Dragon Fruit Plant Care: Guide On How to Grow

Dragon Fruit

Dragon fruit is an exotic cactus that is found in Asia, Mexico, and

parts of South America. It is not grown in North America, which is
why the plant is not as common in this region. Dragon fruit can be
planted as ornamental plants, but they do bare delicious fruit that is
rather tasty. In fact, it is often used in jams, ice cream, fruit juice,
and wine. Let’s start by becoming more familiar with the different
types of dragon fruit, then we will jump right into how to grow the
plant.

The blooms of this plant are unique; in fact, they are one of the
largest flowers in the world. The reason that they are so unique is
not their size; it is the fact that the blooms only open for one night,
and the scents that you will experience on that night are surreal and
exotically fruity.
The Different Types of Dragon Fruit
Dragon fruit or pitayas are extremely unique plants that come in
three different types that you can enjoy. They are also called
strawberry pears because of the bright red features of the fruit.
These plants are also known by other names as well. Indonesia
buah naga, Thanh long, Thai kaeo mangkon, nanettika fruit, Belle of
the Night, Cactus fruit, Kaktus madu, and Night blooming Cereus
are among a few of the most common names. Regardless of the
type of dragon fruit that you are growing the fruit will be green until it
is ripe. At that time, it will either be bright yellow in coloration or red.
The inside pulp of each piece of fruit will be filled will small seeds
that look similar to those that can be found in a kiwi fruit. The three
types of dragon fruit are:

 Hylocereus Megalanthus – This type of dragon fruit has a

white fruit flesh and a yellow shell. The shell of this variation is
a bit thornier than the rest of the variations, so it is rarer to see
in a garden.
 Hylocereus Undatus – This is a variation that has the same
white flesh, but the exterior of this fruit is red in color.
 Hylocereus Costaricensis – This type of fruit is red in
coloration on both the shell and in the flesh. The flesh is often
a deep red coloration that looks almost unnatural or blood–like.
How to Grow Dragon Fruit
Unlike most cactus plants, this one is a climbing plant that needs a
bit of support to grow properly. It is a sub tropical plant that needs a
lot of heat and humidity, so here is a breakdown of the information
that you will need to nurture and grow dragon fruit.

 Soil Requirements – This plant is able to grow in any soil that

is well draining, but it prefers to grow in soil that is slightly
acidic with a pH level that is between six and seven. Sandy soil
is the best option for this plant; if it is not available, just ensure
that it is well draining soil.
 Fertilizer – To ensure that the dragon fruit is growing properly,
give it some fertilizer every month during the active growing
season. During the cold winter months, you will want to stop
feeding your plant for a few months.
 Water – Because this plant is a cactus plant, it is important to
make sure that you are watering it properly. Only water the
plant when the top of the soil is dry to the touch, and do not
allow the plant to sit in water. The soil needs to be moist, not
soaked.
 Light Requirements – The base of the plant can see a little
shade, but the tips of the plant require full sun to ensure that
the plant blooms properly. If too much shade is given to the
plant, the fruit will not do well.
 Temperature Requirements – Dragon fruit will not grow in
cold climates, so make sure that the temperature is above 40
degrees Fahrenheit to prevent damage from occurring to the
plant. For optimal growth, the temperature needs to be
between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
How to Grow Dragon Fruit in Pots
Since dragon fruit does not like to grow in colder climates, having it
planted in a pot can be a great idea. It allows you to easily move the
plant indoors when the weather starts getting cold. Large pots are
best; typically they should be at least 15 gallons. The pots also need
to be well-draining so that the water does not sit in the base of the
pot and cause root rot to occur.

Dragon Fruit Growing Season

The growing season of this plant takes place during the hot months of the summer.
It will not grow the rest of the year, but when it does grow, it grows rapidly.
Blooms will occur from July to October, but they will only bloom for one night
each year. After the flowering occurs, fruit will begin to form. One plant can
produce fruit for 20 to 30 years, so if you plant one, be ready for a lot of dragon
fruit.
Growing Regions
As we discussed previously, the plant is often grown in Asia, Mexico, and parts of South
America. You can find them grown most often in Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico,
Nicaragua, Thailand, Vietnam, Israel, Taiwan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia.

Growing Dragon Fruit from Seeds

Dragon fruit can be propagated directly from the seeds in the fruit. You will need to cut
the fruit in half, and then scoop out the seeds. The seeds need to be separated from the
flesh, so wash the seeds and dry them overnight. Using a germinating tray, plant the seeds
in soil, but make sure that they are close to the top. Make sure that the soil is moist, and
then cover it with plastic wrap until it germinates, which will take ten to 15 days. Once
germination occurs, the young plants can be transplanted into a larger pot.

Growing Dragon Fruit from Cuttings

If you decide to grow a dragon fruit from a cutting, make sure not to take too much from
the parent plant because it can stunt its growth and put its well being in danger. Also,
make sure to start growing the cutting during the summer months for the best results.
Start with a cactus segment that is approximately a foot long. This section can make three
to four new plants.

Once you cut the cutting into three to six inch cuttings, apply fungicide to the ends and
allow the cuttings to dry. This is not a necessary step, but it helps promote growth, so it is
useful. Next, you dry or cure the cutting, which typically takes two to five days. You will
know that it is ready when the tips of the cutting turn white.

At this point, you can place the cutting in soil. It needs to be about two inches into the
soil, and the cutting needs to be oriented in the same direction that it was on the parent
plant. Make sure to water the plant daily, unless the soil is still moist; then skip a day.
Eventually, you will start to see roots appear. If the propagation was a success, you will
soon see new growth. This typically takes about three to four weeks. Within a few
years, this young cutting will be able to produce fruit of its own.
Dragon Fruit Pollination
Moths, bats, and bees pollinate dragon fruit, but there are some varieties that do not
self pollinate at all. This is where hand pollination comes into play. You will need
to collect the pollen from two different dragon fruit plants, and gently use a cotton
swab to paint it onto the stigma of the opposite plant to cross pollinate. This does
need to be done at night, so between the hours of eight at night and eight in the
morning is best. If you are pollinating different plants, use a new cotton swab for
each. It will take about a month for the fruit to grow.

Pests and Diseases

Mealybugs and aphids can be a common problem for a dragon fruit. They are sap
sucking pests that basically feed on the sweet sap of the plant. Aphids also attract
ants, who will then feed on the plant as well. Mites and thrips can also be a
hindrance; they will not kill the plant, but they are not good for the overall health
of the plant.

Dragon Spots, which occur on the stems and leaves of a plant, can be the sign that
your plant has an infection. Bacteria can cause other issues as well like soft stem
rot. This is a disease that affects the ends of the branches. These illnesses are
typically transferred from plant to plant, so sterilize your clippers. Sunburn can
occur during the hottest time of the year when the sun is sweltering hot, and if too
much water is given to the plant, root rot can also occur.
Health Benefits
Not many people are aware that eating the fruit from a dragon fruit plant is actually
very beneficial to your health. Here are some of the benefits that you can
experience when you have your own fruit bearing plant:

 There are high levels of Vitamin C in this fruit, so it will boost your immune
system.
 These fruits contain no cholesterol, which means eating them is good for
your heart and cardiovascular system.
 The vitamin level in dragon fruit is amazing, which can help you get the
vitamins you need to maintain a healthy system.
 Carotene is present in dragon fruit, which means that it has anti-
carcinogenic properties.
In addition to all of these health benefits, eating dragon fruit can improve your
metabolism and your digestive system. With all of these health benefits, why not
take the initiative and have your own dragon fruit plant in your garden. They do
take a little bit of care because they are fruit bearing plants, but they are actually
simple to maintain. Not to mention that they look exotic in your back yard; making
them a point of conversation for your guests.
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Home / Dragon Fruit / How to get Your Dragon Fruit Cactus to Fruit

How to get Your Dragon Fruit Cactus to Fruit

Posted by: Thomas Osborne, MD in Dragon Fruit July 30, 2013 424 Comments 94815 Views

Dragon Fruit Cactus

Aka: Pitaya or Pitahaya
(Hylocereus spp)

Dragon Fruit Cactus Growing Overview:

 Dragon Fruit look amazing and taste wonderful.
 Unfortunately, like many others, I have had difficulty finding useful
information on how to get these plants to produce fruit.
 Therefore, I did some deep research and some experimentation to
figure out what makes these plants tick. After a few years of effort, I am
now happy to report that my plants are producing lots of fruit. This
article covers the method (and madness) of what works for me.
 Dragon Fruit Appearance:
 The fruit just looks amazing.
 An individual fruit weighs between ½ pound to over 3 pounds.
 From the outside, the fruit resembles a very large egg laid by some kind
of mythical creature. Hum, I wonder if that is how the plant got its
name?
 Anyhow, depending on the plant, the flesh of the fruit can be a variety of
colors ranging from white, pink, red or dark purple. The red and
purple variety is really more of a psychedelic bright red/deep purple. This
deep color is rather unbelievable and may indicate the presence of strong
antioxidants… or so people say.
 The fruit flesh is also dotted with black specks which are the small seeds.
Red and white-pinkish varieties of dragon fruit from the backyard. My
daughters hand is doing a photobomb to the right and there is a ruler on
the bottom of the image for more objective measurement.
Scientific name and the color of the fruit flesh:
 I have seen many references call the white fleshed variety by the
scientific name (Hylocereus undatus) and the red fleshed variety
(Hylocereus costaricensis).
 After years of growing the white, pink, red and purple varieties of dragon
fruit, I have not been able to appreciate significant difference in the
external appearance of the plants. Therefore, this makes me wonder if
the provided nomenclature/taxonomy might be a bit artificial for these
plants. I have not heard anyone else mention this before… but I strongly
suspect that these different colored fruits are just variations in color of
the same plant species. Which would actually make them different
varieties of plants/fruits and not different species.
 This then brings me to the next point, what about the pink fleshed
variety? What scientific name do you give that one? Regardless, it is very
possible that the pink variety is a hybrid between the red and the white
varieties.
 One of my purplish Dragon Fruit varieties cut in half

When is the Dragon Fruit Ripe?

