Latin name - Hylocereus spp.
Dragonfruit, also called Pitaya, is the fruit of several cactus species indigenous to Central America. It is cultivated around the world for its sweet and very healthy fruit, which is full of the antioxidant lycopene. The Dragonfruit plant is a climbing/vining cactus, which grows quickly and attaches itself to nearby trees or structures with aerial roots. In Florida they are quite easy to grow, and many growers tend to accumulate a collection of diverse Dragonfruit cultivars. The fruit has a bright pink or yellow skin, and a firm, juicy flesh inside ranging in color from white to pink to magenta.
Despite being a cactus, mature dragonfruit plants love water, and grow quite rapidly. They are best planted in full sun in well draining soil with adequate nutrition. They are very easy to grow in containers and in fact a large portion of commercial Dragonfruit growers use only containers, but Dragonfruit can also be grown in the ground with great success. Periodic fertilization and healthy soil can yield impressive results with relatively low effort.
Dragonfruit is grown by using a trellis, post, or tree as a climbing structure for the plant. When it grows to a mature size it will reach the top of its support and cascade downward and outward, in the shape of an umbrella. Large flower buds form along the branches of the Dragonfruit plant, blooming at night and through the following day. The flowers are brilliant and flashy, and are commonly pollinated by bats, moths, and bees, but most growers use hand pollination techniques to ensure fruit set.
One important distinction between Dragonfruit cultivars is whether or not they are self-pollinating (or self-fertile)– meaning, if they will successfully set fruit with their own pollen. Dragonfruit varieties that aren’t self-pollinating require pollen transferred from a different variety in order to set fruit. We grow two different varieties of Dragonfruit, both of which are self-pollinating types.
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Size: Depends on structure used. Typically grown on 6’ posts.
Sun Requirements: Full sun
Cold Hardy: 32 degrees
Harvest Season: Spring/Summer/Fall
Watering requirements: Adjust based on season - frequent watering in summer, more scarcely in winter.
