Author Topic: Dragon Fruit thread.  (Read 940262 times)

Orkine

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2900 on: May 28, 2019, 01:15:22 AM »
Have flowering plants, alas only 1 variety.  I tried pollinating but I guess it is not a self fertile variety.
I hope some of the others start flowering soon.

Must get on a pollen hunt  :)

waynes

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2901 on: May 28, 2019, 02:29:14 AM »
here is a picture. What is confusing me is that it is still growing, and when I tug on it, it is very well anchored in the pot. You can see the spot on the left where the brown skin is just tearing off. But the core is solid.

Cut and re-root?
Bury it?
Just leave it be?

Carolyn




Carolyn, this is not uncommon.  It sounds to me you planted it too deep and it’s getting rot possible due to excessive water retention.  Use a blade and scrape off all the rots and cut away any unhealthy tissue.  Just be careful not to damage the core.  This plant is otherwise healthy as evident of its new growths.  You can repot it with better soil (more well drained) or leave it as it is.  If you choose to repot, plant the roots 2-3 inches below soil (DO NOT bury this whole stem).  Install a trellis and train those new shoots to climb vertically.  Ideally keep only 1-2 stems.  Once they reached your desired height, top off and let it shoot sideways (your plant should resemble an umbrella shape).  Pretty soon this plant will be ready to flower and bear fruits.

Bo

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2902 on: May 28, 2019, 09:31:18 AM »







« Last Edit: May 28, 2019, 09:34:11 AM by Bo »

Daintree

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2903 on: May 28, 2019, 03:47:04 PM »



[/quote]

Carolyn, this is not uncommon.  It sounds to me you planted it too deep and it’s getting rot possible due to excessive water retention.  Use a blade and scrape off all the rots and cut away any unhealthy tissue.  Just be careful not to damage the core.  This plant is otherwise healthy as evident of its new growths.  You can repot it with better soil (more well drained) or leave it as it is.  If you choose to repot, plant the roots 2-3 inches below soil (DO NOT bury this whole stem).  Install a trellis and train those new shoots to climb vertically.  Ideally keep only 1-2 stems.  Once they reached your desired height, top off and let it shoot sideways (your plant should resemble an umbrella shape).  Pretty soon this plant will be ready to flower and bear fruits.
[/quote]

Thanks!!!!

Bo

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2904 on: May 29, 2019, 04:15:04 PM »
I want to try something new.  I’m going to cross an Asunta#2 with a Physical Graffiti.  I’ll use the pollen of each to pollinate the other.  I’ll then use the seeds to grow out and see what I get.  Since I will have way more seeds then I can handle, I would like to share them with people who want to grow out something new.  We could share the results here.  Anybody interested let me know.

RobPatterson

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2905 on: June 09, 2019, 07:57:45 PM »
The best way Ive found to deal with mid-section rot is to hit it with a full jet garden hose. Of course, be careful not to blow out your soil, but a pressure washer-like cleaning (dont use an actual pressure washer) will strip off the rotted flesh down to the core and leave the stem clean to dry out. I have a couple plants that the first foot or so are bare core, and have been fine for years. Its very possibly a bacteria or fungus that caused the rot to begin with, so make an effort to dispose of the bad tissue after you remove it, or at least wash it into an area where it wont affect your plant(s) in the future.






Carolyn, this is not uncommon.  It sounds to me you planted it too deep and it’s getting rot possible due to excessive water retention.  Use a blade and scrape off all the rots and cut away any unhealthy tissue.  Just be careful not to damage the core.  This plant is otherwise healthy as evident of its new growths.  You can repot it with better soil (more well drained) or leave it as it is.  If you choose to repot, plant the roots 2-3 inches below soil (DO NOT bury this whole stem).  Install a trellis and train those new shoots to climb vertically.  Ideally keep only 1-2 stems.  Once they reached your desired height, top off and let it shoot sideways (your plant should resemble an umbrella shape).  Pretty soon this plant will be ready to flower and bear fruits.
[/quote]

Thanks!!!!
[/quote]

So_Cal_Mike

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2906 on: June 19, 2019, 08:05:39 PM »
This particular cutting has been in the ground for over a year... it’s finally putting out a branch. Sometimes you just have to be patient, eventually it’ll grow. I’ve forgotten what variety it is.

[size=85]Sunset Zone: 21 • USDA Zone: 10a • AHS Heat Zone: 6-7[/size]

FamilyJ

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2907 on: June 20, 2019, 09:59:05 PM »
Bruni keeps on flowering


Orkine

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2908 on: June 30, 2019, 09:41:32 PM »
Its something terrible from the mist...




Nah, just a dragon fruit in bloom.