 The fruit is ripe when its wings start to wither (The wings are those
leafy things that extend off from the fruit) and the fruit is red like the
picture below (note: All of the Hylocereus spp fruit look this way when
ripe even if their flesh is white, pink, red or purple).
 At this point in ripeness the fruit will detach from the vine with a twist or
two. Note, if you wait for the fruit to fall off the plant, it will be over ripe
and a waste.

Ripe Dragon Fruit, ready to pick.

Dragon Fruit Taste:

 The skin is inedible… at least no one that I know of eats it. The skin
peels off very easily.
 The texture of the edible flesh seems to defy physics; the flesh is firm
and dense but melting and very juicy.
 The fruit is sweet-and not tart. There are subtle mild layers of tropical
flavors-and an almost melon like overtone.
 There is definitely a difference in the taste between the different colored
varieties of dragon fruit.
 The small pleasantly crunchy black seeds are similar to Kiwi seeds
but not as hard.
 Allowing the fruit to ripen properly on the vine gives you a much better
flavor than any store bought Dragon Fruit that I have ever tried. I think
this is b/c the fruit is picked too early for the commercially grown stuff so
that it can survive the transport time to the stores.

Tasty Dragon Fruit

Video tasting below was setup to be as if you were eating it

yourself (8/16/15):

Video Taste with friend:

A great friend of mine (Stasi Seay) is a wine education expert and as a
result she has an excellent palate for all kinds of food. I recently had her
try a Dragon Fruit for the first time and videotaped her perspectives on the
unique flavors. This YouTube video captures that moment.

More tasting references:

Here is a link to an article I wrote about the taste of Dragon Fruit
compared to Peruvian Apple Cactus. There is a cool taste testing video in
that article too.
 Dragon Fruit Season:
 In Southern California, the main fruit harvest season is summer
to fall.

Dragon Fruit Cactus Food use:

 Just eat them fresh and enjoy.
 Also used in fruit salads, ice cream and as blended fruit drinks.
 I have heard that unopened flower buds are sometimes cooked and eaten
as vegetables. What a shame.

Dragon Fruit Flowers:

 Its a shame the Dragon Fruit Flowers only bloom at night and only last for
one day. They are really large and beautiful. The flowers also have a
wonderful tropical aroma. For more info about Dragon Fruit flowers, click
on this link.

Time lapse video of dragon fruit flowers

opening (August 20, 2014):
 Here’s a video I put together of beautiful dragon fruit flowers opening
(see below).
 The following 20 second video was created by taking a picture every 15
min for 2 days.
 But I didnt stay up all night taking pictures with a stopwatch; I just set
things up to happen automatically and walked away.


 FYI: If you want to make a cool time-lapse video like this yourself,
you just need to get a simple plug-in device for your SLR.
  The tool is called a “Release Timer Remote Control” and it is
what allows you to set the time and interval for when the pictures will
be taken automatically.
 The prices for this category of product is all over the map. The one I
got has great reviews and is very reasonable compared to the others.
It was only about $30 on Amazon. Here’s the link if you are
interested; Release Timer Remote Control
 This particular Release Timer also has a ton of other-additional
features that I am only starting to explore.
 Its actually pretty darn cool.
 The only major drawback about this product that I have read about
on the reviews is that it doesn’t have an on/off button. Therefore,
you need to take the two AAA batteries out between uses… Which is
probability a good idea anyways.

Natural Dragon Fruit Pollinators:

Native pollinators:
 In their native South/Central American jungle environment, there are
nocturnal bats that have a fondness for the large Dragon Fruit flowers.
Specifically, in their natural habitat, the nectar-feeding bats Leptonycteris
curasoae and Choeronycteris mexicana pollinate the large white flowers.
This is rather interesting because Dragon Fruit flowers seem to have lost
their ability to produce nectar. So one could then surmise that these bats
are after the huge amount of flower pollen as a food source. Or perhaps
they did not get the memo that these flowers (are just a tease and) have
no nectar to share.
 There are also big nocturnal moths in the jungle that pollinate these
flowers as well.
California pollinators:
 In California, things are a bit different. Sure, we have nocturnal bats, but
most of our bats are the ones that hunt flying bugs and don’t really care
about flowers. Interestingly, some of those Choeronycteris mexicana bats
mentioned above have also been known to also be found in Southern
California and Southern Arizona. However, from a pollination perspective,
I would not count on them being around when you need them for your
dragon fruit needs.
 We also have some big moths such as the sphinx moth/hawkmoth that
are quite common in our area. I have witnessed a lot of these big
moths getting buried into the dragon fruit flowers at night.
 Although the dragon fruit cactus produces a one night nocturnal flower, it
does tend to stay open for a while in the morning before is shrivels up. I
often see honey bees going nuts inside and around these huge
flowers during this early morning window. Those ecstatic bees seem
dwarfed by the flower size and look almost intoxicated by their
surroundings.

The pic shows the excellent camouflage of a hawk moth (aka sphinx
moth) with glowing eyes. This is one of the nighttime Dragon Fruit flower
visitors/pollinators.
 Close up of a honey bee covered in pollen and stumbling on the stigma of
the dragon fruit flower

Close up of 2 honey bees pollinating the dragon fruit flower

Hand Pollination of Dragon Fruit Flowers:

 A few years ago, I tried multiple different ways of hand pollination.
However, none of it seemed to do anything significant to improve the
amount of fruit that set. My results were all over the map. Some of the
flowers that I pollinated fell off quickly and some of the flowers that I
didn’t pollinate bore fruit. Go figure.
 Then I read that Dragon Fruit are notoriously difficult to
pollinate. With that new info, I then thought for sure that I just needed
to find the right pollination technique. However, even though I tried
every pollination method that I have heard of, I still had not made a
large difference in the amount of fruit that set.
 By the way, once the early fruit turns yellowish you can also expect that it
will feel boggy. This is an indication that the fruit will fall off soon (see
pic below).
 The Dragon Fruit bud turning yellow (on the right side of the image) will
be aborted. You might as well take it off now because it will not turn into
fruit. The other developing fruit (on the left sife of the image) is firm and
green. This one will turn into a nice big juicy Dragon Fruit in about a
month. The brown stuff is the old flower petals and you can just leave
them on if you like.

 In protest, last year I didn’t hand pollinate any of the flowers. The
surprising result was that I suddenly had a ton of fruit growing.
 So what’s the difference? Well, there is more to the story and I made
some additional changes that seemed to have a greater impact on my
success than my pollination technique.
 In general, fruiting success seems depend more on the happiness of the
plant than just the mechanical process of putting the male and female
parts together. Ahem… Yes, it is a lot like sex. You have to be happy
and healthy to have a successful union. More specific info about keeping
your dragon happy for this type of success is discussed in the sections
further down in this article.
 All of that being said, once you have your plants in a happy place… may
start to see the benefits of cross pollination. For example, even among
the self pollinating varieties of dragon fruit, cross-pollination, (either
within a species or by crossing pollen between species), has been
reported to result in more/ larger fruit than those obtained by just self-
pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment. However, I have not
noticed this myself, likely because I have a lot of natural pollinators
around and that type of controlled comparison is not possible for me
unless I get a greenhouse which would allow me to isolate some plants
for comparison.
 Dragon Fruit Flowers

Pollination Update:
 I recently caught a local critter on video that was pollinating a nearby
columnar cactus. This other cactus (Cereus Peruvianus) has a
very very similar flower. Therefore, I suspect the same thing is
pollinating my Dragon Fruit cacti as well. Check out that video below.

Pollination Update #2: (July 27, 2014):

 Today I noticed that my dragon fruit cacti are at different stages of
flowering & fruiting.
 Therefore, I thought it might be cool to do a video that will take you
through the process of dragon fruit formation.
 In this video, I also touched on some pollination concepts as well
as important flower anatomy.
 However, the follow up video done on July 29th is even better (its the
next video down on the page). Therefore, if you only watch one video, I
would check out the follow up video from July 29th titled “How dragon
fruit are formed”.

Pollination Update #3 (July 29, 2014):

 If you are only going to watch one video, I would pick this one (below).
 This is basically a 2 day follow up video to the one done above… This
time at night.
 In this video you get to see how quickly things change in a
relatively short amount of time.
 But as an added bonus, you get to inspect a dragon fruit flower in full
bloom.
 As a result, you get a better look at some of the important flower
anatomy for pollination.
 We also get to virtually eat some delicious dragon fruit at the end of
the video. Yum!

