm not understanding what you think is wrong with them.

Are you growing them indoors? They will become very thin if not given enough light. The reason for this is to grow as far toward the light as possible while conserving energy. Once they reach the sun, new growth will be much thicker.

[eNorm]

Hi Natalie,

They certainly don't look too good.  It would seem like there could be some sort of bacterial or fungal infection and they look like they're drying up and shriveling from the inside?  It's a bit difficult to tell from the pictures.  What type of potting soil are you using?  Is it airy or very dense soil from the ground outside?  The dragonfruit plants prefer a light organic soil with good drainage.  It prefers moist but not wet soil.  Has it been outside at all in the winter cold?  How long has it looked like this?  Do you have pictures of it before?

eNorm

[cyclonenat]

Hi fyliu yes they are seedlings and they are growing indoors as its winter here, im doing my best with what ive got.

eNorm the taller one looks worse i might check the roots etc and if bad ill trim and try re root them in spring and try again, and try better soil. It is the soil from the ground as didnt have any potting soil. as they got bought in from outside in the ground and potted just before the first frost.

Thanks for the help

[fyliu]

Oh it's winter. That makes sense. I see one plant got much thicker at the top and didn't look like one that's been indoors too long. If it's cold, reduce watering.

Yes, try to use a lighter soil mix. years ago I put my first dragonfruit cuttings in normal dense garden soil and after 2 years it didn't grow much and the roots were barely able to penetrate a couple inches. If your soil is like mine then you might consider growing them in containers. A friend of mine tried digging a big hole and replacing the soil but it still didn't do as well as his potted ones.

[KarenRei]

I don't see any white fungal growth, so that's a good sign.  Some tips:

For supplemental lighting, use a CFL.  Remember the standard rule for growing plants under light: it should be just close enough to the plant that if you put your hand there, you feel a little bit of warmth (not a lot).  If it feels hot, the plant is too close to the light.  If you don't feel the warmth, the plant would appreciate being closer.

Dragonfruit are cacti.  They can survive drought.  Unlike many cacti, however, they don't *need* or *appreciate* drought.  Water well, just don't leave them soaking in standing water.

Dragonfruit generally don't need much pot space.  Just remember that small pots = more frequent watering.

It's hard to kill a dragonfruit.  Worst comes to worse you can cut off a healthy part of a sickly plant, stick it in some dirt, and hardly without even trying root it.  Has to be the easiest plant I've ever rooted.  Practically does all the work itself.