Dragon Fruit thread.

[ricshaw]

Would you still need to repot if you placed the potted plant ontop of a garden bed? Since I was thinking since there's drainage holes on the bottom of the pot that the roots would find their way down into the garden soil. Can that be done and not be repotted?

If you are going to do that... do what California commercial Dragon Fruit grower Gray Martin does, he plants all of his Dragon Fruit on top of the ground in pots with the bottom cut off.

A recent article about Gray Martin:  Dragon fruit grows well in SoCal http://villagenews.com/homeandgarden/dragon-fruit-grows-well-in-socal/

[RobPatterson]

Totally depends on the size of the pot. a 15 gallon container should accommodate a plant for its entire life. Smaller pots might restrict growth and end up being root bound. Given the option, I would grow all my plants in pots from now on, as it makes water and nutrient management so much easier to control, plus it protects from most garden pests that bother roots. But, if you are concerned about appearance, you can plant in the soil. Or you can do both, by digging a hole large enough to sink a plastic or ceramic pot into the ground, up to its rim, and then planting that way. Try and add a foot or so of gravel under the pot for drainage and offset your post/trellis so it doesn't penetrate your pot and you can sport healthy plants and hidden containers.

[SandyL]

Would you still need to repot if you placed the potted plant ontop of a garden bed? Since I was thinking since there's drainage holes on the bottom of the pot that the roots would find their way down into the garden soil. Can that be done and not be repotted?

If you are going to do that... do what California commercial Dragon Fruit grower Gray Martin does, he plants all of his Dragon Fruit on top of the ground in pots with the bottom cut off.

A recent article about Gray Martin:  Dragon fruit grows well in SoCal http://villagenews.com/homeandgarden/dragon-fruit-grows-well-in-socal/

Ah thank you. that kinda kills two birds with one stone

[SandyL]

Totally depends on the size of the pot. a 15 gallon container should accommodate a plant for its entire life. Smaller pots might restrict growth and end up being root bound. Given the option, I would grow all my plants in pots from now on, as it makes water and nutrient management so much easier to control, plus it protects from most garden pests that bother roots. But, if you are concerned about appearance, you can plant in the soil. Or you can do both, by digging a hole large enough to sink a plastic or ceramic pot into the ground, up to its rim, and then planting that way. Try and add a foot or so of gravel under the pot for drainage and offset your post/trellis so it doesn't penetrate your pot and you can sport healthy plants and hidden containers.

I'm not sure if mine are 15 gallon containers. They're about 11 inches in diameter both top and bottom and about 11 inches tall. So it's 11x11x11 .. would that suffice? Aesthetics is not my main concern so I don't mind having the pots out of the ground. I just hate having the idea of having to repot these after several years. My neighbor has hers growing in the same size container but she has at least 3-4 cuttings in that one pot where as I only have 1 cutting. She said it was ok to grow in pot. Wish I had asked around.

[ricshaw]

I'm not sure if mine are 15 gallon containers. They're about 11 inches in diameter both top and bottom and about 11 inches tall. So it's 11x11x11 .. would that suffice? Aesthetics is not my main concern so I don't mind having the pots out of the ground. I just hate having the idea of having to repot these after several years. My neighbor has hers growing in the same size container but she has at least 3-4 cuttings in that one pot where as I only have 1 cutting. She said it was ok to grow in pot. Wish I had asked around.

That sound about right... if you are planning on cutting the bottom out and placing on the ground.

Last month a couple of my friends visited Gray Martin and posted some pictures on Facebook Los Angeles Dragon Fruit Growers.

[SandyL]

I'm not sure if mine are 15 gallon containers. They're about 11 inches in diameter both top and bottom and about 11 inches tall. So it's 11x11x11 .. would that suffice? Aesthetics is not my main concern so I don't mind having the pots out of the ground. I just hate having the idea of having to repot these after several years. My neighbor has hers growing in the same size container but she has at least 3-4 cuttings in that one pot where as I only have 1 cutting. She said it was ok to grow in pot. Wish I had asked around.

