How to Grow and Prune a Pitahaya

Pitaya or Pitahaya is a tropical plant that produces a fruit commonly called dragon fruit. The plant is a night-blooming Cereus, which is a vinelike cactus. Originally from tropical America, the plant is easy to start from cuttings. Grow pitaya where temperatures range from 65 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit, although the plant tolerates temperatures up to 100 degrees. The cactus needs fairly high humidity and some partial shading while establishing. The plant is fast growing and may become 20 feet long in good conditions. It produces fragrant, showy blooms of 14 inches in length and 9 inches in width. Pitahaya is tolerant of many types of soil and has few cultural requirements. Little pruning is necessary except to reduce size and at training.

Sharp knife
Fungicide powder
Pot
Peat
Sand
Water
Shovel
Compost
Sand
Trellis
Cotton twine
Scissors
Pruners
Fertilizer
Manure
Mulch
Insecticidal soap

Instructions

- 1
  Take a cutting from an adult Pitaya that is up to 15 inches long. Dust the cut end with fungicide and let it dry indoors for up to a week to form a callus.
- 2
  Mix equal parts moistened peat moss and sand. Insert the cut end of the cutting 1½ inch into the soil. Cuttings take four to six months to develop a good root system. Keep the plant lightly moistened in partial sun.
- 3
  Prepare a bed in a full sun location by digging in 5 inches of compost and 3 of sand. Remove any rocks or obstructions. Remove the plant from the pot and dig a hole the size of the root ball. Set the plant at the same level it was growing before and backfill the hole. Water until soil puddles up.
- 4
  Erect a trellis 5 to 10 inches away from the plant and begin training it. Use pieces of cotton twine to lightly tie the main body of the cactus to the support.
- 5
  Use pruners to remove the arms, or lateral growth, from the cacti in the first year. Cut the main stem 5 inches when it reaches the top of the trellis. Allow new lateral growth to form and tie it to the trellis as it gets taller.
- 6
  Apply 1/4 lb. fertilizer one month after planting outdoors. Use 1/4 lb. balanced palm fertilizer every two months. Work it into the top 5 inches of soil and follow with watering. Spread 4 lbs. of manure around the base of the plant in the first year.
- 7
  Mulch with 2 to 6 inches of organic mulching material such as bark or wood chips. Water every week except spring. Let the plant dry in spring to force flowering. Use heavy gloves to harvest the fruit when it is soft and heavy.

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