How to grow dragon fruit at home? Practical guide to container growing for the family
We usually buy dragon fruit at the supermarket, but did you know you can actually grow it at home? As long as you have a pot for growing flowers or vegetables and fill it with soil, you can grow dragon fruit in a container. Maybe you won't even need to go to the supermarket anymore, because what you grow yourself will be enough to eat!
How do you grow dragon fruit in a container at home?
1. Choosing the pot
Dragon fruit is a shallow-rooted plant. Prepare a clay pot with a drainage hole in the bottom. If you don't have a clay pot, a wooden box will do too, as long as it has good breathability. It's best not to use plastic or overly sealed containers. Before planting dragon fruit, soak the pot in clean water for several hours to let the foul air out of the pores in the pot walls, otherwise it will affect the plant's root growth.
2. Choosing the soil
To plant dragon fruit, first find some neutral or slightly acidic soil. It must be loose and breathable; alkaline soil is not good for cultivation. You can also make your own growing medium by mixing leaf mold, manure soil and coarse river sand in a 6:1:1 ratio.
3. Container planting method
Cuttings are the easiest way to successfully grow dragon fruit in a container. Once the cutting has grown roots and sent out new shoots, it can be moved into the pot. Make a drainage hole in the bottom of the pot. Around the hole you can place a piece of tile to block it so sand doesn't leak out, or you can first lay a layer of large small stones. Then pour in the growing medium, place two seedlings on top of the soil mound, and spread the roots out in the soil. Then press the soil around the edge of the pot lightly with your hand, water thoroughly, and after a week move it to the balcony.
4. Cultivation management
Dragon fruit has good drought tolerance, so you don't need to water too frequently, but keep the soil moist. Water once a week with an organic fertilizer solution mainly based on nitrogen, which can be diluted. If side buds grow on the stems and branches, remove them and keep the terminal bud so the plant can grow taller. When the plant reaches about 1 m in height, cut off about 3 cm of the stem tip at the top. This encourages side branches to grow from the top and stops it from growing further upward. When the top side branches reach about 50 cm, place bamboo poles equal in height to the plant around the edge of the pot, tie a crossbar to the top of the bamboo poles, and tie the side branches to the crossbar so they stretch out flat or hang down naturally. When the side branches exceed 80 cm, cut off about 3 cm of the stem tip to reduce nutrient consumption and encourage flower bud differentiation, so it flowers and fruits earlier. With good management, it will bloom after 7-8 months.
5. Management during the flowering period
Dragon fruit has a long flowering period, and because there are many large flowers, its nutrient needs are also high. In addition to adding fertilizer and water, in the half month before flowering, apply an organic liquid fertilizer containing phosphorus and potassium once every 5-7 days. If dragon fruit is grown in a container on a balcony or rooftop, 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 can set fruit by self-pollination, and if conditions allow, hand pollination can be done. In the evening when the flowers are fully open, use a new Chinese brush to pick up some pollen from the anthers of one flower's stamens and dab it onto the stigma of another flower.