That sound about right... if you are planning on cutting the bottom out and placing on the ground.

Last month a couple of my friends visited Gray Martin and posted some pictures on Facebook Los Angeles Dragon Fruit Growers.

Yeah, I'm planning on cutting the bottom out of smaller pots and the ones that are at least 15 gallons I'm leaving as is cause most likely those will be place on paved paths.  Just went out today and cut some bottoms out.
He sure got a nice looking DF farm. He has enough space to grow every variety possible!

[wayne23]

Totally depends on the size of the pot. a 15 gallon container should accommodate a plant for its entire life. Smaller pots might restrict growth and end up being root bound. Given the option, I would grow all my plants in pots from now on, as it makes water and nutrient management so much easier to control, plus it protects from most garden pests that bother roots. But, if you are concerned about appearance, you can plant in the soil. Or you can do both, by digging a hole large enough to sink a plastic or ceramic pot into the ground, up to its rim, and then planting that way. Try and add a foot or so of gravel under the pot for drainage and offset your post/trellis so it doesn't penetrate your pot and you can sport healthy plants and hidden containers.

I'm not sure if mine are 15 gallon containers. They're about 11 inches in diameter both top and bottom and about 11 inches tall. So it's 11x11x11 .. would that suffice? Aesthetics is not my main concern so I don't mind having the pots out of the ground. I just hate having the idea of having to repot these after several years. My neighbor has hers growing in the same size container but she has at least 3-4 cuttings in that one pot where as I only have 1 cutting. She said it was ok to grow in pot. Wish I had asked around.

11x11 is a 5gal pot.  I am growing several in 5, 7, 10, and 15gal pots.  I started with 5gal last year and some of them bloomed and fruit this year.  they are all above ground level and most of their roots havent penetrated the bottom of the pots.  I custom built trellis which sit inside the pots.  the advantage is I can easily move them around if necessary to avoid direct sun uv and/or against a south facing wall for frost protection.  this is the first year of my experimentation of 5gal plants so I dont have a whole of of data other then it work. 

[pineislander]

I'm planting 10 dragon fruit this summer here in Florida. They will be on a 100 ft raised bed of our native sandy soil enriched with compost. For the first year or two I'll underplant the Df with pineapples.
 Here is the type of bed:


To make beds I use a tractor with scraper to pull the soil into windrows and refine the shape by hand raking.


I've cast 5-1/2 inch square reinforced concrete posts with a galvanized 1/2" threaded bolt coming out of the top of each post:


For the post tops I designed an 18" diameter x 2" thick concrete disk to be bolted on top of each post. The molds were devised using a steel ring and four tapered plastic party cups to create holes which the DF branches can pass through and gently emerge. I just unmolded the first one:
 

I expect these to outlast me, perhaps some archaeologist will find them some day and declare it a latter day Stonehenge with some outlandish religious significance!

[ricshaw]

I've cast 5-1/2 inch square reinforced concrete posts with a galvanized 1/2" threaded bolt coming out of the top of each post:


For the post tops I designed an 18" diameter x 2" thick concrete disk to be bolted on top of each post. The molds were devised using a steel ring and four tapered plastic party cups to create holes which the DF branches can pass through and gently emerge. I just unmolded the first one:
 

I expect these to outlast me, perhaps some archaeologist will find them some day and declare it a latter day Stonehenge with some outlandish religious significance!

I added a threaded bolt to the top of my DIY concrete posts.

[pineislander]

I added a threaded bolt to the top of my DIY concrete posts.

I used the same bolt, 1/2" x 12" L shape concrete anchors, $1.25 ea. but I used 5/4 1 x 6 treated deck boards for form lumber, to be repurposed for other projects.