Pollination side note:

 It is also important to note that there are some varieties of Dragon Fruit
that definitely do need to be pollinated to make fruit. However, there
are also many varieties of Dragon Fruit that do not need to be
pollinated (they are self-fruitful). This is an important consideration to
keep in mind when getting your plants.
 From what I understand, most of the cacti that produce the purple/red
fleshed fruit are self fruitful. This is the type I have the most of and it is
likely the reason why my hand pollination didn’t seem to make a big
difference for me. Therefore, the success of the fruit was all about
the happiness of the plant.
 That being said, I suspect that pollination will likely boost overall fruit
size-because this has been documented in many other types of fruit as
well.
 For those who are interested, Dragon Fruit flower pollen may be stored
in the refrigerator for up to two weeks and can be kept in the
freezer for up to 30 days.
 It takes about 45 days to go from flower to ripe fruit.

Dragon Fruit Cactus Cultivation:

 The big picture here is that this plant should not be treated like a
cactus.
 This cactus evolved in (and is best adapted to) a hot/warm and wet
tropical environment. Treat this unique cactus like a
tropical/subtropical plant and it will be very happy.
 My cultivation method is to duplicate the plants native habitat as much as
possible and it has been very fruitful (so to speak). See the following
sections below for more detailed info.
 Dragon Fruit: one days harvest from a few cacti

Sun:
 I planted my plants in full sun.
 Side note: Full sun may not be the best option if you are living in
the inland desert environment because the sun may be too strong without
the moisture in the air to deflect some of the strong Southern California
sun’s rays. Again, this is not your typical cactus and it does not belong
in the desert. However, if you have some ocean/marine influence to
your climate, full sun or perhaps partial shade would be the way to go.
Full sun works for me and I am 10 miles inland from the ocean.

Temp:
 It’s a tropical jungle plant so it doesn’t like the cold.
 However, it will tolerate the occasional cold spell/light frost that we
sometimes get during the Southern California winter.
 I have read academic publications stating that it will survive temps down
to 28 F.
 To be safe, you could plant your Dragon Fruit Cactus in a warm part of
your yard such as near a south facing wall. In that position, you would
also have to be concerned about over heating in the summer.
 I planted the ones that I have on the top of a hill, far away from any
other structures, and that has been fine.
 Don’t plant this cactus in a low part of your property where cold air can
collect in the winter months.
 Dragon Fruit Cactus Soil:
 Unfortunately, there is conflicting information about how to grow the
Dragon.
 I was initially naïve and treated this plant like a typical cactus. However,
the plant barely grew in sandy soil and it looked really sad. I knew
something was wrong but I wasn’t sure what.
 Therefore, I decided to go to the source; I researched the plants
native habitat.
 Hylocereus spp cacti live in the jungle. Yea, its a bit odd. In its native
central/South America, the dragon fruit cacti tends to grow in and on
other trees (the scientific name for a plant that grows upon another plant
is epiphyte).
 If you happen to be in the jungle down South of the border, you might
see these guys growing out of the organic leaf litter that has piled up
in the branch crevices of large trees. These cacti will climb their way
to the top of the supporting trees and drop their roots wherever they can
find soil or a place to grab on.
 In this elevated tree canopy, the plant also seems to do better than
elsewhere which is likely a result of the improved sun exposure and
perhaps the lack of competition for soil nutrients. The highest points of
the trees not only offer the best sunlight, the elevated location also offers
lots of organic fertilizer from the droppings of roosting birds.
 Therefore, the Dragon Fruit Cactus is built to grow in rich, well
draining, organic soil.
 I planted the cacti that I have with a soil mix containing lots of organic
material. For the most part, this is the method that I use for most of
the fruit trees in my yard. The only difference from my normal mix is
that I added in about 10% peat moss for the Dragon. My thinking here is
that the peat moss would be a good way to keep the soil airy and moist
with the added benefit of mild acidification.
 Dragon Fruit Cactus Fertilization:
 I am sure there are many different opinions about how to best fertilize
this plant. However, in my method I have tried to mimic the plants
native conditions and it has been working very well.
 Specifically, I cover the ground (root zone) around the cacti with lots of
compost and grow mulch that I pour straight out of the bag. I look for
the type of grow mulch that has chicken manure in it because bird poo
is likely the major form of fertilizer for these cacti in their native habitat.
 I also frequently add doses of chicken manure to the top of the soil just before and during the
growing season.
 I then water in the compost/mulch regularly throughout the year to let the nutrients soak
down in.

Water in the organic fertilizer

Dragon Fruit Cactus Fertilization (Update May

1, 2017)
A contributing reader (Lincoln from Nicholas Dragon Fruit Queensland,
Australia) just provided some great insight about how their commercial
farm fertilizes dragon fruit. His comment can be found at the bottom of
the dragon fruit disease article, but I have paraphrased it a tiny bit here for
reference. The four points (1,2,3,4) in this subsection are all from Lincoln.
Thank you Lincoln !
1. Fertilization during blossoming:
 Use a fertilizer made up of 2 parts Potassium to 1 part Nitrogen and 1
part Phosphorous.
2. Fertilization during growth season:
 Use a fertilizer made up of 2 parts Nitrogen, to 1 part Phosphorous and 1
part Potassium.
 Chicken manure will not provide the needed potassium and excess
nitrogen during blossoming will inhibit blossoming.
3. Thinning fruit:
 Given the correct nutrients most segments of each leaf will blossom
leaving you no option but to thin some – to what extent is at your
discretion, as the less blossoms you have the larger the fruit will be if
pollinated correctly.
4. Pruning:
 Pruning should be undertaken during growth season to achieve desired
training and optimal growth as well as avoiding transmission of infectious
material to blossoms and therefore the fruit.

Dragon Fruit Cactus Water:

 This jungle cactus likes to have moist soil that doesn’t dry out.
 The soil also needs to be loose and well draining. This plant does not
like standing water.
 I also spray the branches with water on particularly hot-dry days for a
jungle effect. However, I think this spraying is more for me than actually
doing anything useful for the plants.

Dragon Fruit Propagation:

 Dragon Fruit Cactus vines are easily started from cuttings. I just put
some recently cut branches in soil and they rooted without anything other
than regular water (and the above noted soil mixture). One year old
cuttings about 1 foot long seem to work well. Cuttings may fruit in as
little as one years time.
 You can also start Dragon Fruit Cactus from seed but it takes a lot longer
for them to grow and reach fruiting maturity (It can take up to 6 years to
fruit).
 8/27/15: I am growing dragon fruit cacti from seed now and will update
on the progress when I get some more info.
 Landscape Use:
Dragon Fruit Cactus Growing Support:
 Since this cactus-vine is an epiphyte, it prefers to have something to grow
on… But it will also meander along the ground.
 People have successfully used support methods ranging from fences and
arbors to palm trees.
 In South East Asia, (where this fruit is very popular) many commercial
growers use a “top branching pole” structure. In Vietnam they use
cement poles so they don’t rot in the naturally wet tropical climate of SE
Asia. However, cement poles in my yard did not seem that appealing so I
went with wood (see next section for details).
 Regardless of the supporting method, most commercial structures are 5-8
feet high with about 8 feet spacing between plants.
 Initially, the cactus-vine will need some help staying on whatever support
structure you go with. I have used both rope and velcro plant ties to
secure the branches close to the main pole. Don’t use thin wire or string
that will cut into the flesh of the cacti. Eventually, fibrous arial roots from
the Dragon Fruit cacti branches will reach out and grab on to the
structure and the ties will no longer be needed. Note: the arial roots
wont attach to metal or pressure treated wood.
My dragon fruit cactus support structure:
 I used redwood because it has a great natural resistance to water
damage/rot.
 I did not use pressure treated wood because (in my opinion) there are
way too many odd chemicals in there to preserve that wood and I didnt
want those toxins leaching into the soil and then into my food.
 Specifically, the structure I like to use is a 4×4 post with smaller cut
lengths of wood secured to the top. These smaller cut pieces of wood at
the top give the vine support to drape off of (see picture).
 When fully grown, the plant and pole resembles an exotic palm tree.
Dragon fruit rootlets grabbing onto a redwood post

The top of the support structure showing the design.

 Growing branch fallen because supporting rope broke before roots could
take hold.
Dragon Fruit Cactus Pruning:
 Stems may grow more than 20 feet and will eventually need pruning.
 I try to prune at the natural joints formed on the stems.
 Some have reported that pruning 1 month before fruiting will increase
number of flowers and fruit size. I have not really noticed that to be true
or false, but I have not been measuring this possible effect either.
 By the way, I have used and abused countless pruning instruments. After
a long trail of broken cutting tools, I have finally found my favorite
pruners of all time which is the Corona brand Bypass Pruner. There are
knockoffs that look similar, but the others are not even in the same
league in regards to durability and quality.
Also: sterilize your pruners!
 It is really important to sterilize your trimmers/pruners between plants.
There are several infectious plant diseases that are unknowingly spread
from plant to plant by cutting/trimming instruments. This is true for any
plant, but particularly so for Dragon Fruit cacti… many of which have
been infected with systemic diseases because of sub-optimal sanitizing
techniques (see my resent article on Dragon Fruit Diseases for more info).
 There are a many sanitizing options for your pruners including household
cleaning solutions, alcohol, and hydrogen peroxide. These only need to be
 applied to the cutting blade. Many of these liquids require some
application time that you have to wait for them to be sterilized.
 Another faster option is heat sterilization of your cutting blade with
a hand held torch. The torch technique, is convenient and fast, but
obviously results in the tips of your trimmers being hot… Which are then
obviously a potential burn hazard to you and to your plants.. as well as
being a general fire hazard. Definitely don’t try burning things in your
garden/yard if you are in a fire danger area.. which is most of California.
And my favorite disclaimer of all, “don’t try this at home.”
 Interestingly, I just found this other tool that actually spritzes your hand
pruners with sterilizing fluid with each cut. I have no idea how well this
product works, but it is an interesting take on addressing the
problem. For reference, here is a link to that product Hand Pruners with
Spray Applicator.
 While I was getting my hair cut today another thought came to mind. I
wonder if that chemical they put hair cutting scissors in would also kill
any plant microbes. Seems like it should and apparently it is fully
biodegradable. As a disclaimer, I have never heard of anyone using
a barbers/hair salon disinfectant such as Barbicide for this purpose.

