How to Plant Dragon Fruit Seeds? A Detailed Guide to Sowing and Growing Seedlings

Dragon fruit, also known as pitaya, is a fruit that many people love to eat. The flesh comes in two colors, white and red, and is filled with small black seeds. It has a mild texture and a fresh, delicate flavor. So, how do you plant dragon fruit seeds?

1. How to plant dragon fruit seeds?

Select a fully ripe dragon fruit, scoop out the flesh and soak it in water, mash the flesh, then strain and rinse it with a filter cloth until the flesh is completely separated from the seeds. Use toilet paper to blot the water from the seeds and let them dry until they are completely dry, then you can start sowing. After sowing, cover with plastic wrap, lift it every other day to spray water with a spray bottle, and remove the wrap once new shoots appear.

2. How to Grow Dragon Fruit in Pots

Cuttings are the easiest way to grow dragon fruit in pots successfully. As long as the cutting has grown roots and produced new branches, it can be moved into a pot. So here is how to grow dragon fruit in a pot from cuttings:

1. Choosing a pot

Use a perforated clay pot or wooden box, as long as it has good breathability. Then soak the pot in clean water for several hours. This is done to release the stale gases from the pot walls and help the plant roots grow.

2. Soil

Making a dragon fruit pot does not have strict soil requirements. It is best to use neutral or slightly acidic soil, but it must be loose and breathable. Alkaline soil is not good for cultivation. You can also mix your own: combine leaf mold, manure soil and coarse river sand in a 6:1:1 ratio, and let it sit for half a month before use.

3. Potting method

Put the prepared soil into the pot. You can first spread a layer of sand and gravel at the bottom of the pot, then add the soil. Insert the dragon fruit seedling diagonally into the potting soil to a depth of about 3-4 cm. Too deep will cause slow rooting, while too shallow will cause the branches to lose water due to surface soil drying out. Finally, gently press the soil around the plant with your hands and water thoroughly.

4. Cultivation management

After the dragon fruit cutting is planted, apply a compound fertilizer once a week to promote strong plant growth. Later, apply calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer and compound fertilizer according to the size of the plant. After the dragon fruit is planted, it can sprout and grow rapidly after 15-20 days. When the plant reaches about 1 m in height, cut off about 3 cm of the stem tip at the top to encourage side branches to grow from the top. When the side branches exceed 80 cm, cut off about 3 cm of the stem tip at the top. If managed well in this way, it will bloom after 7-8 months.

5. Flowering period management

Dragon fruit also has high nutritional needs during the flowering period. In the half month before flowering, apply an organic liquid fertilizer containing phosphorus and potassium once every 5-7 days. For potted dragon fruit, because the amount of soil in the pot is small and nutrient supply is limited, the side branches should not be left too long. It is recommended to leave only 1 fruit per branch.

Dragon fruit seeds are relatively easy to sow, and cuttings root easily. The flowers can be used as a vegetable, and the berries are edible.