[SandyL]

Totally depends on the size of the pot. a 15 gallon container should accommodate a plant for its entire life. Smaller pots might restrict growth and end up being root bound. Given the option, I would grow all my plants in pots from now on, as it makes water and nutrient management so much easier to control, plus it protects from most garden pests that bother roots. But, if you are concerned about appearance, you can plant in the soil. Or you can do both, by digging a hole large enough to sink a plastic or ceramic pot into the ground, up to its rim, and then planting that way. Try and add a foot or so of gravel under the pot for drainage and offset your post/trellis so it doesn't penetrate your pot and you can sport healthy plants and hidden containers.

I'm not sure if mine are 15 gallon containers. They're about 11 inches in diameter both top and bottom and about 11 inches tall. So it's 11x11x11 .. would that suffice? Aesthetics is not my main concern so I don't mind having the pots out of the ground. I just hate having the idea of having to repot these after several years. My neighbor has hers growing in the same size container but she has at least 3-4 cuttings in that one pot where as I only have 1 cutting. She said it was ok to grow in pot. Wish I had asked around.

11x11 is a 5gal pot.  I am growing several in 5, 7, 10, and 15gal pots.  I started with 5gal last year and some of them bloomed and fruit this year.  they are all above ground level and most of their roots havent penetrated the bottom of the pots.  I custom built trellis which sit inside the pots.  the advantage is I can easily move them around if necessary to avoid direct sun uv and/or against a south facing wall for frost protection.  this is the first year of my experimentation of 5gal plants so I dont have a whole of of data other then it work. 

Aww.. I had a feeling it wasn't big enough. I've had them in the 5 gal pots for two years and the roots haven't penetrated the bottom either. I'm going to experiment too and see how long they last in 5 gal pots since I'm going to have more cuttings than I need in the next two years. For now the ones that I've planted in 5 gal pots that are above garden soil, I've already cut the bottoms out. I'm going to use the extra space I have against the wall of my house without the bottoms cut out and see how long they can go.
What is the name of the variety you have in the last picture? The flower is a gorgeous color!

[wayne23]

 

Totally depends on the size of the pot. a 15 gallon container should accommodate a plant for its entire life. Smaller pots might restrict growth and end up being root bound. Given the option, I would grow all my plants in pots from now on, as it makes water and nutrient management so much easier to control, plus it protects from most garden pests that bother roots. But, if you are concerned about appearance, you can plant in the soil. Or you can do both, by digging a hole large enough to sink a plastic or ceramic pot into the ground, up to its rim, and then planting that way. Try and add a foot or so of gravel under the pot for drainage and offset your post/trellis so it doesn't penetrate your pot and you can sport healthy plants and hidden containers.

I'm not sure if mine are 15 gallon containers. They're about 11 inches in diameter both top and bottom and about 11 inches tall. So it's 11x11x11 .. would that suffice? Aesthetics is not my main concern so I don't mind having the pots out of the ground. I just hate having the idea of having to repot these after several years. My neighbor has hers growing in the same size container but she has at least 3-4 cuttings in that one pot where as I only have 1 cutting. She said it was ok to grow in pot. Wish I had asked around.

11x11 is a 5gal pot.  I am growing several in 5, 7, 10, and 15gal pots.  I started with 5gal last year and some of them bloomed and fruit this year.  they are all above ground level and most of their roots havent penetrated the bottom of the pots.  I custom built trellis which sit inside the pots.  the advantage is I can easily move them around if necessary to avoid direct sun uv and/or against a south facing wall for frost protection.  this is the first year of my experimentation of 5gal plants so I dont have a whole of of data other then it work. 

Aww.. I had a feeling it wasn't big enough. I've had them in the 5 gal pots for two years and the roots haven't penetrated the bottom either. I'm going to experiment too and see how long they last in 5 gal pots since I'm going to have more cuttings than I need in the next two years. For now the ones that I've planted in 5 gal pots that are above garden soil, I've already cut the bottoms out. I'm going to use the extra space I have against the wall of my house without the bottoms cut out and see how long they can go.
What is the name of the variety you have in the last picture? The flower is a gorgeous color!

