Dragon Fruit Growing Tips

Growing Climate

• Dragon fruit grow best in tropical and subtropical regions. They are damaged by freezing weather, but can withstand light freezes of short duration. In areas with intense sun and low humidity, light shading is preferred until the plant is established to prevent sunburn. Pitaya are salt tolerant and are wind resistant with good support.

Soil Conditions

• Dragon fruit prefer well-drained fertile soils. They need full sun or very light shade to produce fruit. If the area is prone to flooding or standing water during a hard rain, plant the pitaya on a mound or raised bed.

  Remove the grass around the plant and supplement the soil with compost or decomposed manure. Cover the surface with a 3 to 4 inch layer of mulch to discourage weeds.

Support the Plant

• Pitaya cactus grow quite and heavy. They need the support of a strong trellis capable of holding several hundred pounds of plant weight. A well-anchored post with a support platform at the top, a 4 ft. tall block wall or a pile of rocks makes an ideal support.

  Train the plant to a single stem until the height of the trellis is reached, then cut the tip to encourage it to branch out. Tie the main stem to the trellis with cotton cording as needed to support the plant. Allow the branches to lay across the support and drape to the ground.

Fertilizer

• Fertilize pitaya plants every other month with 4 oz. of a balanced fertilizer such as 6-6-6 with magnesium, increasing the amount to 6 to 8 oz. as the plant grows. Drench plants in alkaline soils with chelated iron or apply iron sulfate to plants in acidic soils. Apply foliar sprays of minor elements during the spring and summer. Also apply 5 pounds of compost or decomposed manure to each plant in the spring and fall.

Water

• As members of the cactus family, pitaya are able to withstand dry weather, but they require frequent irrigation to produce fruit. Excess water or wet soils lead to fungus and bacterial diseases and should be avoided.

  Allow the plant to dry out prior to blooming in the spring. Keep the soil moist once fruit have set.

Harvesting the Fruit

• Dragon fruit do not undergo ripening like other fruit and are ready to harvest approximately 30 days after fruit set. The fruit continue to grow and larger fruit are produced by waiting until approximately 50 days after flowering to harvest them.

  Picked fruit last approximately 10 days at room temperatures or 25 to 30 days if stored in a perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator.