Grow Fruit Plants – Bed Gardening

The scientific name of dragon fruit is Hylocereus Updates. Dragon fruit belongs to the cactus family and has bright pink skin with exotic green spines. The other name of this fruit is pitaya, the belly of the night, nanettika fruit, cactus fruit, strawberry pear, and night-blooming cereus. The taste of this fruit is yummy and outstanding. Black seeds give a crunchy sweet flavor. This plant likes to grow in warm areas as it loves heat. If you're living in a dry climate then this fruit will thrive well. It is a climbing plant with large and unique flowers. The blooms of this plant open at night and spread an amazing scent. You can also use this plant for ornamental purposes. Best Varieties For Growing Dragon Fruit In Pots There are two varieties of dragon fruit which are stenocereus and Hylocereus. STENOCEREUS This is a common variety that has a sour and refreshing taste. HYLOCEREUS This variety comes in different colors and has a sweet flavor. There are three varieties of Hylocereus found in the world. White fleshed dragon fruit with pink skin. Red-fleshed dragon fruits with red skin.Yellow skinned fruit with white flesh. Suitable Pots For Growing Dragon Fruit In Pots The best size of the pot which you use for growing dragon fruit is 15 to 20 inches in diameter and the depth of the pot must be 10 to 12 inches. Well-drained pots are recommended for growing dragon fruit. Make sure your pot has two to three drainage holes at the bottom. You can use pots that are made from different materials such as plastic, clay, or terracotta. You can also use drums or cans for growing purposes. Recycling is the best way of using useless things. If you want to grow dragon fruit healthily then clay is the best option. If you use a lot size of the pot then the growth of dragon fruit will be better. When To Grow Dragon Fruit In Pots? A tropical or subtropical climate is best for growing dragon fruit. This fruit needs a dry and wet environment for thriving. The best time for planting dragon fruit is in spring, fall and summer. The temperature should be between 20 to 30 degrees. The dragon fruit plant can survive in light frost but the plant can spoil or be destroyed due to longer-term periods of frost. Which Soil Is Best For Growing Dragon Fruit In Pots? You should use well-drained soil for growing dragon fruit. Sandy soil is recommended because it has draining properties. If you are using garden soil or poor soil then you should add some quality rivers sand to increase its draining capacity. Cactus mix is also a great option for using as a growing medium. Dragon fruit belongs to the cactus family so you should prefer a cactus potting mix. You can buy cactus potting soil from any nursery and garden center. You can also order online. If you don't have cactus potting mix then you can make your potting mix by adding sand, perlite, organic manure, and compost in the ratio of 2:3:1:1. Mix all the ingredients in the proper ratio and fill your pot or container with that potting mix. Propagating Methods For Growing Dragon Fruit In Pots You can propagate dragon fruit by seeds, by cutting or buying young plants from local nurseries. The fast and easy method is buying potted plants. If you grow dragon fruit from seeds it will take some time. Growing Dragon Fruit In Pots From Seeds Make sure the seeds which you are using for growing dragon fruit should be high quality. You can buy the seeds from any local nursery or gardening store. You can also get seeds from fresh dragon fruits.You can easily collect seeds from their fresh fruit for this purpose. First, cut the dragon fruit and scoop out all the seeds from the pulp. After that, wash all the seeds and wrap them in a paper towel. Leave the seeds in the paper towel for a full night. After night the seats will become dry.Take a seedling tray and fill it with a starting mix. You can also use small pots for preparing seedlings. The starting mix consists of peat moss and perlite in an equal ratio.Sprinkle the seeds on the surface of the soil and cover the seeds with the light layer of potting mix. Make sure the soil should be moist. You can also cover the pot or seedling tray with plastic wrap to retain moisture within the soil.After 15 to 30 days the seed will start germinating.When the germination process is completed you can remove the plastic wrap and transplant the seedlings into your desired spot. Keep your pet in a warm location and make sure your pot gets partial shade.As the plant grows you should insert steel for supporting the plant. Tie branches to the rod with the help of the wire.Water dragon fruit plants regularly to make the soil rich. You should feed the plants with a balanced fertilizer. Growing Dragon Fruit In Pot From Cuttings This method is very easy for propagating dragon fruit. You should choose the stem from a healthy plant. Take a sharp knife to cut the cutting from the plant.The cutting you choose for growing dragon plants should be 6 to 16 inches. Make sure you are taking the cutting from a plant that produces fruit.After cutting the branch, immerse it in a liquid fungicide for a few seconds. Now place the cutting in a shady and dry location where it gets good air circulation for 5 to 6 days. This step will increase the resistance against the disease in cuttings. This will also encourage the growth of the cuttings.Now take the container of your choice and fill it with the potting mix. After filling the pot, place a climbing pole in the soil. Then plant the cuttings about 3 to 5 inches deep in the soil. Tie the cuttings loosely with the pole. Moist soil is recommended for healthy growth so make sure your plants get water on time. Whenever you see the soil is dry with the help of your finger water your plant. Sunlight is very important in the growth of any plant so make sure your plants get 6 to 8 hours of sunlight daily.If you provide better climatic conditions to your plant then you will soon see the cutting start growing.The cutting starts producing the root system then this is the time to feed the plant with organic liquid fertilizer. Important Factors For The Growth Of The Dragon Fruit WATERING REQUIREMENTS Moist soil is needed for the healthy growth of dragon fruit but it doesn't mean they require flooding water. This plant doesn't like wet feet. Root rot is a common problem in plants that appear due to overwatering. The soil of the dragon fruit plant should be moist constantly. When your plant starts climbing on the pole then keep the pole moist. This plant can tolerate drought conditions for a long period. SUNLIGHT REQUIREMENTS The location of the pot is very important. This plant likes to grow in bright shades. So you should place your pot according to the light requirements of the dragon fruit plant.When the leaves of the dragon fruit are exposed to the sunlight then they grow very fast.Full Sun plays a very important role in the development of dragon fruit. Any plant which produces fruits requires sunlight for juicy flavor.Place your pot in that position where it gets 6 to 7 hours of sunlight daily. PRUNING Pruning helps you to maintain the size of your plant. For dragon fruit plants pruning is essential. The height of the dragon fruit plant can be reached up to 20 feet. If you don't want your plant to grow very tall then you can prune the branches.If you want to make your plant stronger and increase the production of fruit then pruning is compulsory. Fertilizing For Growing Dragon Fruit In Pot The dragon food plants which are grown from the seeds should be fertilized when they are 4 to 5 inches tall. In case the dragon fruit plants are grown from the cuttings you should feed them after 6 to 7 months.For feeding the dragon fruit plant you can use slow-release fertilizer which contains low nitrogen and you can apply fertilizer once in two months.If you are using organic fertilizers then you can apply once in three months. If you want to encourage the fruit production of your plant then use urea, phosphate, and potassium before the flowering season and after the harvesting season. Harvesting When you grow dragon fruit from seeds then your plant will start producing fruit after 5 to 6 years. This is a long period so you should have to show patience.If you grow dragon fruit plants from the cuttings then it will take 3 to 4 years to produce fruits.This plant bears fruit every year for 5 months you can see blooms on this plant in early summer or in June. These flowers from small birds later turned into fruits.You can see the fruit on the plant from the end of July to the end of November. In the fruit-bearing season, you can harvest 5 to 6 times.You can pick the fruits when you see the color of the fruit turn from green to red or pink or yellow. The color of the fruit depends upon the variety you choose for your pot. It is suggested that you should harvest the fruit after 4 days of color changing.