Two years should be mature enough to bloom and fruit.  Don't over water otherwise your plant keep push new growths instead of flowers.  Cut the tips from those hanging stems like the first picture.  Try using some blooming fertilizer like Scotts Super Bloom.  Your plant is still young I would use twice a month BUT don't over do it.  You should stop using it by the end of Sept.  it takes 30 days to flower and another 30+ to ripen fruit.  you don't want to over stress your plant going into winter. 
The last plant is Bruni.  It's a close sister of Connie Mayer.  The flower was beautiful.

[SandyL]

Totally depends on the size of the pot. a 15 gallon container should accommodate a plant for its entire life. Smaller pots might restrict growth and end up being root bound. Given the option, I would grow all my plants in pots from now on, as it makes water and nutrient management so much easier to control, plus it protects from most garden pests that bother roots. But, if you are concerned about appearance, you can plant in the soil. Or you can do both, by digging a hole large enough to sink a plastic or ceramic pot into the ground, up to its rim, and then planting that way. Try and add a foot or so of gravel under the pot for drainage and offset your post/trellis so it doesn't penetrate your pot and you can sport healthy plants and hidden containers.

I'm not sure if mine are 15 gallon containers. They're about 11 inches in diameter both top and bottom and about 11 inches tall. So it's 11x11x11 .. would that suffice? Aesthetics is not my main concern so I don't mind having the pots out of the ground. I just hate having the idea of having to repot these after several years. My neighbor has hers growing in the same size container but she has at least 3-4 cuttings in that one pot where as I only have 1 cutting. She said it was ok to grow in pot. Wish I had asked around.

11x11 is a 5gal pot.  I am growing several in 5, 7, 10, and 15gal pots.  I started with 5gal last year and some of them bloomed and fruit this year.  they are all above ground level and most of their roots havent penetrated the bottom of the pots.  I custom built trellis which sit inside the pots.  the advantage is I can easily move them around if necessary to avoid direct sun uv and/or against a south facing wall for frost protection.  this is the first year of my experimentation of 5gal plants so I dont have a whole of of data other then it work. 

Aww.. I had a feeling it wasn't big enough. I've had them in the 5 gal pots for two years and the roots haven't penetrated the bottom either. I'm going to experiment too and see how long they last in 5 gal pots since I'm going to have more cuttings than I need in the next two years. For now the ones that I've planted in 5 gal pots that are above garden soil, I've already cut the bottoms out. I'm going to use the extra space I have against the wall of my house without the bottoms cut out and see how long they can go.
What is the name of the variety you have in the last picture? The flower is a gorgeous color!

Two years should be mature enough to bloom and fruit.  Don't over water otherwise your plant keep push new growths instead of flowers.  Cut the tips from those hanging stems like the first picture.  Try using some blooming fertilizer like Scotts Super Bloom.  Your plant is still young I would use twice a month BUT don't over do it.  You should stop using it by the end of Sept.  it takes 30 days to flower and another 30+ to ripen fruit.  you don't want to over stress your plant going into winter. 
The last plant is Bruni.  It's a close sister of Connie Mayer.  The flower was beautiful.

Stop fertilizing by end of sept. Ok got it! Thanks for the tips!!
My purple haze is 2 yrs old as of this month and so far only one bud.
I have 2 other varieties that are also 2 yrs old but no blooms. I guess those are not ready yet. Maybe next year. I started applying some bloom booster last month when I read about others applying it and I will continue to do so next year.
I had no idea that watering too much will cause lots of new growth instead of buds.  I wonder if that's why my neighbors DF has lots of new growth but no buds and hers is older than 3 yrs. But I also heard she apply fertilizer. I don't know what kind though.
Oh did you get to taste the Bruni variety fruit? I heard it has a really good brix of a little over 21.

[TheWaterbug]

I'm not sure if mine are 15 gallon containers. They're about 11 inches in diameter both top and bottom and about 11 inches tall. So it's 11x11x11 .. would that suffice.

If that container is a cube, then 11 x 11 x 11 = 1,331 cubic inches, which is about 5.7 gallons.


If it's a cylinder then it's 1,044 cubic inches, which is about 4.5 gallons.


