What I have been told is that while a few clones are self-fertile, most require cross-pollination.

But even the self-fertile clones generally require hand-pollination to set fruit. The male and female reproductive structures are not in close proximity, and California lacks the pollinators that would be found in the plant's native range.

I have heard that filtered shade is best for the plants. They are epiphytic jungle cacti, and would receive filtered shade in nature.

However, if you are immediately by the coast (i.e. within a few miles of the beach), I would guess that your plant might grow well even in full sun.

Got to eat one today, white fleshed, dark red exterior with orange/green fins. It was mild flavored with a pleasant texture. I liked the crunchy seeds. The fruit was more enjoyable with fresh Key Lime juice squeezed on it. I would definately eat it again, and found it refreshing. The flavor though is very light and doesn't really taste like anything other than coolness and crunchy seeds. It was *beautiful* to look at.

Bihai, I can send you cuttings of a named Dragon Fruit variety that is self-pollinating if your seeds don't germinate.

Lisa

I'm not sure whether the fruit you sampled was store-bought or home-grown, but my understanding is that commercially produced dragonfruit/pitayas are (like most commercial fruit!) picked long before they are really ripe.

By the time the fruit attain full sweetness and flavor, the striking scale/spike-like structures start to wither and deteriorate. And since the amazing appearance of the fruit is their prime selling point, this trade-off is not resolved in favor of flavor.

Having said that, even vine-ripened fruit won't necessarily knock your socks off. They can be pleasantly sweet, with a nice, mild fruit-punch flavor -- as opposed to commercially distributed fruit, which can often taste rather like slightly crunchy gelatinized water. But they are certainly not in the same league as apricots, strawberries, mangos, etc.

White-fleshed fruits have most likely been produced by pure Hylocereus undatus selections. There are red and pink-fleshed forms, and these are probably the issue of hybrids between H. undatus and other Hylocereus species (e.g. H. ocamponis).

The consensus seems to be that these red and pink-fleshed hybrids are often better tasting, with stronger, more complex fruit flavor notes.

Bihai, no problem- I have to cut the cactus vines anyway because the pines I planted them on are dead from storm damage and have to be removed. My plants were expensive, but I feel they were well worth it. I bought cuttings of others at a rare fruit show and I don't like them at all- they are too thorny to do anything with!

I liked eating the fruit using the outside as a bowl. It looked so cool and I saved washing a dish (ha!). The fruits are full of seeds, so please eat some-there will be plenty of seeds to plant.

I liked the fruit, bland as it was, and with the lime juice it was really a treat!

I plan to set up at least 4 DF plants up a pole to grow in the interesting vietnamese style. Gotta get more pines out first.. Sigh..

Lisa

I only plant self fertile varieties so I'm not too familiar with the ones that need to be hand pollinated. But bees seem to be proficient enough to pollinate the ones that are self fertile. They seem to visit them when it opens near dusk and also when its about to close in the morning. The red flesh varieties seem to be able to be picked at an earlier stage and still be sweet. The white ones usually needs to be really ripe.

Lisa, I just chopped down some large queen palms at my parents home. The trunks will be used as poles. I am setting up a vietnamese style trellis at their place.

Leona

Pine Island nursery has quite a selection of dragonfruits~ who know which varieties are easiest to get to fruit, have lots of fruit, and taste good?

http://www.gasing.com/dragonfruits/picture/pic13.jpg

i will put some pics on here of mine soon, and then you can give me a more accurate guess. is it likely that my plant is flowering and is it common for plants of this size to flower/fruit.

Linda, my Dragon fruit, Hylocereus, is young, the tallest leaf is 7".. Leaves change as they mature. The smallest leaves, about 4", grow in thick, then flatten out as they age, they look identical to Epi.
That's the problem with common names, though I am guilty of using common names more than botanical, too, but ID'ing plants is confusing.
Which cactus do you have named Dragon Fruit? LOL, you have me wondering. There's a Dragon Tree, which is actually Dracaena marginata, w/long, thin, sword-like foliage. Another Dragon tree, Dracaena Draco, w/thicker, succulent leaves. See how confusing it gets? LOL. Toni

Thanks.

Christopher

thanks

Check out Ed's site:
http://www.edvaldivia.com/

Pictures of drying method:
http://www.edvaldivia.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=372

Wiki link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitaya

I have 4 Pitaya vines in pots. Originally I read they prefer partial sun and can crack in direct sun. One of the 3 has some cracking but they have all been moved into full (coastal) sun, very wet soil(plain dirt) and thriving!