I have had some flowering this year but a flower at a time and of one variety and on the rare occasion two.
Tonight though, I got several flowers on three varieties.
I used polen on one to pollinate the other.  I hope this maximizes my chances of fruiting.

Here are some pictures from 2 of the 3 varieties, sorry don't know the names just that one makes huge pink fruits white inside and the other smaller red fruits.  There already is fruit on each plant from an earlier flowering.


« Last Edit: November 05, 2019, 11:19:02 PM by Orkine »

Mark in Texas

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2909 on: July 01, 2019, 09:32:02 AM »
These gardens are amazing.

Last year's cutting of Sugar is showing a blossom.  Not much, but it's a start.



SandyL

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2910 on: July 02, 2019, 03:29:51 PM »
I don't recall if I've ever asked this question but if I did, I'm sorry. I forgot the response
   Well a relative of mine wants to grow some DF in his backyard. The issue is , he lives in Daly Ciry, CA. Just wondering has anyone had any luck growing them over in that area or know if it'll grow there. I think there zone is 10b.
« Last Edit: July 02, 2019, 03:31:35 PM by SandyL »

shaxs

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2911 on: July 02, 2019, 05:28:18 PM »
We just got done up-potting the dragon fruit cuttings we got from @spaugh last year. Finally seeing some growth.





« Last Edit: July 04, 2019, 02:03:55 AM by shaxs »

SandyL

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2912 on: July 03, 2019, 09:27:04 PM »
What is this Palora Yellow I've been seeing on the forum? Is it the ones that's sold at the markets now? Cause those are already bigger than the standard SM we've been accustomed to seeing.

spaugh

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2913 on: July 03, 2019, 09:32:35 PM »
We just got done up-potting the drain fruit cuttings we got from @spaugh last year. Finally seeing some growth.







Nice, give them plenty of balanced fertilizer and consistent water to take advantage of the summer heat and make them grow fast. 

Avocado/citrus fertilizers are good for young plants that need to size up.

You also want to prune off excess branches and train a single vine up the sticks if you plan on putting them on tall support.  The plants do better if trained into a long single vine and then allowed to branch up high vs letting them become a bush. 
« Last Edit: July 03, 2019, 09:35:43 PM by spaugh »
Brad Spaugh

Mark in Texas

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2914 on: July 06, 2019, 01:05:30 PM »
Have a big "Sugar" blossom looking like it will split tonight.  I know what's gonna happen too.  My wife will be yelling at me to come to bed from my home theater's easy chair and I'll forget to get to the greenhouse to hand pollinate it.

The pitaya bed has grown crazy since I planted it last year in Sugar, Physical Graffti, Santa Barbara Red, Frankie's Red.  Some are 8' high crawling up the greenhouse covering.



Rannman

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2915 on: July 06, 2019, 05:41:39 PM »
If the variety you are talking about is actually ‘Sugar Dragon’, it won’t take much pollinating. You could probably sleep in and do it in the morning 👍👍

Mark in Texas

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2916 on: July 07, 2019, 08:01:35 AM »
If the variety you are talking about is actually ‘Sugar Dragon’, it won’t take much pollinating. You could probably sleep in and do it in the morning 👍👍

I did just that, this morn at 5:30 a.m.   I "diddled it" but didn't see any pollen sticking to the make up brush.  Huge flowers, must have been a foot across.






RobPatterson

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2917 on: July 18, 2019, 09:43:50 PM »
I don't recall if I've ever asked this question but if I did, I'm sorry. I forgot the response
   Well a relative of mine wants to grow some DF in his backyard. The issue is , he lives in Daly Ciry, CA. Just wondering has anyone had any luck growing them over in that area or know if it'll grow there. I think there zone is 10b.
Daly City should be a very good location to grow DF, as it eliminates (mostly) the 2 conditions that inhibit healthy plants....too much heat (103+) and too much cold (34 and below). Costal cities tend to do well with dragon fruit, especially once they are established, as the aerial rooting system lends itself to the foggy mornings. As long as there is no issue with a lack of pollinators in the area (bees, etc.) then the plants should do well once they are past the cutting stage. To get them established, or to root cuttings, a warmer, and sunnier, spot would be preferable, such as against a western facing wall, so the plants can soak up additional heat radiation that the backing surface absorbs. Even a few hours a day on a cheap heating mat will help speed up maturity for newly rooted cuttings. Just make sure the soil has plenty of drainage, Nor Cal winters can be quite wet. Above ground containers/pots are probably preferable.