That seems a bit small for my tastes. I'm using ~11 gallon terra cotta pots, and I put 3-4 stems in each.

[SandyL]

I'm not sure if mine are 15 gallon containers. They're about 11 inches in diameter both top and bottom and about 11 inches tall. So it's 11x11x11 .. would that suffice.

If that container is a cube, then 11 x 11 x 11 = 1,331 cubic inches, which is about 5.7 gallons.


If it's a cylinder then it's 1,044 cubic inches, which is about 4.5 gallons.


That seems a bit small for my tastes. I'm using ~11 gallon terra cotta pots, and I put 3-4 stems in each.

Thank you! It's a cylinder. The ones I have above soil I went and cut the bottoms out. And I'm going to try with extra cuttings and see how long they last in there.

[Jct]

Just ate my first homegrown dragon fruit! It was sweet, but not a lot of flavor. My wife and daughter liked it whereas they didn't like store bought dragon fruit. It was a la Verne red purchased from HD.

[SandyL]

Just ate my first homegrown dragon fruit! It was sweet, but not a lot of flavor. My wife and daughter liked it whereas they didn't like store bought dragon fruit. It was a la Verne red purchased from HD.

That looks delicious. I've eaten both store bought white and red flesh varieties and they're really bland except that the red flesh one is a tad sweeter than the white flesh one.

[ricshaw]

I did not attend this year.

Pictures are being posted on Facebook of today's Dragon Fruit Production Tour.

They may give some hobbyists some ideas.

[Sayan128]

You guys...is this what I think it is?!? It's my first year growing my cuttings and this Haley comet already had a beautiful flower and now looks like a fruit is starting to form?! I'm so so excited!
Do I need to do anything special at this time? More or less watering?

[ricshaw]

You guys...is this what I think it is?!? It's my first year growing my cuttings and this Haley comet already had a beautiful flower and now looks like a fruit is starting to form?! I'm so so excited!
Do I need to do anything special at this time? More or less watering?

Looks like it may have not gotten pollinated properly.

[Sayan128]

oh bummer! I thought I saw a baby fruit starting to grow

[SandyL]

oh bummer! I thought I saw a baby fruit starting to grow

It's still a good sign. It means you're doing something right that it's flowering and you'll most likely get more flowers next year. And I love the green and pink tinge on the base of the  flower.

[Jct]

That looks delicious. I've eaten both store bought white and red flesh varieties and they're really bland except that the red flesh one is a tad sweeter than the white flesh one.

Thanks Sandy!  One of my next purchases will be one of the named varieties. I have a no-named white variety that I hope to use as a pollinator - it didn't bloom this year.  With the lessons learned from these two plants, hopefully I can be more successful with a better variety.

[spaugh]

Guys and gals the ants (fire ants) are all over my DF.  They like the tips of new growth.  Doesn't seem to affect the plants but not really sure.  Is it ok, or should something be done?

[pineislander]

I did not attend this year.

Pictures are being posted on Facebook of today's Dragon Fruit Production Tour.

They may give some hobbyists some ideas.

Ric, it's not clear the reason why the examples in their plots look very poor. I've seen some of their past examples which had much better growth, but still not nearly as good as what I see from other countries or even in US plantings. I don't see why they are concentrating on growing DF in pots which have 1/10th the root zone and 1/10th the potential top growth. This has to create a very weak plant susceptible to any adversity. If you look at the picture there are numerous internodes 6" or less in length which were useless for fruiting. Only the longer nodes on the plant were capable of bearing fruit. It's pretty clear that something is wrong.

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

It is sad that is the state of things but pitiful when you look at what these other countries are doing with healthy productive plantings.

Vietnam:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJqqf2lrQP8

Malaysia:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BFZAh7AkQI&t=4s

Colombia:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JyDDXPprHc

Ecuador:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpYWNecA1Xc

Sometimes government needs to get out of the way if they can't get their act together

At least we have some commercial growers like J&C Tropicals here in Florida showing us how to grow, but UC doesn't appear to notice:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CAXd2Ufn00