Dragon Fruit Diseases:

 There are several important Dragon Fruit diseases to be aware of. Since
I have had a lot of difficulty finding a complete source of information on
the subject, I decided to create one myself. For more information, please
check out that article titled Dragon Fruit Diseases.

Dragon Fruit symptoms of stem spots caused by Botryospaheria dothidea

on Hylocereus undatus. Rev. Fac. Cienc. Agrar., Univ. Nac. Cuyo vol.45
no.1 Mendoza ene. jun. 2013
 Dragon Fruit Pests:
 Overall there are not a lot of buggy-pests on the plant that I have noticed
with the exception of the occasional snail which doesn’t seem to do
significant damage.
 However, the fruit itself attracts aphids and their courier-accomplice
ants. However, these sap suckers are easy to remove with a strong spray
of water from the garden hose.
 Gophers will eat the roots. Caging the roots is relatively easy at planting.
 I would also expect squirrels to be a problem once they figure out that
this fruit is tasty. I have only seen a few rodent bite marks on ripening
Dragon Fruit. Not sure if this would represent squirrels or mice or
something else. Might be best to pluck the fruit on the ground early so
the rodents don’t learn that this is something worth jumping up for.

Rodent damage on Dragon Fruit that was sitting on the soil. This ground
location is just too easy for the rodents to take a curious bite of
something they have never seen before.

Misc:
 There is cultural evidence and biologic evidence that dragon fruits have
been cultivated by native Central and South America people since ancient
(pre-columbian) times.
 There are >25 species of Hylocereus spp identified with numerous
different cultivars and hybrids.
 There are reported to be more than 100 varieties in California alone.
 The major species that are grown commercially are H. polyrhizus and
H. undatus.
  The genus name undatus is derived from the Latin word unda meaning
‘wavy or waved’ like water. This name is in reference to the wavy
appearance of the cactus branches/stems.
 There is ongoing academic research being done to figure out which
varieties are the best and the details of their optimal growing
characteristics.
 See the section above labeled “Scientific name and the color of the
fruit flesh” for my take on the scientific naming convention.
 Some varieties are self-pollinating and many others require cross-
pollination from another species,variety or cultivar. Ask when you buy
and (if it was me) get the self-pollinating varieties.
 Red fleshed and pink fleshed fruit contain high levels of antioxidants.
 Hylocereus undatus is native to tropical deciduous forests of Mexico, the
West Indies, Central America and northern South America ( Bravo-Hollis,
1978;Nobel and de la Barrera, 2002).
 Interesting, scientific papers have mentioned that Dragon fruit cactus
flowers don’t produce nectar… and that trait may have been lost in the
plant domestication process.

Updates from contributing Readers:

August 11, 2015 Update:
Stefanie from Southern California has sent in some lovely pictures of her
dragon fruit cacti in bloom (see below). Thanks Stefanie!

Dragon Fruit Flower: Photo credit: fellow reader Stefanie from Southern
California
 Stefanie adds that, “Some flowers take on an almost luminous quality
when photographed.” Photo credit from Stefanie living in Southern
California

Stefanie has a cool picture here that shows how her dragon fruit cactus
rootlets have found her fountain which is connected to her aquaponics
system. I am sure there is a lot of great nutrients in that water. Photo
credit: Stefanie from Southern California
 Dragon Fruit Flowers opening. Photo credit from fellow reader Stefanie
living in Southern California

April 15, 2016 update:

Another great contributing reader from South Africa has shared this
amazing picture (below). It shows a huge dragon cactus vine that has
grown all the way up into a large pine tree. The dragon part is the lighter
green centered in the lower-middle part of the branches.

Huge Dragon Fruit Cactus in a big old pine tree (you can click on the pic
to enlarge)

April 17, 2016 Update:

Another awesome contributing reader (Rose in Sebastian, FL) has shared
some dragon pics from her garden. Thank you Rose!
Below is an associated quote from her:
“Here are the pics of my dragonfruit garden, planted with no roots Nov.
2014. The first pictures are Aug. 2015 with first buds! The last pic is now
with 5 buds so far!! These plants grow like weeds and the flowers are just
so beautiful!!! But, the fruit is the BEST!!! I have 12 varieties! The first
bud is getting ready to open in a few days.
Like I said, your site with all the information you have given, is why my
plants are doing so well!!!
Thank you!
Rose”

Dragon Fruit Cactus doing awesome in the “Garden of Rose” in Sebastian,

FL

Dragon Fruit Cactus doing awesome in the “Garden of Rose” in Sebastian,

FL
 Home / Best planting technique / Best planting technique: 7 important steps

Best planting technique: 7 important steps

Posted by: Thomas Osborne, MD in Best planting technique June 9, 2013 63 Comments 23232 Views

Prevent transplantation shock

with this planting technique
After referencing numerous sources and planting hundreds of fruit trees, I have developed
an extremely effective method of planting fruit trees. This method takes a little bit of
extra effort, but the incidence of transplantation shock has been reduced to zero. The extra
time investment you take here will more than pay for itself in healthy (living) plants.

Background:
 I strongly believe, that root damage in transportation and planting is the major cause
of transplantation shock.
 The reason is simple; without an adequate root volume, a tree cannot get the moisture it
needs and a biological downward spiral will begin. Preventing root damage is a
major goal with this planting technique.
 Protecting the roots starts with transportation from the nursery to your home. Be
gentle when putting the tree in your car and make sure it is secure so it does not rapidly
shift or fall.
 The hotter it is the more the tree will be relying on its intact roots to keep the rest of the tree
hydrated. A hot day will compromise an already stressed tree. Plant on cool overcast day
if possible. The morning or evening would be better than a hot dry midsummer day.

STEP 1. Dig a hole:

 Dig a hole that is at least 2x the size of the pot the tree came in. However, I know this is a
challenge in Southern California where the ground is often about as hard as cement.
 However, for those of you who are patient, there is a way of making the digging easier.
(An easier way to dig a hole):
 Dig a shallow hole and create a brim with the excavated soil. Then fill the shallow
hole with water. Wait till the water soaks in and fill with water again. Then wait till
 the next day. When you come back you will find that the moistened soil is much
much easier to dig through. Of course you can also dig in the rainy season when the
soil is naturally moist and softer.
 If you are planning to dig multiple holes, you might want to consider investing in an
inexpensive electric jackhammer. I got one on Amazon fairly cheap. There are much
nicer-more expensive ones for sale on Amazon (and everywhere else), however, for the
really cheep price, I took the chance with the type of jackhammer in this link.

Step 1: Battle the ground to dig a hole

Drainage is important:
 Almost all fruit trees will die if they are sitting in standing water for any length of
time.
 Therefore you need to make sure the hole you dug will drain.
 To do this, fill the final hole you created with water. Wait again. If there is still water in
the hole after 24 hrs, then you need to find another spot or find a way to make that area
drain.

STEP 2. Put in a Gopher Cage:

 Gophers are a major pest for any farmer in California. A single gopher can quickly
devour roots and kill a young tree. It has happened to me. Therefore, I highly
recommend that you put in a gopher cage; they are a lot easier to put in now than
later.
 Gopher cages are rather easy to build but you can also buy them premade. There are
several methods of building a gopher cage. I just posted my simple method of building
a gopher cage earlier today.
 https://tastylandscape.com/2013/06/09/how-to-build-a-gopher-cage/
 Step 2: Gopher cage in hole

STEP 3. Mix up the soil and

organically augment your planting
mix:
Soil background:
 I have read and heard from ‘others’ that you should and can just plant a tree directly
into the ground without adding any organic material and it will be just fine. I have
tried this technique in the beginning of my planting career and it does not
work. Those trees have struggled and have been prone to
disease. Therefore, please augment the soil. This will support a healthy root
environment and nourish your tree for years to come. In doing so, properly
augmenting the soil will reduce the need for fertilizers and pesticides. In addition it will
help retain moisture and therefore reduce your water bill.
Soil choices:
 There are a lot of soil conditioners, mulches, composts, etc out there to choose from. I
have been using Kellogg’s growmulch but there are many other options that are
probably just as good. Be careful if you use free locally composted material. Some of
the plants used for the free compost may have been inoculated with unwanted
synthetic chemicals. Alternatively, the composted material may have natural growth
inhibiting chemicals made by other plants. That’s why I go with store bought bagged
soil.
 However, be warned, many of these bagged organic soil mixtures smell fairly… uhh…
shall we say… organic. In addition, some of that organic-stink is really hard to get off
your hands. Therefore, if you are planning to go out in public at any time after
planting your tree, you might want to consider wearing good thick gardening
 gloves and/or hospital exam gloves when you handle the soil. For potential
allergy reasons, I suggest the non latex-powder free gloves.
 One of my friends has told me that he uses toothpaste to get the organic soil smell
off his hands. I have yet to try that trick.
 Almost all fruit trees do better with added organic material in the soil. However,
different trees may like/need different things. Therefore, the optimal soil mix you
use may dependsomewhat on what you are planting. For example, tropical and
subtropical trees tend to like more acidic soil and therefore, for them I tend to add
peat moss to the rest of the soil mix. Peat moss also helps retain moisture which is
good for most tropical’s/sub-tropical’s but it is not necessarily good for all trees. For
example, peat moss is def not recommended for cactus, euphorbia, lavender or any
other plant that has evolved in a naturally dry environment.
My usual soil mix:
 In general, I have been using more organic material in my soil mix than what
is recommended on the bag. This has been a gradual shift for me. Perhaps not
surprisingly, I have found that the more organic material I use in the planting
mix the better the trees do. There are some concerns that a very rich soil mixture
will cause rank growth or burn the roots. However, I am currently using about a
40% native soil and 60% bagged soil mixture (such as Kellogg’s grow mulch) and
my results have been extremely good without any noticeable negative side effects.
The poor native soil around here just seems to lock-up nutrients thrown at it until it
hits a saturation point when you use a lot of organic material. If you have a yard with
at least some native top soil then you may not need to add in as much organic
material to the mix.

