Author Topic: Dragon Fruit thread.  (Read 940331 times)

HMHausman

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #500 on: March 23, 2014, 03:03:32 PM »
Nice!  My only additional comment is that mine do better in direct sunlight. Not sure how much bloom you'll get in shade.
Harry
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mikesid

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #501 on: March 23, 2014, 03:36:16 PM »
Cool! a pre-built trellis!

   I've been collecting dragon fruit from various places around the city. Mostly in the older neighborhoods where they are growing up tall trees. I even saw one growing in the scrub along miner rd in the middle of nowhere up a tall pine tree so I pulled over and grabbed some of that. Without a good plan of where to put all these I went and made some t-posts for them. I picked up the three varieties Excalibur sells also though I'm not sure of there names..(maybe Rob knows)…Cristella just told me the color of flesh/skin of each… The other dragon fruit I've been 'wild' collecting I just mark with the name of the street from where I got it…dragon fruit grows like a weed at my house..and yeah, I know, clear the grass from around them…easy,I just built this two days..



NaturalGreenthumb

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #502 on: March 23, 2014, 03:40:17 PM »
Nice!  My only additional comment is that mine do better in direct sunlight. Not sure how much bloom you'll get in shade.


Crap!

There is afternoon or early evening sun in that spot, the sun  shines over the top. I hope that's enough.

Not sure what else to put there. It's a north facing wall.

It's Either that or sugarcane and sugar cane needs direct sun too...

I read the forum post about dragon fruit getting sunburn so I figure it would be ok.

I got to test it out unless I find something to put there.

Would monstera deliciosa work?

Any suggestion for a north facing wall?

nullzero

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #503 on: March 23, 2014, 07:11:54 PM »
Cool! a pre-built trellis!

   I've been collecting dragon fruit from various places around the city. Mostly in the older neighborhoods where they are growing up tall trees. I even saw one growing in the scrub along miner rd in the middle of nowhere up a tall pine tree so I pulled over and grabbed some of that. Without a good plan of where to put all these I went and made some t-posts for them. I picked up the three varieties Excalibur sells also though I'm not sure of there names..(maybe Rob knows)…Cristella just told me the color of flesh/skin of each… The other dragon fruit I've been 'wild' collecting I just mark with the name of the street from where I got it…dragon fruit grows like a weed at my house..and yeah, I know, clear the grass from around them…easy,I just built this two days..




Mike,

How is the fruit quality on the Cereus sp. in the background?
Grow mainly fruits, vegetables, and herbs.

mikesid

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #504 on: March 23, 2014, 08:28:21 PM »
Cool! a pre-built trellis!

   I've been collecting dragon fruit from various places around the city. Mostly in the older neighborhoods where they are growing up tall trees. I even saw one growing in the scrub along miner rd in the middle of nowhere up a tall pine tree so I pulled over and grabbed some of that. Without a good plan of where to put all these I went and made some t-posts for them. I picked up the three varieties Excalibur sells also though I'm not sure of there names..(maybe Rob knows)…Cristella just told me the color of flesh/skin of each… The other dragon fruit I've been 'wild' collecting I just mark with the name of the street from where I got it…dragon fruit grows like a weed at my house..and yeah, I know, clear the grass from around them…easy,I just built this two days..




Mike,

How is the fruit quality on the Cereus sp. in the background?
now I'm gonna have to paddle my kayak across and take a look..will report back!

nullzero

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #505 on: March 23, 2014, 09:16:01 PM »
Cool! a pre-built trellis!

   I've been collecting dragon fruit from various places around the city. Mostly in the older neighborhoods where they are growing up tall trees. I even saw one growing in the scrub along miner rd in the middle of nowhere up a tall pine tree so I pulled over and grabbed some of that. Without a good plan of where to put all these I went and made some t-posts for them. I picked up the three varieties Excalibur sells also though I'm not sure of there names..(maybe Rob knows)…Cristella just told me the color of flesh/skin of each… The other dragon fruit I've been 'wild' collecting I just mark with the name of the street from where I got it…dragon fruit grows like a weed at my house..and yeah, I know, clear the grass from around them…easy,I just built this two days..