Pitaya is a nocturnal bloomer, it's natural pollinators are bats and moths so hand pollination is a good idea.

Very easy to propagate. Clip between segments let the cut end dry for a day and stick in dirt.

I planted a dragon fruit tree from cutting and with in 7-10 months it bears fruit.

Fertilizing the tree enable them to bear many fruits. Mine is purple flesh and taste sweet.

Also I do nothing to polllinate them, just put adequate organic fertilizer every 4 weeks around the base.

normally the white flesh is less sweet than the purple flesh.

Find a neighbor with one and ask them for a cutting. Much like the Plumeria, you just stick a piece in the ground and it grows roots.

After one month, one plant has put out 2 new lobes that have each grown 1 foot each, and 2 others that are about 5 inches long, the growth is amazing, just put two new 6 ft stakes in to support. One of the other plants was much smaller, but it has grown 3 new lobes, the last one was a new purchase, but I think its a bit different as the number of spines on it is about 4X the other ones. I replanted them all in Home Depot Cactus and Palm grow mix (which is pretty popular here)

Looking forward to a crop in a year or so, I think that growing between the hibiscus will be a good thing, as they provide plenty of shade in the summer and are bare in the winter.

Fast growing Dragons come in a variety of bright colors.
Water Dragon Fruit Cactus must be treated like a Tropical Cactus and water when nearly dry but try to keep the climbing pole moist. An automatic dripper at the top of the post works well.
Over watering will kill the plant. Remember the #1 cause of death to plants is over watering. Many decorative containers do not have drain holes at the bottom, so when a plant is regularly watered the roots in the bottom of the pot are subjected to an aquatic environment, with no hope for oxygen and the decay begins. Please keep this in mind when pot shopping.

Field Production Hog Wire Top In Full Bloom Ready For Picking
Light 85-100% Full sun is best. When planting outside expect the plant to go dormant while acclimating to its new environment. Dragon Fruit Cactus enjoy light. Try not to keep your Dragon Fruit Cactus in a shady area.
Soil Well drained, sandy cactus mix. Remember try to stay away from wet, mucky soils.
Fertilize Fertilizer can be detrimental to Dragon Fruit Cactus and too much can kill the plant so fertilize sparingly with low-nitrogen cactus fertilizer, slow time release is best. For in ground planting, broadcast a balanced granular fertilizer once a month. Dragon Fruit Cactus are light feeders, however unfertilized they will tend to grow very slowly and virtually remain dormant. For a rich, full look, feed them every other month but don't over fertilize. If a little is good, a lot is NOT always better.

Growers Stock Burlap Wrapped Tape Until Rooted Water Well
When you receive your new Dragon Fruit Cactus Open your box carefully and water if dry. Please take your time when opening. Most foliage damage occurs when the box is ripped open in the excitement of receiving new plants. Many plants, especially succulents, are very fragile and leaves will snap off easily if not handled cautiously. Remember if segments break off let them callus for a week and pot them in dry soil. Rooting only takes a week or so to start a new plant.
Our growers are shipping live plants intended for generations of enjoyment. If your plant become damaged, with broken or yellow leaves, do not worry this situation is only temporary, with proper care your new plant will bounce right back in a week or two.

White Dragon Yellow Dragon Giant Red NEW Blue
Planting Information - Remove the plant carefully from its pot by laying it on its side and lightly tapping the sides of the container. Gently slide the plant out of the pot. In some cases where the roots have grown through the holes of the container you may need to cut the container off of the plant.
Use a sharp knife or garden shears to make slits down the sides of the root ball. This will encourage accelerated root growth into the new soil. Be sure not to cut too deeply into the main root system. The object is to only score or cut through the secondary or feeder roots.
Plant in ground or in a container using well drained, sandy soil. Your Dragon Fruit Cactus should be planted flush with the soil line. Often we have found mixing a small amount of slow time release fertilizer into the lower level of the soil before planting speeds up the rate of growth. When planting in ground space plants to allow clumps to form and develop properly. If planted too tightly there will not be enough room for root expansion and plants will not reach their full height and fruiting potential.
Dragon Fruit Cactus, known as Pitaya are easy to grow and unique in nature. Highly prized and sought after by those in the food industry for its distinct coloration, kiwi like texture and mild flavor Dragon Fruit Cactus is a fast and easy growing species rewarding the grower with an amazing end result. Properly cared after your new Dragon Fruit Cactus can begin producing fruit in as little as 1-2 years