Step 3: Mix planting soil/mulch with native soil

6/26/16 Update:
Scott, a contributing reader, recently mentioned (in the comments section) that there are some
additional considerations to keep in mind when using a lot of organic material in the mix.
Namely, the organic material will break down over time and this may cause the soil to settle in.
By that rationale, over time, the plant may sink deeper than you intended. Planting so the top
of the root-ball is a little higher will give you some room to for the possibility of future settling.
Good point Scott. I have planted hundreds trees in Southern California and a small amount of
settling is not uncommon. I have only occasionally seen more than a few inches of settling. I
think that I dont see significant settling a lot for two reasons:
1. The soil around here is intrinsically very-very dense to begin with. Therefore, even after
adding organic material, it is still fairly dense. However, if you have loose light soil in your yard
to begin with, then that’s a different story.
2. When strong roots grow outward they get locked into the adjacent native soil & gopher cage.
In doing so, the root mesh-work holds things in place before any decomposition of the organic
components leads to significant volume/height loss. Overtime, bugs, good-fungi and worms
keep churning the carbon cycle to keep things lively in there.
However, to be safe, another option to help prevent this settling issue is to be specific about
where you back-fill different types of soil into the hole. Specifically, putting only native soil
immediately under the tree root-ball may prevent the height loss issue as well. Everything else
around the hole, including deeper sections in the hole off-to the side, can be filled with the
richer-organic soil mixture.

STEP 4. Back fill the hole and position

the tree:
Fill in around the cage:
 Put in the gopher cage and add just enough soil to cover the bottom of the cage.
Adding in native soil immediately under the root-ball may help to prevent future
settling.
 Spray with some water to make sure the soil gets in below the mesh of the gopher
cage. This will help get out trapped air pockets.

Step 4: Getting out the air pockets below the cage

Fill the hole some more:
 Measure the height of the soil in the potted tree. Continue to fill the hole you
created with soil so that it the hole depth becomes about the same as the height of
soil of the plant in the container. Your end goal is to have the trees crown (where
the roots and trunk meet) to be just above the level of the final soil line. Since things
 tend to settle a little bit, it is better to err on the side of a little higher (a few inches is
about as far as I go).
 If the crown of the tree is buried, it can get ‘crown rot’ that often kills a tree.
Position the tree in the hole while still in the pot:
 Place the potted tree into the hole you created to make sure everything looks good.
Doing this while the plant is still in the pot will protect the roots from
movement damage as you modify the height and positioning of the tree by
adjusting the amount of soil in the hole. Having the soil level of the container a little
higher than the soil around the hole is ideal (few inches).

Step 4 (cont): Position tree while still in the pot to protect roots

STEP 4 1/2. Add some beneficial

fungus (optional):
 I usually put some mycorrhizal fungi in the bottom of the hole and on the exposed
roots.
 What is this fungi you ask?
 This is a specific class of fungi that is very beneficial to plants. Your plant and
this fungi partner in a “symbiotic relationship” (the fungi and your plant benefit
each other).
 The fungi basically extend the reach and efficiency of the plants roots.
 The thin fungal projections (hyphae) that partner with the plant roots increases the
surface area that is available for nutrient and water absorption, therefore
maximizing the plants access to essential compounds, elements and moisture. In
the process, mycorrhiza helps with drought resistance. Mycorrhizae also offer the
host plant increased protection against certain pathogens. In return, the plant
supplies the fungus with carbohydrates for use as energy.
  I use to get my mycorrhizal fungi at a local farmers market, but that seller has
moved. However, I see that there are also a few selling mycorrhizal fungi
on Amazon.com.

STEP 5. Final tree placement:

Cut out the bottom of the pot:
 Once everything looks good, gently place the tree and pot on its side. Use a knife
or sharp razor blade and cut out the bottom of the plastic pot. Yes, you will
sacrifice the pot; but that is better than having to buy another plant if it dies of
shock.
 Make sure you don’t have a lip of plastic at the bottom that will later catch.
 Untangle any bound-up roots.

Step 5: Cut the bottom of the pot off

Remove the pot while the tree is in the hole:
 Gently place the tree with the bottomless pot back into the hole.
 Once the tree is safely back in the hole make your final adjustments.
 When everything is perfect, cut the side of the remaining plastic pot from top to
bottom.
 (you may want to wear gloves so not to cut yourself on the plastic, the knife or
the gopher cage).
 Step 5 (cont): Cut the side of the pot
Remove the pot:
 Peal off the remaining plastic pot and the tree should be sitting there
perfectly where you wanted it without any stress to the roots.
 If the tree is root-bound then gently pull the roots out of their tangled mess.

Step 5 (cont): remove the pot.

STEP 6. Fill the rest of the hole with soil:
Add some soil and water again:
 Add some soil around the root ball, and spray in water to cover the soil by about
an inch. This helps to get out any air pockets and is also an efficient way to
soak the tree and surrounding soil.
 Allow the water to soak in. This is also a good time to add more micorriza to the
exposed wet roots.

Step 6: Add more soil and fill with water

Finish filling the hole:
 After the water has soaked in, fill the rest of the hole with the soil mix you
created. Make a brim of soil to create a basin for water. Water again.
 Step 6 (cont): Finish filling with soil.

STEP 7. Finishing touches:

 Lay down your irrigation line and cover with mulch bark to help reduce
evaporation.

Cover with mulch bark (your done!)

And one more thing:

 This is not really a planting step, but it is vary important…. and perhaps a bit emotionally
painful.
 You need to remove all the fruit and flowers from your new plant.
 Those nice things just take energy away from the tree becoming established and healthy.

Close initial care:

A new tree will need extra watering as it is becoming established. This is especially true if
you planted your tree in the summer. Deep watering every 2 to 3 days in the summer is a good
start for newly planted trees. Watch the leaves for signs of water stress and feel the soil to
adjust your watering as needed. If you are not sure, err on the side of over watering.
 ABOUT THOMAS OSBORNE, MD

Dr. Osborne is a Harvard trained Radiologist and Neuroradiologist who loves to share his insight
about medicine and gardening.

63 COMMENTS

1.

Anonymous
November 8, 2014 at 8:19 pm

Your instruction is the best. You share and hope all who read your articles will be successful.

Thank you very much. I love your article on Dragon fruit as well.
Reply

Thomas Osborne, MD
November 9, 2014 at 2:07 am

Thanks for the great feedback!

Reply

Lotis plizga
November 9, 2014 at 9:13 am
 impressive ! I learned a lot from you today . Thank you so much
Reply

2.

Nate
November 27, 2014 at 7:36 am

For container plants, the best one for AZ is 15% Perlite, 15% Fine Canadian Peat Moss or
similar, 50% Aged Pine Bark and 20% Coconut Coir. This is built for the best aeration and
water drainage without using sand. I’m not sure about CA, but I assume you would water less.

In your prep, do you use gypsum? For fertilizer do you use fish emulsion, kelp emulsion and
ammonium sulfate?
Reply

Thomas Osborne, MD
November 27, 2014 at 7:46 am

Thanks Nate.
My soil mix is a bit dependent on the particular plant.
For example, I wouldn’t use peat moss for succulents, or rosemary.
But I would use it in the mix for tropical plants.
For fertilizer… again this is a bit dependent on the particular plant.
I try to go organic as much as I can. However, I have found that I just cant keep up
with the nitrogen-and other needs of some of my plants using organic alone.
For example, I usually supplement my citrus with triple 15. But I then give them a lot
of other organic options throughout the year as well (worm castings, mushroom
compost, chicken manure, grow mulch, etc)
Reply

3.

paul gustin
December 29, 2014 at 1:50 am

Very nice work on this guide, Tom. Many years ago when I was in college I worked with a
neighbor who was a retired Botany Professor from Eastern Europe. Peter and I planted several
fruit trees at a few different locations together. Basically, I was the “muscle” and dug the holes,
 sifted the soil and gro-mulch together etc. With all of his knowledge, citrus was new to Peter as
it was too cold in his native country to grow it. He taught me to dig the holes as deep as
possible for each tree. More than twice the size of the container, if possible. Have heard others
warn against digging too deep a hole for various reasons.
After reading your guide, I would strongly doubt if any of the holes I dug would completely
drain of being filled with water in 24 hours or less. Not with the hard adobe soil we have here in
So. Cali. Perhaps, this is why Peter wanted me to dig the holes so deep.
He had 22 standard size trees on a 8000 square foot lot not including a small hillside area that
we never got around to planting.
Reply

Thomas Osborne, MD
December 29, 2014 at 2:17 am

Thanks Paul.