Mike,

How is the fruit quality on the Cereus sp. in the background?
now I'm gonna have to paddle my kayak across and take a look..will report back!

Should be flowering very soon, ripe fruits possible in June to September.
Grow mainly fruits, vegetables, and herbs.

fyliu

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #506 on: March 24, 2014, 12:32:46 AM »
Nice!  My only additional comment is that mine do better in direct sunlight. Not sure how much bloom you'll get in shade.


Crap!

There is afternoon or early evening sun in that spot, the sun  shines over the top. I hope that's enough.

Not sure what else to put there. It's a north facing wall.

It's Either that or sugarcane and sugar cane needs direct sun too...

I read the forum post about dragon fruit getting sunburn so I figure it would be ok.

I got to test it out unless I find something to put there.

Would monstera deliciosa work?

Any suggestion for a north facing wall?
10 hours of light a day is the commonly suggested amount for inducing flowering. If your DF doesn't  thicken up or stays dark green instead of getting a little bit yellow, then you need to move it. Or put supplemental lighting if you really want to.

Monstera deliciosa probably works since it's normally grown under trees. eugenia uniflora will fruit just fine in moderate shade.

LEOOEL

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #507 on: March 26, 2014, 10:28:14 PM »
I'm very pleased with the progress of my 'David Bowie' Dragon Fruit growing on a single cylindrical wooden pole that's abouut 7 feet tall.

Although the cuttings that surround the pole at the bottom are all from the same mother tree, one of the cuttings has really take off climbing the pole and it's just one foot away from the top. I still haven't decided what type of trellis I'm going to use to crown the top of the pole with, but I have to make up my mind soon, this 'DB' DF means business, it's about to reach the top and I need the trellis-crown installed before that happens.
'Virtue' should be taught, learned and propagated, in order to save others and oneself.

wslau

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Tried dragonfruit for the first time
« Reply #508 on: April 04, 2014, 11:45:22 PM »
I tried dragonfruit for the the first time this week.
It was a Vetnamese dragonfruit bought at 99 Ranch Market for $2.99/lb (1 lb).


The flesh was white.  The texture was like a kiwi, but there was no tartness, little to mild sweetness, and no flavor that I could dinstinctly describe. 
My family was somewhat disappointed with this white-fleshed Vietnamese dragonfruit.  I thought perhaps it could be put in a salad, similar to what some people do with jicama.

I haven't given up on dragonfruit yet.  I hear that some of the other varieties have more flavor, sweetness, and tartness.  I received some cuttings of Halley's Comet and Quang Ong White from fyliu....so we'll see what these are like in a year or two.
« Last Edit: April 04, 2014, 11:47:52 PM by wslau »
Warren

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Re: Tried dragonfruit for the first time
« Reply #509 on: April 04, 2014, 11:49:12 PM »
I've had better luck with home grown. Much sweeter. Picked right before they split. I think it's like cherimoya. Store bought is quite a gamble

simon_grow

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Re: Tried dragonfruit for the first time
« Reply #510 on: April 05, 2014, 12:25:49 AM »
I'm sorry that your first taste of Dragonfruit was a 99 Ranch white fleshed variety. I would have recommended that you pass on it, it's like the Tommy Atkins of Dragonfruit. You should go to a dragonfruit tasting so that you can try multiple varieties. I really like Halley's Comet and American Beauty. They are both much tastier and sweeter than the common white.
Simon

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Re: Tried dragonfruit for the first time
« Reply #511 on: April 05, 2014, 01:35:56 AM »
There's a white variety called Jamaican Red that's pretty nice. It's available from San Diego CRFG members.

I also went and bought a 99 Ranch fruit after I had been growing it. Very disappointing experience and it might have made me not want to grow it had I not tasted the good ones like Valdivia Roja fruit from the Irvine Field Station. They used to give out free fruits to people that could get to San Marcos when they got fruit. I got bags and boxes of them back then.

