How to Care for a Dragon Fruit Plant

1. Water. Dragon fruit need moist soil to mimic their subtropical environment, so be sure to keep the soil evenly moist and don’t let it dry out completely.
2. Support.
3. Prune.
4. Fertilize.
5. Pollinate.
6. Keep at temperature.

How do you care for dragon fruit after flowering?

Regularly trim any dead or damaged growth. Otherwise, your plant will expend tremendous energy attempting to repair the damage. Let your plant dry out a bit from late spring to early summer. While pitaya likes plenty of moisture, a period of dryness may help trigger blooming.

What happens after dragon fruit blooms?

The flowers first form as small buttons, or buds, with two or three buds flowering within 13 days of their formation. It takes the fruits about 50 days to reach maturity after flowering and pollination occurs, and the dragon fruit continues to flower and set new fruits throughout its fruit-bearing season.

How long does it take from flower to dragon fruit?

Once pollinated, the dragonfruit forms at the base of the flower. The flower fades as the dragonfruit grows. Dragonfruit takes about 21 days to go from bud to flower and 30 days to go from flower to fruit.

How do you increase flowering in dragon fruit?

How to Induce Flowering in Dragon Fruit

1. Move your plant into a greenhouse.
2. Extend the length of daylight your dragon fruit plant receives.
3. Train the dragon fruit plant up a trellis.
4. Prune the tips of the plant’s uppermost stems after it climbs up the trellis.

What is the best fertilizer for dragon fruit?

Choose a fertilizer with a balanced NPK ratio. However, most experts agree that some type of balanced fertilizer, like 16-16-16 or 13-13-13, is a good choice for your dragon fruit. You can use fertilizer granules, or spread fertilizer through your irrigation system. Slow-release fertilizer is also an option.

How often should I water my dragon fruit cuttings?

Since it’s a cactus, many gardeners assume the pitaya doesn’t need much water. In fact, it likes its soil to be kept consistently moist and should be given about an inch (2.5 cm.) of water per week. Dragon fruits usually only develop in the summer, when temperatures are high and the days are long.

What time of night do dragon fruit flowers bloom?

As stated above, dragon fruit cactus bloom during the night and hence called the queen of the night. It opens up at dusk and stays abloom till midnight. Before flowering, the flower buds can grow up to 10″ inches long.

How often should I water dragon fruit in summer?

Watering: Typical of the cactus family, Dragon Fruit can withstand occasional dry periods. However, it needs more water than other succulent varieties. In the summer months, it requires a deep watering two or three times a week if planted in a container and once a week in the ground.

Why do my dragon fruit flowers fall off?

They naturally drop off then as they get over-ripe. When the mother branches are not strong enough to nourish the fruits, they might also abort them. This is to direct energy for making sure of the plant survival. If the fruits don’t fall off, the plants may get exhausted and die.

Do dragon fruit need to be pollinated?

Dragon Fruit Pollination and Harvest They can be either self-pollinating, self-fertile or self-sterile, depending on the variety. If your variety is self-pollinating, the stigma will be very short, and close to the anthers, so no hand pollination is required, although this could increase fruit-set and size.

Are dragon fruit flowers fragrant?

Odor profile: a fruit of cactus species, known as “dragon fruit”, native to the Americas. Known also as “moonflower”, the flowers exude a sweet, heady floral aroma when in bloom.

How do you fertilize dragon fruit flowers?

For newly planted dragon fruit, don’t apply fertilizer during the first month. Then apply 4 ounces of a fertilizer such as 6-6-6 or 8-3-9 every two months from the time growth starts in early spring to early fall, when growth stops for the winter.

How do you take care of a dragon fruit plant?

Dragon Fruit

1. Place in a light shaded to bright environment. Avoid direct sunlight.
2. Water more frequently than other cacti (approximately once every 2 weeks). Allow soil to dry between waterings.
3. 12-27ºC (54-80ºF). Keep indoors, except USDA zones 10a to 11b.
4. Not for human consumption.