Sounds like a great experience to learn from your retired botany professor friend.

As you mentioned, drainage around here is a big deal.

A big hole, with rich-organic material mixed in, also sets the stage for a healthy-
diverse soil environment full of good microorganisms.
Thanks,
Tom
Reply

4.

kathy
February 11, 2015 at 1:50 am

I have a fruit, how can I propagate??

Reply

Thomas Osborne, MD
February 11, 2015 at 4:51 am

Hi Kathy
Thanks for the question…
 This is a fun question that many ask. The answer depends on the type of fruit you
have.
Please inform and perhaps we can get you some helpful advice.
Best,
Tom
Reply

5.

Elissa
May 23, 2015 at 3:54 pm

Hello There!

Love your site soooo helpful. My question: Can I start a Mullberry tree in a large container like a
1/2 barrel? I live in a rental house and am not sure how long I am to satay here? Thank you in
advance for your response!
Reply

Thomas Osborne, MD
May 23, 2015 at 9:48 pm

Hi Elissa
Thank you for the great feedback.
I have not tried growing a mulberry tree in a large container.
However, a 1/2 barrel is a great size and I would think that it would be a great size to
start a tree.
Best,
Tom
Reply

6.

Zach
March 28, 2016 at 3:59 am

I am planting a cutting into soil to be grown in Canada in my greenhouse all year round. Are
there any ideas or advice you can give for growing in a pot in a greenhouse in Canada?

Thomas anything to add?

 Reply

Thomas Osborne, MD
March 28, 2016 at 4:44 am

Hey Zach.
Remind me what you plan to grow in a container in Canada.
Thanks,
Tom
Reply

7.

Traci Howe
May 25, 2016 at 2:49 pm

Love you your articles, thank you for the information. My question is I’m moving to Utah and
have a Florida Prince Peach tree and I was planning on putting it it in the ground there do you
think it will adapt to the winter’s out there should I cover it during or will that not help at all???
Reply

Thomas Osborne, MD
May 25, 2016 at 5:06 pm

Hi Traci
Thanks for the great feedback.
The major concern, from a warm climate perspective, is if the temp gets enough to
trigger the loss of leaves in the winter.
This chill period is very low for the Florida Prince Peach and is one of the great-unique
things about the tree.
However, I have not seen any objective research on the other side of the equation…
Namely, wow much cold is too much for this tree.
None the less, I have seen unsubstantiated reports that this tree will grow in zones 7-
10 which would include parts of Southern Utah. I suspect that the tree could take a bit
more cold than that, but that is just speculation. One option is to talk to a local
grower/nursery or see what others are growing in your area. If not the Prince peach
then there will be many other peaches that should work.
 Below is a list of some other great options for warm climate like Southern California.
Search peach Critical Winter Care For Your Peaches2016/01/18 Best Peaches to Grow
in Southern California
If you want to know your growing zone, I wrote a quick article about it and the link is
below.
Climate Zones: What can I grow in my yard?
Thanks!
Tom
Reply

Traci Howe
May 27, 2016 at 2:31 pm

Thank you for replying I’ve read the relating information you mentioned and
I am flying to utah this weekend I’ll ask a local nursery see what they say.
Have a great weekend!
Reply

Thomas Osborne, MD
May 27, 2016 at 6:09 pm

Cool, I would be interested to hear how it goes.

Safe travels.
T
Reply

8.

Scott
June 26, 2016 at 1:42 am

What is the 60% bagged soil mix you use? What are the bulk ingredients?
My main question, is how much organic matter fraction?
So, you stated 40% native dirt/soil, and 60% of that additional material.
I’m curious how much loss of soil volume occurs due to the amount of organic matter in your
mix.

But, you say things have worked out great.

I’d expect planting with a bit more elevated rise, along with some organic matter(maybe 1/4 to
1/3) in more compacted soils would work great.

Generally I find if the soil is fairly diggable, including fruit trees, if planed with appropriate soil
profile, watered appropriately, they’ll do fine, they’ll do well, they’ll do great. And mulching
usually being helpful/necessary as well.

I appreciate your open forum, keep up the great work.

Reply

Thomas Osborne, MD
June 26, 2016 at 9:54 am

Hey Scott
Thanks for your note.
When I say 40/60… I mean that I use 60% grow mulch and 40% native soil (which
for me is a mix of decomposed granite and hard clay). This native soil I have is very
dense stuff.
I added some comments to the article to clarify. Thanks.
There are clearly all kinds of soil types in any area. However, I live on a hill side and it
seems that the only soil that is left after many years of erosion is the hardest toughest
stuff possible. If it wasent that hard then it would be washed away. I did landscaping
in college to help pay the bills. We were all over southern California digging holes and
I have seen a lot of hard poor soils in the area. Occasionally, in a valley or in a well
cultivated area, the soil is intrinsically richer and looser. They are the lucky ones for
planting.

I appreciate your points about plants settling and I referenced your comments in the
body of the article.

Thanks!
Tom
Reply

Scott
July 5, 2017 at 5:09 am

Hi Tom,
I was just looking at this again, I wasn’t referring to any settling by the
plant, i.e. rootball settling, but rather just the decomposition of the organic
matter around the rootball, which would probably make for a sinking of the
soil around the rootball, if the surrounding soil mix is 60% organic matter, if
organic is entirely or mostly what ‘grow mulch’ is.
And again, just a very well pulverized soil, with the hole dug about the same
depth as rootball, and the hole dug two or more times wider than the
rootball, and even additional pulverizing/digging up of the soil in the first
several inches beyond the main hole, out a foot more or so, and with
appropriate planting profile, slightly or more elevated, depending on the
circumstantial specifics, and then with mulch on the surface to the trunk,
modestly,…that should allow most any typical woody fruit tree or vine, which
is adapted to general soils, which most are, to do well, or well enough for
good production and growth.
So again, just the native suitably pulverized/dug up soil, with suitable
somewhat/slightly elevated rootball planting profile, mulch, and watering, –
that usually works well for most fruit trees/vines with most soils in the San
Diego region.
Although, I’m not addressing gopher inhibition here,… but that’s only an
issue in ‘some’ locations, – not typically an issue, at least for the vast
majority of residential and even many non-residential plantings of fruit
trees/vines. Figured I’d share my observations. But, we all have our own.
Best Regards,
Scott
Reply

Thomas Osborne, MD
July 5, 2017 at 9:06 am

Hey Scott
Thanks for your insight.
I agree, there is likely some settling of the plant due to
decomposition of the added organic material. I have seen this
happen, but it is surprisingly small when it does.

Perhaps the limited amt of settling I see is because the roots

anchor-in before the organic material settles down. That being said,
you might expect some air-gaps in there if it was the case and I
dont notice any when I dig up and move plants years later. Perhaps
the worms/bugs keep tilling the soil around enough to fill up any
air-gape/holes.

Thanks,
Tom
Reply
9.

Marina
January 18, 2017 at 11:22 am

Best and most impressive methodical information. Thanks very much

Reply

Thomas Osborne, MD
January 18, 2017 at 6:51 pm

Thank you very much Marina

Happy gardening!
Reply

10.

sina
September 10, 2017 at 9:41 am

Dear Thomas,
you fill the hole with the mixed soil in 3 steps.
did you use same soil(40% soil and 60% growing mulch) in these 3 steps?
thanks for your useful articles
Reply

Thomas Osborne, MD
September 10, 2017 at 5:49 pm

Hi Sina
Thanks for the question. Yes, I used the same organic mixed soil.
Reply

11.
 ANIL KUMPUAR GANUPU
October 9, 2017 at 7:35 am

I am anil i am going to plant 188 schools in fruit garden. I need a help what are the steps I
have taken
Reply

12.

Derick Antony Balan

December 19, 2017 at 6:33 pm

Dr. Osborne. Your blog is a source of excellent information I have you say.
I live in Texas and am an avid fruit tree gardener myself. I don’t know if you’ve heard of
something called Micro Budding for citrus production. Basically from seed to fruit in 3 years time
than 5 or 8 years, new process by Dr. Mani Scaria, Micro Budding Technique at Texas A&M:
http://www.expressnews.com/business/local/article/Plant-pathologist-promises-orange-
8662385.php
http://www.hpj.com/archives/texas-a-m-citrus-scientist-proposes-orange-
revolution/article_fc18e2bc-1f89-5a81-a6e0-d6cfeb94e070.html
Also another regional expert on this. Retired chemical engineer John Panzarella:

http://www.panzarellacitrus.com/
Reply

Thomas Osborne, MD
January 2, 2018 at 5:51 am

Hi Derick
Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you, it has been a crazy time for me
lately.
Thanks for the awesome information. I have not heard of “Micro Budding” before but
it sounds awesome. Thank you so much for the information and supporting article
links!

Thank you for the awesome info and Happy New Year!
Tom
Reply

13.
Amy
March 6, 2018 at 1:45 am

Hi Dr. Osborne,

Do you use landscape edging or bricks to form a circular perimeter around each fruit tree?

Thank you,
Amy
Reply

Thomas Osborne, MD
March 7, 2018 at 5:01 am

Hi Amy
Thanks for your question.
The answer for me is that it depends…
If the plants are in an area that I want to keep tidy then I definitely will add a
border/perimeter around them.
However, if they are planted out in the far reaches of the yard where only I go… I
tend not to do anything extra like that.
Its really personal preference.
Best,
Tom
Reply

Amy
March 26, 2018 at 3:59 am

Hi Dr. Osborne,

I am new to gardening/planting fruit trees. In addition to the above

techniques, would you recommend adding bone meal or chicken manure to
the hole or soil mixture at time of transplantation? Or would those
ingredients be better to use 1-3 months after transplantation?

Thanks!
-Amy
Reply
 

Thomas Osborne, MD
March 27, 2018 at 5:23 am

Hi Amy
Good question.
Many of the “grow mulch” type of soil additives have chicken
manure added in.
The question is how much more you want to provide.
Some plants will be ok with more, however others will not like the
extra bird poo.
One potential strategy is to put the extra manure in the hole.. but a
distance away from the roots so it takes a while for high
concentrations of nitrogen to directly contact roots. Not something
I have personally tried, just an idea.

But in general, I would hold off on adding additional fertilizer early

on.

best,
Tom
Reply

14.

Mushtaq Tahiri
March 31, 2018 at 8:46 am

Very good and informative article I like it very much…thank you very much for
sharing…Regards
M.Mushtaq Tahiri
from Karachi Pakistan
Reply

Thomas Osborne, MD
April 27, 2018 at 11:49 am

Thanks M.Mushtaq Tahiri !

Reply
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 ABOUT THE AUTHOR THOMAS OSBORNE, MD

My earliest childhood memories are from when my family lived on a farm in upstate NY. From that
point on, I have been fascinated with plants. My early understanding of botany became the
foundation upon which I later learned other fields of science. In medical school, residency, and
fellowship, my passion for plants was temporarily neglected as my classmates and I tried to
optimized every hour to become the best doctors possible. Now that I have finally completed my
medical training, the time demands haven’t really slowed down much. However, I am working to
find balance, and one of the best place for me to do that is in the garden. In the process of
transforming the landscape of our home, I created this website that was initially intended to be a
personal reference for my gardening experiments and experiences. To my delight,
TastyLandscape.com has become a global forum for shared knowledge about growing plants for
food. Thank you, and looking forward to hearing from you. Thomas Osborne, MD

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Home / Dragon Fruit Diseases / Dragon Fruit Diseases

Dragon Fruit Diseases

Posted by: Thomas Osborne, MD in Dragon Fruit Diseases September 5, 2015 78 Comments 26449 Views

Dragon Spots:
Many dragon fruit cacti have spots on their stems and these spots may be sign of an
infection. However, other non-infections injuries such as a scaring from physical trauma
or sunburn may result in a similar appearance. This article will outline the
key characteristics of the most common Dragon Fruit diseases.
Most importantly, having this knowledge will help you to avoid buying infected plants.
In addition, many of these same pitaya problems listed here can also infect other
plants in addition to cacti. Therefore, the information provided below may be
transferable to your other garden loved-ones. The best option is prevention which
includes keeping your Dragon Fruit cacti healthy and using sterile pruning techniques.
For a complete guide to growing healthy Dragon Fruit, check out my article on How To
Get Your Dragon Fruit Cactus To Fruit.

Botryosphaeria dothidea:
The fungal infection known by the scientific name Botryosphaeria dothidea causes
blotchy red/brown spots on the stems of Dragon Fruit cacti. These spots are typically
flat but slightly raised compared to adjacent normal areas. Sometimes these spots
have an appearance of a bulls eye (see first picture below). Other times, this infection
can result in multiple irregular spots that may coalesce together (see second picture
below). This disease may first present as yellow areas on a branch that then develop
the darker spots mentioned above. This disease does not seem to be deadly but has
been reported to decrease plant vigor and fruit production by up to 44%. Because of
unsterile pruning practices, this disease has become rather common in many parts of
the world.
Other plants with this Botryosphaeria dothidea infection:
Apparently, this infection can impact a lot of other plants too. For example, the first
article to describe this disease in Dragon Fruit also states that, “This same fungus has
been previously reported to cause panicle and shoot blight and canker diseases of
pistachio, peach, apple, forest trees, chaparral bushes, and many other plant species.”
In rhododendron plants, heat stress and drought will increase the severity of the
disease. Since we don’t have a lot of data for dragon fruit, we could look to how this
fungal infection is treated in other plants for insight.
Other plant treatments for Botryosphaeria dothidea:
 For walnuts, the UC California Agricultural Research Center, says that
for Botryosphaeria dothidea infected walnut trees, you should prune dead branches or
blighted shoots and avoid sprinkler irrigation that wets the canopy. That same walnut
reference document lists the fungicides registered for treating Botryosphaeria blight in
pistachio trees. Some of the more effective chemical treatments for pistachio trees
listed are the antifungals pyraclostrobin and trifloxystrobin. As reference, the
product Armada 50 WDG Fungicide contains trifloxystrobin and Bonide Chemical Fruit
Tree and Plant Guard contains pyraclostrobin.
In addition, according to the USDA Agricultural Research Center, for apples and
pears, copper fungicides have proved effective for Botryosphaeria dothidea in Japan. I
am somewhat skeptical that a topical spray could cure this infection. However, a
topical spray is rather appealing and this would be my personal first attempt at
treatment. As another potential option, a systemic antifungal such as thiophanate-
methyl might also work. The problem with systemics is that they will kill a lot of other
good fungi in the soil. Overall, studies are still underway for Dragon Fruit and (to my
knowledge) there is nothing definite for them yet.
Botryosphaeria dothidea spread:
This fungi, (and other plant infections) can be spread by trimming/pruning tools that
have not been sterilized between plants. Direct contact between plants can also be a
way to spread disease.
There are also sap sucking bugs can also spread disease. Specifically, bugs in the
Leptoglossus genus (aka leaffooted bugs) have been known to be a vector that can
spread the Botryosphaeria dothidea fungus to other plants. I caught a pic of
a Leptoglossus sucking on a flower-bud of one of my Cereus Cacti. The one in the pic
below looks a lot like Leptoglossus occidentalis. However, That particular one is said to
feed on pine, so it must be some other close relative. Regardless, this genus is a bunch
of destructive sapsuckers that can spread disease and are not welcomed. The University
of California has a nice short article about what to do about the leaffooted bugs (if you
are a pistachio farmer)… but same ideas apply.
For additional reading:
For additional reading on this topic, I have listed some scientific journal references on
this Botryosphaeria dothidea fungal infection.
 One of the pictures below is from the article with the rather long-winded title;
“Conidial germination of Botryosphaeria dothidea and histological alterations on stems
of pitahaya”
 In addition, here is a link to a research paper on the topic of treating Botryosphaeria
dothidea.
 This next 2003 paper states they were the first to describe this infection it in dragon
fruit, Botryosphaeria dothidea causing stem spots on Hylocereus undatus in Mexico
‘Fish eye’ lesion caused by Botryospaheria dothidea. Photo from the journal
article titled, “A brief overview on pitahaya (Hylocereus spp.) diseases.” (July 2013,
Volume 42, Issue 4, pp 437-440)

Dragon Fruit symptoms of stem spots caused by Botryosphaeria

dothidea. Image from the journal article titled “Conidial germination
of Botryosphaeria dothidea and histological alterations on stems of pitahaya
(Hylocereus undatus H.) (Haworth) Britton & Rose.” (Rev. Fac. Cienc. Agrar., Univ.
Nac. Cuyo vol.45 no.1 Mendoza ene. jun. 2013)
 The sap sucking Leptoglossus sp have been known to be a vector that can spread
the Botryosphaeria dothidea fungus to other plants. In this pic above, I believe this
insect-parasite which is drinking from my Cereus Cacti might be the specific bug
known as Leptoglossus occidentalis). Bastard!

This spot disease (Botryosphaeria dothidea) can also infect many other plants/cacti
including the ‘Ric Rac cactus’ (Selenicereus anthonyanus). This cactus was happy and
healthy inside the house until it was placed outside near an infected Dragon Fruit
Cactus. Bummer.
 Colletotrichum gloesporiodes:
Colletotrichum gloesporiodes (aka Anthracnose) is the name of another fungi that can
infect dragon fruit cacti. The lesions from this fungal infection look like concentric
haloes on stems and fruit (see picture below).
 The journal article, A brief overview on pitahaya (Hylocereus spp.) diseases discusses
this disease briefly.
Concentric haloes from Colletotrichum gloesporiodes. Photo from the journal
article titled, “A brief overview on pitahaya (Hylocereus spp.) diseases.” (July 2013,
Volume 42, Issue 4, pp 437-440).