Warren, I still have a few large cuttings you could have. I'm not sure how good Purple Haze is but I heard it was good.

wslau

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Re: Tried dragonfruit for the first time
« Reply #512 on: April 05, 2014, 02:36:31 AM »
Warren, I still have a few large cuttings you could have. I'm not sure how good Purple Haze is but I heard it was good.
Sure.  I sent you a PM.
Warren

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Re: Tried dragonfruit for the first time
« Reply #513 on: April 05, 2014, 03:09:08 AM »
Definitely try American Beauty.  It's a night and day difference.


gunnar429

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Re: Tried dragonfruit for the first time
« Reply #514 on: April 05, 2014, 07:59:03 AM »
i hear the purple fleshed types are tasty...and the yellow are supposed to be sweet.
~Jeff

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RodneyS

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Re: Tried dragonfruit for the first time
« Reply #515 on: April 05, 2014, 05:06:29 PM »
Warren, I'll let you know when my dragonfruit plants have fruits, so you can see what they really taste like. 

Mark in Texas

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Re: Tried dragonfruit for the first time
« Reply #516 on: April 05, 2014, 10:24:42 PM »
Definitely try American Beauty.  It's a night and day difference.

What does it taste like? 

Any one know of a place where I can mail order the fruit in.  Don't want to waste my time on something we might not like.

fyliu

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Re: Tried dragonfruit for the first time
« Reply #517 on: April 06, 2014, 01:39:22 AM »
Maybe someone on the forum can send you a few.
I don't get much fruits or else I would be happy to. We'll see this year.

wslau

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Re: Tried dragonfruit for the first time
« Reply #518 on: April 06, 2014, 03:48:51 AM »
Warren, I'll let you know when my dragonfruit plants have fruits, so you can see what they really taste like.
Thanks Rodney! I'll take you up on your offer.
Warren

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Re: Tried dragonfruit for the first time
« Reply #519 on: April 06, 2014, 05:40:32 AM »
Rodney, may I join Warren for the tasting too? My white DF (probably Vietnamese variety) produces very bland fruits, but they are huge (1 1/2 lb, if I remember correctly).

JeffDM

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #520 on: April 08, 2014, 08:35:43 PM »
Just ate my first Dragon Fruit and now I need to put more effort into growing my own because I can't afford to buy them
 :)
The seeds scrape off easily without messing up the fruit so I can sprout some seedlings and they were OK to eat unlike the seeds of some guavas.
I bought them at the Fruit Shop on Convoy St. in San Diego.






fyliu

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #521 on: April 08, 2014, 11:07:25 PM »
Slap a paper napkin on the flat cut surface and you can pull away several seeds easily. I found that out at a tasting event eating wedges using napkins.

LEOOEL

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #522 on: April 08, 2014, 11:12:22 PM »
This Thread is in the cutting with reguard to DF. And, on a different topic, from what I've read on this Thread, 'American Beauty' DF rocks.
'Virtue' should be taught, learned and propagated, in order to save others and oneself.

RodneyS

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #523 on: April 08, 2014, 11:44:44 PM »
Jeff, I have several varieties that I can take cuttings from.  Growing DF from cuttings is a lot faster

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Re: Dragon Fruit thread.
« Reply #524 on: April 09, 2014, 04:55:38 PM »
Well, this is my first post here. I´ve read the entire thread and it has become one of the most helpful site regarding DF.

I`ve planted 8 DF cuttings in January (American Beauty, Halleys Comet, Purple Haze and Physical Graffitti) thanks to RodneyS  :D

I´ve made a few mistakes that i think its important for others to see (or know):
The first one regards water: I put 1 litre (0,2 gallons) every week in winter (temperatures 35-50 F) in a spot with 2 hours of sun. This was a very serious mistake and after a month I could see that some cuttings were losing the green colour. It was a too wet environment. I stop watering them.  You don´t need water if the cutting doesn´t have roots...
American Beauty was the first to be moved to a full sun spot. Here it is a yellowish cutting:




Rooting started after the soil was dry. After one month in full sun (50-77 F):



The other cutting that was almost lost was a Purple Haze one. It developed brown patches and it began to look very skinny, with a perfect "six pack":




So, the same again, stop watering it, full sun and only water after i check roots. After one month:



And... since a few days ago, the worst cutting striked back and became the first one with buds: