What conditions are needed to grow dragon fruit? A detailed explanation of the latest growing requirements
Dragon fruit is a tropical fruit, grown fairly widely in China's tropical provinces, and naturally grown dragon fruit generally ripens in summer and autumn each year. Dragon fruit tastes sweet, is full of juice, and has fairly comprehensive nutritional value. Many people want to grow it on a large scale, but because dragon fruit has relatively high environmental requirements, yields are not very high. So what conditions are needed to grow dragon fruit? Let's take a look below!
1. Soil
Dragon fruit does not have very high soil requirements and has fairly strong adaptability, so it can grow normally in most soils. Grafted dragon fruit in particular has even stronger adaptability. However, if you want to grow plump, high-yielding dragon fruit, try to choose soil that is fertile and loose, drains and irrigates well, and has strong permeability, which is beneficial to plant growth.
2. Light
Dragon fruit is a tropical fruit, so it has a very high demand for light and is a light-loving fruit that can adapt to long periods of direct sunlight. If there is not enough light duration and intensity during growth, photosynthesis will be seriously reduced. Photosynthesis is one of the main channels for promoting nutrient accumulation in the fruit, so it will lead to small, thin fruit and a corresponding drop in yield.
3. Temperature
Dragon fruit is tolerant of high temperatures but not cold, and the average growing temperature throughout its growth period must not be lower than 18 degrees. Moreover, because dragon fruit is a tropical crop, its optimal growing temperature is around 30 degrees. If the temperature goes beyond the range of 10-40 degrees, then the growth rate of dragon fruit will become extremely slow, or even stop growing, so dragon fruit is not suitable for planting in northern regions and other areas with lower average temperatures.
4. Fertilizer
Under suitable growing conditions, dragon fruit grows much faster than ordinary fruits, so its nutrient demand is also relatively large. Therefore, when planting, we must apply fertilizer regularly. In the early stage of planting, the fertilizer applied should mainly be nitrogen fertilizer, which can speed up the plant's growth rate. In the middle and later stages, the plant's nutrient composition should be balanced, with the main goal being to promote photosynthesis. Pay attention to the amount of nitrogen fertilizer applied; it absolutely must not be excessive, otherwise leggy growth is likely to occur.
5. Water
Although dragon fruit grows in tropical regions and has fairly strong drought resistance, it has a relatively large demand for water during its growth process. If water is not supplied in time and growth suffers from a water shortage, the growth of dragon fruit will be seriously hindered. In mild cases, the growth rate will decrease; in severe cases, dragon fruit will stop growing, the plant will show obvious symptoms of water shortage, and finally wither and die.
The above are the conditions needed to grow dragon fruit. In fact, temperature alone restricts many places from being able to grow it. Of course, greenhouse cultivation methods can also be used, though the quality may be slightly worse. Those with the means should also consider factors such as growing techniques, time to market, and market demand, and must ensure their own economic interests. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only, and we hope it is helpful to everyone.