5 tips you can apply on how to best grow dragon fruit cuttings ✓ Tips for (sub) tropical environment ✓ Which color cuttings are easiest to propagate?
5 tips on how to best grow dragon fruit in Africa
The beautiful tropical dragon fruit, who doesn't know it by now? The pitaya, also considered as dragon fruit cactus, survives best in a (sub) tropical climate. We have put together 5 tips for you on how to best grow your own dragon fruit. An incredibly fun, educational but above all a fairly simple process which can be carried out by everyone.
Optimal conditions for your pitaya
The Hylocereus undatus likes (sub) tropical conditions, which means that the plant feels best at temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius. Dragon fruit cuttings can't handle cold very well, so as soon as the temperature drops, it is wise to bring the dragon fruit indoors to ensure that the plant continues to live and grow well! A healthy dragon fruit cactus plant is very important, and therefore we have drawn up a few important tips to increase your chances:
- Choosing the right cutting
- Sufficient water
- Enough light
- A good support method
Buy a suitable cutting for yourself by…
Researching beforehand or reading up on the different types of cuttings. For example, some dragon fruit varieties are easier to grow than others. It is of course very useful to know this before you start. Dragonfruitcutting.com offers different types of cutting colors, but here you can also view per cutting whether they are fairly easy to grow, yes or no.
A cactus plant needs almost no water, right?
That is not entirely true in this case. Make sure that the plant is watered about once every 2 weeks. Make sure the earth is wet, but not that the earth is saturated! Too much water is often the main reason why the plant dies. The roots cannot handle this and often the plant also turns yellow.
How much light does a pitaya need?
A dragon fruit cutting really needs at least 6 hours of sunlight a day! If you live in a (sub) tropical country, you often don't have to worry about this and the plant usually gets enough light. The plant needs light to grow. When temperatures are extreme and the plant will be exposed to extremely sunny temperatures for a long period of time, provide a shade cloth so that the plant does not burn. Even then they can turn yellow, which is of course a great shame.
Would you rather keep them indoors, so that you can regulate the temperatures yourself? This is also an option. Tip: Place the plant in front of a window so that they get enough light during the day.
A good support system is the key
Did you know that a dragon fruit is a climbing cactus? This means that they need support to grow up against. If the support system isn’t proper, the plant will lose a lot of energy unnecessarily, which would be a shame. By creating a good system, the plant will get the chance to develop properly and stay healthy. If you are a bit creative yourself, you can easily build something yourself. Oftentimes, a sturdy wooden skeleton is used.
Are pink dragon fruit cuttings the easiest to propagate?
It depends on whether the cutting self pollinates. Most cuttings are self-pollinated which means that it sets fruit all on its own, easy right? In addition, it depends on the fact that the conditions that the plant needs are optimal, because otherwise, of course, the plant will not grow at all and they will never give dragon fruit. Pink dragon fruit plants are the most common dragon fruit colors and almost available worldwide. Much information is known about these varieties! Most pink dragon fruit cuttings are self-pollinating, so they are easy to propagate yourself! Give yourself an easy start or expand your dragon fruit cutting collection by having pink dragon fruits.
