How many years does it take for a dragon fruit to go from planting to fruiting?
Dragon fruit is also known as red dragon fruit, dragon pearl fruit, fairy honey fruit, jade dragon fruit, and so on. It is a perennial climbing succulent plant of the genus Hylocereus in the cactus family. It is rich in nutrients and has unique functions, containing plant albumin and anthocyanins that are rare in ordinary plants, as well as abundant vitamins and water-soluble dietary fiber. Let's take a look below at how many years it takes for a dragon fruit to bear fruit!
How many years until a dragon fruit bears fruit?
Dragon fruit begins to flower and bear fruit 12 to 14 months after planting, and can flower 12 to 15 times per year. The fruiting period is from April to November, and the fruit matures 30 to 40 days after the flowers fade. A single fruit weighs 500 to 1000 grams. In the second year after planting, each pillar produces more than 20 fruits, and by the third year it enters the full fruiting period, with a yield of up to 2500 kg per mu.
The origin and growing environment of dragon fruit
Dragon fruit is a tropical and subtropical fruit. It likes light and tolerates shade, tolerates heat and drought, likes fertilizer and tolerates poor soil. It grows rapidly in a warm, humid environment with sufficient light. When cultivated in the open field in spring and summer, it should be watered more to keep its root system in a vigorous growth state. During continuous rainy weather, drainage should be carried out promptly to avoid infection by pathogens that causes the stem flesh to rot. Its stems can also grow attached to rocks, and the plant has extremely strong wind resistance; as long as the support is firm, it can resist typhoons. It can tolerate low temperatures of 0°C and high temperatures of 40°C, and the optimum temperature for growth is 25 to 35°C. It can adapt to many types of soil, but neutral soil and weakly acidic soil rich in humus and good at retaining water and fertilizer are best.
Common types of dragon fruit
1. Red-fleshed dragon fruit: The flesh of red dragon fruit is red or purplish red, with excellent fresh-eating quality. In Taiwan, China, Guangdong, and Guangxi, the fruiting period is from May to November, and in Hainan the fruiting period is even longer. Red-fleshed dragon fruit has poor self-compatibility, a low fruit set rate from self-pollination, small fruits, and poor commercial quality. It needs to be pollinated by white-fleshed dragon fruit, which results in a high fruit set rate and large fruits. At present, the variety names of red-fleshed dragon fruit are chaotic, with no definite variety names, and each grower decides according to their own preference.
2. White-fleshed dragon fruit: White-fleshed dragon fruit has red skin and white flesh, with average fresh-eating quality. In Taiwan, China, Guangdong, and Guangxi, the fruiting period is from June to October. It has good self-pollination compatibility, a high fruit set rate, strong disease resistance, and high yield, and can be processed into juice, fruit powder, and jam. At present, among white-fleshed dragon fruits, Vietnam No. 1 is the best variety and is the main cultivated variety in Vietnam. It has strong adaptability, grows quickly, and produces large fruits with no spines on the surface. The average single fruit weighs 420 grams, with a maximum of 1000 grams. The soluble solids content is 18.1%, it is high-yielding, and the yield per hectare is 16500 to 27500 kg.
3. Yellow-fleshed dragon fruit: Yellow-fleshed dragon fruit has yellow skin and white flesh, with excellent fresh-eating quality. The flowers are large and fragrant. It takes 45 to 60 days from bud emergence to flowering, 90 to 100 days from flowering to fruit maturity, and in autumn and winter it takes 110 to 150 days to mature. The fruit does not split. It takes 1 month to turn from green to yellow (in winter). After turning yellow, if left hanging on the tree, it can be kept for more than a month without affecting quality. It is the type with the best quality and the best taste and sweetness among dragon fruits. It has a fragrant aroma, and the seeds in the flesh are large and soft, not at all obtrusive in the mouth. The soluble solids content is above 18%, but its fruit is somewhat small, generally around 200 grams. Its main fruiting period (autumn and winter fruit) is around the Spring Festival, while the summer fruit is marketed at the Mid-Autumn Festival.