RobPatterson

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So far so good in So Cal...
« Reply #2918 on: July 18, 2019, 09:54:02 PM »
So, as of this posting, we here in Southern California have had one of the more milder summers in recent years, and it is certainly showing in the dragon fruit around my house. I have a solid showing of flowers both maturing to bloom and setting fruit, which is a shift from the last three years for sure. Especially last year, which had a nearly 90% flower die off rate here in Ontario until the final flush of October. Temps were 100+ for weeks at a time with spikes of 104-110, which is almost always fatal for flowers and young fruit, at least on my plants. Im taking care to keep my plants properly hydrated early this year too, in the event that the temps do rise, Im hoping the plants will be better able to cope and give me a proper harvest this summer.
Of course, Im knocking on wood as I type this. I just hope that everyone else out there is having as much luck as I am so far, and that conditions hold long enough for us all to enjoy a dragon fruit filled summer.

Seanny

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2919 on: July 19, 2019, 12:29:15 AM »
My dad hand pollinate all flowers. We ate a few red variety already. We have a few left.
Second season flowers are coming.

We gave cuttings to neighbor down the street.
He didn’t pollinate. He got 1 fruit out of 12 flowers.

Nothing so far from the white variety.

RobPatterson

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2920 on: July 19, 2019, 06:27:10 PM »
This particular cutting has been in the ground for over a year... it’s finally putting out a branch. Sometimes you just have to be patient, eventually it’ll grow. I’ve forgotten what variety it is.


FYI, im pretty sure that is a white variety. The whites tend to have the brown "corking" streak on the pointed, thorned edges of their 3 sided branches, where reds and magentas tend to be a bit more curvy and don't have that sharp angle.

SandyL

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2921 on: July 21, 2019, 03:12:08 AM »
I don't recall if I've ever asked this question but if I did, I'm sorry. I forgot the response
   Well a relative of mine wants to grow some DF in his backyard. The issue is , he lives in Daly Ciry, CA. Just wondering has anyone had any luck growing them over in that area or know if it'll grow there. I think there zone is 10b.
Daly City should be a very good location to grow DF, as it eliminates (mostly) the 2 conditions that inhibit healthy plants....too much heat (103+) and too much cold (34 and below). Costal cities tend to do well with dragon fruit, especially once they are established, as the aerial rooting system lends itself to the foggy mornings. As long as there is no issue with a lack of pollinators in the area (bees, etc.) then the plants should do well once they are past the cutting stage. To get them established, or to root cuttings, a warmer, and sunnier, spot would be preferable, such as against a western facing wall, so the plants can soak up additional heat radiation that the backing surface absorbs. Even a few hours a day on a cheap heating mat will help speed up maturity for newly rooted cuttings. Just make sure the soil has plenty of drainage, Nor Cal winters can be quite wet. Above ground containers/pots are probably preferable.


Thank you so much Rob!! I'll pass the info over to my relative! 😊

SandyL

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2922 on: July 21, 2019, 03:15:54 AM »
I'm stumped about one of my plant. It's currently 5 ft tall and have 3 buds growing. But I noticed the stems went from plump to skinny. It's the S8. I have another S8 that is about 4 ft tall with 2 buds. But the stems on that on is still plump. Is there a reason why it goes from being plump to skinny. Am I not watering enough? I water them max 2 times a week , sometimes one.

spaugh

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2923 on: July 22, 2019, 12:27:11 AM »
Some kind of large black bee



Brad Spaugh

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #2924 on: July 22, 2019, 02:15:17 PM »
I don't recall if I've ever asked this question but if I did, I'm sorry. I forgot the response
   Well a relative of mine wants to grow some DF in his backyard. The issue is , he lives in Daly Ciry, CA. Just wondering has anyone had any luck growing them over in that area or know if it'll grow there. I think there zone is 10b.
Daly City should be a very good location to grow DF, as it eliminates (mostly) the 2 conditions that inhibit healthy plants....too much heat (103+) and too much cold (34 and below). Costal cities tend to do well with dragon fruit, especially once they are established, as the aerial rooting system lends itself to the foggy mornings. As long as there is no issue with a lack of pollinators in the area (bees, etc.) then the plants should do well once they are past the cutting stage. To get them established, or to root cuttings, a warmer, and sunnier, spot would be preferable, such as against a western facing wall, so the plants can soak up additional heat radiation that the backing surface absorbs. Even a few hours a day on a cheap heating mat will help speed up maturity for newly rooted cuttings. Just make sure the soil has plenty of drainage, Nor Cal winters can be quite wet. Above ground containers/pots are probably preferable.


Thank you so much Rob!! I'll pass the info over to my relative! 😊

I just started growing some in pots in Redwood City (~15 miles away) earlier this year... weather is a bit less temperate than Daly City but mine have been very happily growing several inches a week this summer. 

On a related note, they will probably be 5-6 feet tall by September/October, when it'll start getting cooler and less sunny up here.  I've got a single stem going up - will it start branching out on its own eventually, or should I cut the tip to encourage more lateral growth?  If so, is it better to do that at a certain time of year, or does it not matter?