Author Topic: Dragon fruit flowering for first time. Helpful tips  (Read 1677 times)

Timbogrow

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Dragon fruit flowering for first time. Helpful tips
« on: May 05, 2022, 08:58:20 AM »
I planted these about a year ago and the Vietnamese white has some flower buds forming. Is there a way to tell when the flower will open so I don't miss my chance to pollinate the open flower? I see some ants on there and going to do a spray of neem oil, soap and seaweed extract to help fight any aphids plus give some nutrients. Thanks for any tips to help increase chances of fruit set and plant health.


Timbogrow

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Re: Dragon fruit flowering for first time. Helpful tips
« Reply #1 on: May 05, 2022, 09:04:31 AM »
I plan on attaching some sticks with hay under them to help the air roots. Just havnt had time.

John B

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Re: Dragon fruit flowering for first time. Helpful tips
« Reply #2 on: May 05, 2022, 02:43:15 PM »
You can tell it will flower when the stigma is slightly protruding from the closed flower. It is usually swollen as well. I couldn't find a picture but grabbed this one from the interweb as an example. Don't worry, you can usually pollinate I'm the early morning (before 8am) if you miss the night bloom.

Also, don't spray anything right now. Just wait until fruit sets or flowers fall.



K-Rimes

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Re: Dragon fruit flowering for first time. Helpful tips
« Reply #3 on: May 05, 2022, 04:37:53 PM »
I planted these about a year ago and the Vietnamese white has some flower buds forming. Is there a way to tell when the flower will open so I don't miss my chance to pollinate the open flower? I see some ants on there and going to do a spray of neem oil, soap and seaweed extract to help fight any aphids plus give some nutrients. Thanks for any tips to help increase chances of fruit set and plant health.


Ants don't harm my DF, I don't worry about them unless they're installing aphids. You can blast the aphids off with water or smush with your thumb.

Your flower will swell up over 2-3 days. You'll know when it's about to open. It will probably be in about 15 days from what I see on your flowers now, depending on temps.

I don't think you need to do anything nutritionally, or spray, just water. I hold off on water after I have pollinated and that seems to really improve fruit set.

Timbogrow

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Re: Dragon fruit flowering for first time. Helpful tips
« Reply #4 on: May 05, 2022, 05:23:46 PM »
Thank you for the great tips John b and K-rimes! I'll hold off on the spray and didn't see any aphids. Does anyone think the branches and cane grass would cause any problems tied up with twine or stainless welding wire to the top level over the metal frame and maybe the outer sides too.

John B

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Re: Dragon fruit flowering for first time. Helpful tips
« Reply #5 on: May 05, 2022, 06:45:12 PM »
Your post system looks good and I wouldn't mess with it, but that's just me personally.

RodneyS

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Re: Dragon fruit flowering for first time. Helpful tips
« Reply #6 on: May 06, 2022, 04:23:48 PM »
Vietnames White is a self-pollinating cultivar

Timbogrow

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Re: Dragon fruit flowering for first time. Helpful tips
« Reply #7 on: May 06, 2022, 08:14:16 PM »
Yea, I was told it was good for cross pollination as well. What are the chances of it flower getting fertilized into fruit if not hand pollinated though? Thanks for the tips, keep em coming.

achetadomestica

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Re: Dragon fruit flowering for first time. Helpful tips
« Reply #8 on: May 06, 2022, 09:23:57 PM »
My neighbor has V. white and he gets more and more fruit every year
and has never hand pollinated

Timbogrow

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Re: Dragon fruit flowering for first time. Helpful tips
« Reply #9 on: May 07, 2022, 07:31:25 AM »
That's awesome! I'll just let it do its thing then. Maybe when the other varieties I have start flowering I'll save some pollen. I got 1 post with cosmic charley,  1 post with haleys comet, 2 posts palora yellow, 1 post Vietnamese white and 1 post Susan red. All except palora have reached the top.


