Dragon Fruit Cultivation

Dragon fruit is an exotic tropical fruit, which is also called pitaya. It is a fruit of the cactus species belonging to the genus Hylocereus. Some of its other names include the strawberry pear fruit and nanettika fruit. The dragon fruit tree is native to Mexico and many parts of the South and Central America. It is also cultivated in many Asian countries including Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Philippines. The dragon fruit trees are also found in other tropical parts of the world like Hawaiian islands, south China and north Australia. There are different varieties of the dragon fruit and you can find them in both sour as well as sweet varieties. The sweet plants have three sub species. The first one has red skin and white pulp, the second one comes with red skin and red pulp and the third one comes with yellow skin and white pulp. If you are aiming for itst cultivation, then you need to make sure that it is hardy to your local climate. As the dragon fruit is the product of a tropical plant, you need to find similar atmospheric conditions or sub tropical, semi tropical and dry atmospheric conditions. Otherwise, you can try cultivating it in greenhouses too.

Cultivating Dragon Fruit

For planting trees that are healthy and productive, you must start by searching for dragon fruit seeds. You can buy the ready to plant dragon fruit seeds from a nursery or even order them online. You can also take out the seeds from a dried dragon fruit. The seeds take about 10 to 15 days to germinate. Hence, it will take time for you to get seedlings for the cultivation. The better way is to find some plant cuttings from a nursery and get on with your gardening activities. Here are some dragon fruit growing tips.

Site Selection and Preparation
Make sure that you select a site with good drainage facility for cultivating your dragon fruit plants. Sandy loam soil with high amount of organic substances is ideal for cultivating these trees. You need to mound rows of PVC or concrete poles with a frame attached to their top for the plants to hang down. The poles must be mounded to at least 300 mm and they shouldn't be more than 2 m long. You must maintain at least a 3 m distance within two plants and make sure that you plant only 1 to 4 plants per pole. It is also important to use an organic fertilizer at the time of planting.

Irrigation and Nutrition
Daily watering is necessary once you are done with planting the dragon fruit tree. Under tree sprinklers with 1 to 1.5 m wetting area is suitable for suffixing the plant's daily need for 80 liter water. Avoid water stress because it can cause fruit splitting, flower drop, yellowing of the plants and slow shoot development. Regular mulching around the plants is also important along with providing dynamite lifter and dolomite every alternate month (100 g per plant).

Pests and Diseases
Harsh sun can damage all the efforts that you have taken. Excessive amount of direct sunlight can cause soft watery rot on the plants. This plant is also susceptible to various kinds of pest infestation along with meat ants and ginger ants. As a result, regular fertilization with organic pesticides is very essential. To protect the fruits from birds, you should provide proper netting to your dragon fruit plants.

Pruning and Harvesting
Pruning is an important step in the process of the cultivation in order to remove the side shoots. You need to maintain at least 50 main branches of the plants, to a healthy canopy. Once you are done with pruning, you can expect the first fruit season after 15 to 18 months of the cultivation. The fruit can be harvested approximately after 28 days to a month, when it starts to turn pink from green.

If stored in a cool temperature (ranging from 7 degrees to 10 degrees), the dragon fruit can stay fresh for more than two months. Along with the sweet taste, the nutrition facts are worth considering if you are looking for cultivation. This fruit is loaded with antioxidant properties, vitamin C, calcium, carotene, iron, vitamin B complex, and many other important vitamins and minerals, which makes it all the more healthy and refreshing for your body.

The dragon fruit plants bloom only at night, which can create problems in the process of their pollination. In such scenarios, you may have to encourage their growth with the hand pollination technique.