Dragon fruit is the fruit of a climbing cactus native to the tropical regions of Central America and Asia. Growing cactus plants is also easy in this country if you follow a few tips.
How do I successfully grow pitahaya (dragon fruit)?
To successfully grow pitahaya (dragon fruit), either collect seeds from the fruit and sow them in a soil-sand mixture, or plant cuttings in substrate. For optimal results, maintain warm, bright conditions and an evenly moist environment.
The dragon fruit or pitahaya is one of the cactus plants. The following types are available in Germany:
- most common: pink skin, white flesh (Hylocereus undatus),
- slightly rarer: strong pink peel and flesh (Hylocereus monacanthus)
- rare: yellow peel, white flesh (Hylocereus megalanthus)
The pitahaya plants are fast-growing, do not require any extensive care and reward the hobby gardener with beautiful flowers. In our latitudes you will probably have to wait a long time or in vain for the fruits. However, getting the climbing cactus to bloom seems to be incentive enough to try growing it.
Growing from seeds
The edible fruits contain numerous black seeds from which new cactus plants can be grown. First, remove a few seeds from the fruit, spread them on a piece of kitchen paper and let them dry. This makes it easier to clean the seeds from the remains of the pulp.
The seeds obtained are now scattered into a pot with a soil-sand mixture and pressed lightly. The light-germinating seeds are not covered with soil, kept warm, light and evenly moist, possibly covered with a translucent plastic or glass hood (€12.00 on Amazon).
For germination, temperatures above 18° C are required, ideally 22-25° C. The germination time is - depending on the temperature - around one to three weeks. Once the two cotyledons and the shoot growing in the middle are visible, reduce the amount of water and separate the plants if the pot is too tight.
Growing from cuttings
The new dragon fruit plants are even easier to obtain through vegetative propagation. For this you need cuttings. A leaf segment separated from any part of the plant is suitable as a cutting. This is placed upright in a pot with substrate, placed in a bright and warm place and watered every now and then. After a short time, the cutting forms roots and begins to branch from below.
Tips & Tricks
Both the pitahaya seeds and the cuttings can be purchased from specialist retailers, possibly in online shops specializing in tropical fruits.