Bipolaris cactivora:
Yet another fungal pathogen has the scientific name Bipolaris cactivora. This disease
can cause black-brown spots on dragon fruit flowers and fruit. This infection can also
cause branch/stem rot.
 For more info, here is journal article on the subject titled, First report of Bipolaris
cactivora causing fruit blotch and stem rot of dragon fruit (pitaya) in Israel.
 Additional info can also be found on the article titled, A brief overview on pitahaya
(Hylocereus spp.) diseases.
 Brown, depressed lesions which may expand to form large areas of rot on
flowers and fruits caused by Bipolaris cactivora. Photo from the journal article
titled, “A brief overview on pitahaya (Hylocereus spp.) diseases.” (July 2013, Volume
42, Issue 4, pp 437-440)

Dragon Fruit branches with ‘dry stem rot’ caused by Bipolaris

cactivora. Image from the article titled, “First report of Bipolaris cactivora causing
fruit blotch and stem rot of dragon fruit pitaya in Israel.” (Phytoparasitica; April 2011,
Volume 39, Issue 2, pp 195-197)

Cactus virus X:
‘Cactus Virus X’ causes blotchy chlorotic spots, mottling, necrosis and yellowing on
dragon fruit cactus stems (see picture below). The pattern of of light and dark green
areas on a branch is sometimes referred to as a mosaic pattern. As far as I know,
there is not much you can currently do for a viral infection such as this.
 The image below is from the ppt titled Viruses and Viral Diseases of Cacti and
Succulents, authored by Deborah Mathews, Ph.D at UC Riverside.
 For some rather technical research writing on the subject, check out the journal article
titled Detection and incidence of Cactus virus X in pitaya in Taiwan
 More info available from the journal article titled Cactus mild mottle virus is a new
cactus-infecting tobamovirus.

‘Cactus Virus X’ on Dragon fruit stem. Image sourced via an online ppt from
Deborah Mathews, Ph.D at UC Riverside
 Stem soft rot caused by
Enterobacteria:
This wet rotting disease typically infects the ends of dragon fruit branches. This
infection is caused by the gram negative bacteria called Enterobacteria. I have seen
this type of thing burn itself out and I have also seen it take over a plant. To be safe, I
would cut off the diseased branch(es) at a point where there was no visible sign of
disease. Then carefully dispose of the sick branch and sterilize your cutting tools when
done. Studies have shown that the rotting appears 15 days after inoculation with the
bacteria. Apparently, plants deficient in calcium and nitrogen may develop more severe
symptoms. On that note, keeping your Dragon Fruit cacti healthy may help you to
avoid this disease.
 Additional info about this rotting infection can also be found on the article titled, A
brief overview on pitahaya (Hylocereus spp.) diseases.
Symptoms of ‘soft rot’ from Enterobacteria infection. Images from the journal
article titled, “A brief overview on pitahaya (Hylocereus spp.) diseases.” (July 2013,
Volume 42, Issue 4, pp 437-440)

Disease transmission:
All infectious diseases can-and-will be transmitted from plant to plant by
pruning/trimming tools. There is also a strong possibility that these diseases can also
be spread by direct contact of roots and stems that touch each other. Some
insects (such as Leptoglossus sp mentioned above), can also spread infectious disease
from plant to plant.
For some difficult diseases, many have advocated destroying infected plants and
starting over in a different location. Your best bet is prevention; inspect plants before
you buy and keep your tools clean. On that note….

Sterilize your pruners!

 It is really important to sterilize your trimmers/pruners between plants. There are
many infectious plant diseases that are unknowingly spread from plant to plant by
cutting/trimming instruments. This is true for any plant, but particularly so for
Dragon Fruit cacti… many of which have been infected with systemic
diseases because of sub-optimal sanitizing techniques.
 There are a many sanitizing options including household cleaning solutions, alcohol,
and hydrogen peroxide. These chemicals only need to be applied to the cutting blade.
Many of these liquids require some application time before they are adequately
sterilized.
 Another faster option is heat sterilization of your cutting blade with something such as
a small hand held torch. The torch technique, is convenient and fast, but obviously
results in the tips of your trimmers being hot… Which are then a potential burn hazard
 to you and to your plants… as well as being a general fire hazard. Definitely don’t try
burning things in your garden/yard if you are in a fire danger area (which is most of
California). And my favorite disclaimer of all, “don’t try this at home.”
 Interestingly, I just found this other tool that actually spritzes your hand pruners with
sterilizing fluid with each cut. I have no idea how well this product works, but it is an
interesting take on addressing the problem. For reference, here is a link to
that product Hand Pruners with Spray Applicator.
 While I was getting my hair cut today another thought came to mind. I wonder if that
Barbicide chemical they put hair cutting scissors in would also kill unwanted plant
microbes. Seems like it should do the job, and apparently it is fully biodegradable. All
of that said, I have never heard of anyone else using a barbers/hair salon disinfectant
such as Barbicide for this purpose.


Noninfectious injury:
Sunburn:
Sunburn can have an appearance similar to some of the other diseases listed below.
Sunburn can be a problem when a plant is moved quickly from a shady area to a full
sun location. Growing in areas of more intense sunlight such as the desert can also lead
to sunburn injury.
This injury may present as areas of yellowing, corking, scabbing and pealing. You can
expect this injury to be seen on the most sun exposed sides of the plant (South/top of
the plant). On that note, sunburn can also sometimes look very similar
to Botryospaheria dothidea infection. However, the distribution of the stem lesions
should be different. Specifically, if something looks questionable but is on the under-
surface of a plant, then it is not sunburn. In this situation, you should consider one of
the infectious diseases listed above as the cause.
Sunburn on a Cereus Cactus branch. This branch turned and is now lying on the
ground resulting in a sudden increase in sun exposure to just one part of the branch.
The same thing can happen to Dragon Fruit cacti. Note, only the most sun exposed
side of the branch got sunburn.

Close up of the same sunburn seen above on a Cereus cactus branch.

Phototoxicity:
Sunburn problems similar to the above can also be the result of increased sensitivity to
sunlight from topical chemicals. This phototoxixcity is classically the result of spray
chemicals such as horticulture oils, fungicides, insecticides, etc which can increase
sensitivity to the sun. By example, this type of increased sensitivity to the sun can also
happen to us people as a result of topical exposure to oils and juice from citrus (esp
limes).
This topical cactus injury results in a scar on a branch from a short term chemical
exposure + sun. Once the offending agent is removed, the problem should not spread.
This lack of spreading after removing the chemicals is another way to help differentiate
between sun injury and infection.

Corking:
Corking is a normal part of cacti aging. In this process, lower parts of the plant often mature-
change to a hard, dry, grey bark-like appearance. This should first occur from the
bottom of a plant and slowly work its way up from there. If a process does not follow
this slow ‘bottom-up’ progression, then it is probably not corking.
 Taste Comparison: Dragon Fruit vs Peruvian
Apple Cactus
The exotic Dragon Fruit (Hylocereus spp) and Peruvian Apple Cactus (Cereus
Peruvianus) both produce delicious fruit. But which is better and how are they
different?
This quick article is a side by side comparison of the similarities and differences of
these two unique but tasty treats. My friend Jessie has never tried either fruit and as
an added bonus she has graciously volunteered to be an objective taste tester (see
tasting video further below in the article).

Meet my friend Jessie, our taste tester.

Differences: (between Dragon Fruit and

Peruvian Apple Cactus)
Appearance:
 Dragon Fruit look amazing with its numerous prehistoric looking wings extending from
the surface while Apple Cactus have a smooth skin and are generally smaller in size.
When ripe, Dragon fruit turn a deep red color. Apple Cactus skin on the other hand
turn more of a bright reddish pink or orange when ripe.
 Excited first impression; seeing both fruit for the first time.

 Different varieties of dragon fruit flesh can range in color from white, pink, to
psychedelic deep purple with black speckles. However, as far as I am aware, Apple
Cactus flesh is only white with black specks.
Red and white-pinkish varieties of dragon fruit from the backyard. My daughters hand
doing a photobomb to the right and ruler on the bottom for more objective
measurements

Texture:
 Dragon Fruit have a delightfully smooth but firm texture that is also amazingly juicy
and melting. Apple Cactus on the other hand has a nearly crystalline texture similar
to shaved ice that is also miraculously melting.

The Cereus Peruvianus fruit texture is amazingly dense and fluffy as well as nearly
crystalline.
 Flavor:
 Although each variety of dragon fruit taste subtly different, they all have a unique
tropical fruity flavor. Apple cactus on the other hand have a more mild flavor that is
reminiscent of sugarcane.

Plants:
 Dragon Fruit Cactus are epiphytic tropical vines… So yea, these plants grow on the
support of other trees… weird right. Cereus Peruvianus on the other hand looks more
like a typical columnar cactus.

Growing branch fallen because supporting rope broke before air-roots could take hold.

 Dragon fruit thrive in a tropical-to subtropical jungle like environment. Cereus spp
also require more water than a typical cactus, and thrive in frost free open-forest like
conditions.
 Numerous flower buds on this Cereus peruvianus cactus.

Similarities: (between Dragon Fruit

and Peruvian Apple Cactus)
Appearance:
 Both fruit have relatively thick skin that peals away from the flesh easily.
 The flesh of both fruit is nearly uniform in color and speckled with numerous small
black seeds.

The peel of the Apple Cactus fruit often just falls away after being cut open
Texture:
 The delightfully dense texture of both the Dragon Fruit and Peruvian Apple Cactus
seem to defy physics. They are initially firm but then quickly melting and amazingly
juicy.
 Tasty (Hylocereus spp) Dragon Fruit
Flavor:
 Both fruit are mildly sweet and not at all sour or tart.

Plants:
 Both Hylocereus spp and Cereus peruvianus are cacti, and both should not be treated
like your average cactus. Although both of these plants have thorns, the barbs are
few and small. There are no thorns on the fruit. Both plants have similar appearing
huge beautiful flowers that only bloom at night… and the flowers only last one day
before wilting.

Dragon Fruit Flowers bloom at night

Cereus Peruvianus in full nighttime bloom