How to Root a Dragon Fruit Cutting

Dragon fruit, or pitaya or pitahaya, is an odd vining cactus that can form aerial roots on any part of the plant, most commonly at the joints of the multisegmented stems. The dragon fruit uses these roots to anchor itself to surfaces for climbing as it grows. You can use this characteristic to your advantage to easily root a dragon fruit cutting. The fast-growing plant will live for up to 20 years and may begin producing fruit as soon as six to nine months after you start it.

Clean, sharp shears
Powdered rooting hormone
6-inch pot
Potting soil

Instructions

- 1
  Choose a healthy, mature dragon fruit cactus at least one-year-old from which to take your cutting. It will grow into a clone of the parent plant, so pick a plant you like.
- 2
  Cut a stem tip 12 to 15 inches long from the plant with clean, sharp shears.
- 3
  Trim 1 inch from the bottom of the stem with two 45-degree cuts to form a “V” in the middle.
- 4
  Dampen the bottom 1 inch of the cutting with water. Dip the wet tip into powdered rooting hormone and tap off the excess.
- 5
  Set the cutting in a warm, dry spot out of direct Sun for a week. This will cure, or dry, the cut so it will heal.
- 6
  Plant the cutting 2 inches deep in a 6-inch pot of good potting soil. Set it in a warm, brightly lit spot out of direct Sun.
- 7
  Water the dragon fruit cutting just enough to evenly moisten the soil, but not so much that it’s soggy or wet. Water and mist it once every other day for two to four weeks or until you see new growth. Thereafter, water twice weekly.
- 8
  Expose the rooted cutting to direct morning sunlight for about two for two or three days. Gradually increase the Sun exposure over the next two weeks until the dragon fruit cactus plant is receiving full sunlight.

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