CarolinaZone

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Re: Dragon fruit flowering for first time. Helpful tips
« Reply #10 on: May 07, 2022, 04:08:24 PM »
That's great!!! I have a Peruvian apple catus. I tried and tried with the dragons but couldn't make them work.

Timbogrow

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Re: Dragon fruit flowering for first time. Helpful tips
« Reply #11 on: May 08, 2022, 08:03:12 AM »
My friend gave me a couple pads of apple cactus. Not sure the variety but both have no spines and the one is verigated. Sorry it didn't work out for you Carolinazone.

Plantinyum

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Re: Dragon fruit flowering for first time. Helpful tips
« Reply #12 on: May 09, 2022, 03:03:28 AM »
That's great!!! I have a Peruvian apple catus. I tried and tried with the dragons but couldn't make them work.
t
What do u think u messed up with the dragofruit??  I am asking since i grow them and they are an easy plant for me....

jtickle740

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Re: Dragon fruit flowering for first time. Helpful tips
« Reply #13 on: May 09, 2022, 01:21:46 PM »
I planted these about a year ago and the Vietnamese white has some flower buds forming. Is there a way to tell when the flower will open so I don't miss my chance to pollinate the open flower? I see some ants on there and going to do a spray of neem oil, soap and seaweed extract to help fight any aphids plus give some nutrients. Thanks for any tips to help increase chances of fruit set and plant health.


What did you wrap around your trelis? Is that burlap? I am just starting out and trying to figure out what works best and that seems to be working quite well.

K-Rimes

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Re: Dragon fruit flowering for first time. Helpful tips
« Reply #14 on: May 09, 2022, 02:29:29 PM »
That's great!!! I have a Peruvian apple catus. I tried and tried with the dragons but couldn't make them work.
t
What do u think u messed up with the dragofruit??  I am asking since i grow them and they are an easy plant for me....

When I watered every day (even when 40c out and the plant drank it all every day), I got no fruit sets. Once I started to withhold watering after pollination, TONS of fruit sets. Not 100% but probably 75%.

I think most growers make this mistake.

Timbogrow

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Re: Dragon fruit flowering for first time. Helpful tips
« Reply #15 on: May 09, 2022, 07:04:58 PM »
That's great!!! I have a Peruvian apple catus. I tried and tried with the dragons but couldn't make them work.
t
What do u think u messed up with the dragofruit??  I am asking since i grow them and they are an easy plant for me....
It's been a learning experience for sure. They stopped growing all winter but the ones in pots in the greenhouse really grew fast and easy all winter.  I had some stem rot last rainy season on 2 and started cutting the bottom out of pots and then planting them raised up 3 or so inches so the stem doesn't get the rot. They took the cold spell without any damage thankfully but really helps having solid humidity and warmth all year.
Yes it's burlap I got in a roll at the home improvement store and tig welded up some aluminum tube frames to last eternity lol. The air roots are growing all through it. - Jtickle740
We just had our first couple heavy rains and I'm not giving them any water. Thanks for the tip on holding the watering during pollination K-rimes. Hope it doesn't get too rainy during that time.

Plantinyum

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Re: Dragon fruit flowering for first time. Helpful tips
« Reply #16 on: May 10, 2022, 02:13:18 AM »
K- rimes, thanks for the suggestion regarding watering,u said after flowering the water to be lowered and not before that ,right?

My two greenhouse plants are getting gigantic ( by Bulgarian dragon fruit standards ),  really want them to flower this year, i havent been watering them alot, just enough to keep the slightly moist.
Is there a season to their flowering in similar climates as mine  or do they just flower when they feel like it, i wonder.....?

Plantinyum

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Re: Dragon fruit flowering for first time. Helpful tips
« Reply #17 on: May 10, 2022, 02:17:19 AM »
I plan on attaching some sticks with hay under them to help the air roots. Just havnt had time.
i am also wondering how to guide the roots so that they go to the ground and root there, i read somewhere that people use plastic pipes filled with aerated soil which the roots use as a bridje to get too the ground, and i will prolly try that when i have the time....

jtickle740

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Re: Dragon fruit flowering for first time. Helpful tips
« Reply #18 on: May 10, 2022, 10:57:19 AM »
K- rimes, thanks for the suggestion regarding watering,u said after flowering the water to be lowered and not before that ,right?

My two greenhouse plants are getting gigantic ( by Bulgarian dragon fruit standards ),  really want them to flower this year, i havent been watering them alot, just enough to keep the slightly moist.
Is there a season to their flowering in similar climates as mine  or do they just flower when they feel like it, i wonder.....?

If you can adjust the time your lights are on in the greenhouse Dragon fruit tends to flower when the days are longer. Check out this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyE3t1YK04c, this guy has a whole series on growing dragon fruit. I watch it constantly. His recommendations have allowed me to get plenty of plants going from cuttings.

Plantinyum

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Re: Dragon fruit flowering for first time. Helpful tips
« Reply #19 on: May 10, 2022, 11:29:47 AM »
K- rimes, thanks for the suggestion regarding watering,u said after flowering the water to be lowered and not before that ,right?

My two greenhouse plants are getting gigantic ( by Bulgarian dragon fruit standards ),  really want them to flower this year, i havent been watering them alot, just enough to keep the slightly moist.
Is there a season to their flowering in similar climates as mine  or do they just flower when they feel like it, i wonder.....?

If you can adjust the time your lights are on in the greenhouse Dragon fruit tends to flower when the days are longer. Check out this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyE3t1YK04c, this guy has a whole series on growing dragon fruit. I watch it constantly. His recommendations have allowed me to get plenty of plants going from cuttings.

yeah ive watched this video and did found it helpfull, thought there was one other guy that did alot of dragon fruit videos and i watched his channel way more.
I do not have any grow lights in my gh so hopefully now that the days get longer i will patiently wait for some flower buds finally .....

K-Rimes

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Re: Dragon fruit flowering for first time. Helpful tips
« Reply #20 on: May 10, 2022, 12:35:00 PM »
K- rimes, thanks for the suggestion regarding watering,u said after flowering the water to be lowered and not before that ,right?

My two greenhouse plants are getting gigantic ( by Bulgarian dragon fruit standards ),  really want them to flower this year, i havent been watering them alot, just enough to keep the slightly moist.
Is there a season to their flowering in similar climates as mine  or do they just flower when they feel like it, i wonder.....?

After I pollinate the flower(s) I will hold off on watering sometimes for 7 to even 10 days. It depends on the weather at the time. I changed nothing else but that and got plentiful fruit sets.

My DF are set into "flower mode" with heat, and lots of it. I have some flowers buds now that are nearly finished which were initiated by a random 1 week of 30c temps, but we went right back into 15c-20c and nothing coming out now. If you can get the heat going, they will flower. Also, I find tipping is helpful when the arms are cascading down the trellis.

Another point is that they don't tend to flower all that well until they are a good size. Mine did not produce well till they were over top of the trellis. I believe there is something to do with the arms pointing down - people suggest, probably kind of just "bro science" that the nutrients collect in the tips and that induces flowering. I personally think the plant has enough mass and says I can afford to reproduce.

Plantinyum

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Re: Dragon fruit flowering for first time. Helpful tips
« Reply #21 on: May 13, 2022, 02:17:51 AM »
Well i think mine should be rady to flower ,they are quite big, in the greenhouse daily temps lately are around 30 c with open doors.




The pics i took at dusk so some blurriness to them...
I havent removed the winter coat of bubble wrap off the gh ,so this prevents some of the light and since the plants are growing from march they are somewhat etiolated...
« Last Edit: May 13, 2022, 02:20:26 AM by Plantinyum »

Timbogrow

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Re: Dragon fruit flowering for first time. Helpful tips
« Reply #22 on: May 13, 2022, 08:27:03 PM »
Nice plants platinyum!