A Complete Guide to Dragon Fruit Cultivation Techniques and Management Methods

Dragon fruit is a long-lived plant that can survive for hundreds or even thousands of years. It also tastes sweet, yields heavily, and sells very well. So as such a hot-selling fruit, how is it cultivated? What issues need attention? Let's take a look together below!

Dragon Fruit Cultivation Techniques

1. Dragon fruit is a tropical plant that likes light and tolerates shade, likes fertilizer and tolerates poor soil. Its stems can even grow attached to rocks, and the plant is extremely wind-resistant; as long as the support is sturdy, it can withstand typhoons. Generally, about 300 plants are planted per mu (about 667 sq m), with one 15 cm square, 2 m tall cement post placed in the middle of every 3 plants as a support, meaning 3 plants are planted around each cement post.

2. For the row spacing of the cement posts, use 2.2 m × 2.2 m on hillsides and 2.5 m × 2.5 m on flat land. Dragon fruit is mainly fertilized with farmyard manure, and chemical fertilizer should be avoided as much as possible. Before planting, apply about one load of well-rotted pig or cow manure per plant, mix it thoroughly with the soil, and then plant. First plant the cement posts, then plant the seedlings, keeping the seedlings about 10 cm from the posts so they grow upward close against the posts.

3. Dragon fruit can adapt to various soils and can also be grown in soil with relatively high salinity, but neutral soil and slightly acidic soil with plenty of humus and good water and fertilizer retention are best. To make it grow vigorously after planting, calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer and compound fertilizer should be applied later, with the amount depending on plant size. The cement post is 2 m tall, with 40 cm buried in the soil and about 1.6 m above ground. When making the cement post, drill holes crosswise at 10 cm from the top of the post for later use.

4. After erecting the post, insert two steel bars about 70 cm long to form a cross, and place an old bicycle tire on the cross-shaped steel bars. When the dragon fruit plant grows level with the cement post, cut off the tip; at this point the plant will stop growing upward and will send out many horizontal side branches that hang downward. The tire on the cross is used to support the drooping leaf stems and fruit. If used for bonsai, the post should be shorter, using corrosion-resistant wooden posts or steel bars, etc.

Dragon Fruit Fertilization Tips

1. Dragon fruit fertilization should follow the principle of sufficient amounts, small quantities, and multiple applications. Young trees should mainly receive nitrogen fertilizer, applied thinly and frequently to promote tree growth. Mature trees should mainly receive phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, while controlling the amount of nitrogen fertilizer applied.

2. Fertilization should be carried out during the spring new shoot germination period and the fruit enlargement period. The fertilizer is generally formulated with oil cake residue, chicken manure, and pig manure in a ratio of 1:2:7, applying 25 kg of organic fertilizer per plant each year. Alternatively, in July, October, and March of the following year, apply 1.2 kg of cow manure compost and 200 g of compound fertilizer per plant each time.

3. After each batch of young fruit forms, spray once outside the roots with 0.3% magnesium sulfate, 0.2% borax, and 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate to improve fruit quality. Because the harvest period of dragon fruit is long, organic fertilizer should be applied heavily, and nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium compound fertilizers should be applied in a balanced way over the long term.

4. If fertilizers with excessively high nitrogen content such as pig and chicken manure are used entirely, the branches will become thicker, dark green, and very brittle, easily broken in strong winds, and the resulting fruit will be larger and heavier with poor quality, low sweetness, and even a sour or salty taste. Therefore, during the flowering and fruiting period, potassium fertilizer, magnesium fertilizer, and bone meal should be added to promote sugar accumulation in the fruit and improve quality.

Dragon Fruit Water Management

Dragon fruit grows rapidly in a warm, humid environment with sufficient light. During the seedling growth period, the soil throughout the orchard should be kept moist. In spring and summer, water more to keep the root system in a vigorous growth state. During the fruit enlargement period, keep the soil moist to facilitate fruit growth. When irrigating, never flood-irrigate for long periods, and do not sprinkle water constantly from beginning to end. Flood irrigation will leave the root system in a long-term oxygen-deficient state and cause death, while sprinkling water will make humidity uneven and induce red spots. In continuous rainy weather, drain water promptly to avoid infection by pathogens that causes stem and flesh rot. In winter, the orchard should have controlled water to enhance the cold resistance of the branches.

Dragon Fruit Whole-Branch Pruning Techniques

1. For pruning during the seedling stage, after planting and surviving, the plant climbs and grows along the cement post. At this time, side branches sprout during seedling growth; one strong upward branch should be retained, and the remaining side branches should be cut off promptly to concentrate nutrients for the strong branch to climb upward quickly.

2. When the plant grows to 1.5 m tall, allow it to produce more than 3 naturally drooping branches. After the branches mature and during the period from April to November, these drooping branches have the opportunity to flower and bear fruit. The growth vigor of upper branches is usually greater than that of middle and lower branches, which may be due to apical dominance. However, because upper branches are positioned high and are inconvenient to tie, although their growth vigor is strong, their mechanical tissue strength is poor, and they are often easily broken by wind. Upper branches can gradually be supported, pulled, hung, and tied, and after the branches mature and begin to flower, gradually let them droop to reduce wind damage.

3. After fruiting, 2/3 of the branches of each plant can be arranged as fruiting branches, and the other 1/3 of the branches can have their flower buds or flowers removed, narrowing their branch growth angle, promoting their current vegetative growth, and cultivating them into strong reserve fruiting branches.

After reading the article compiled above for everyone, I believe you now have some understanding of dragon fruit cultivation techniques and points to note. When planting dragon fruit, be sure to pay attention to its soil environment, so as to ensure its later growth. As a high-yield fruit, as long as everyone takes good care of it, dragon fruit will surely bring good returns.