Anybody grow dragon fruit?

[Seananers]

Hello to all you cacti experts. i am fairly new to cacti (at least the fruit bearing ones anyway ) so i have a small question: has anybody grown any dragon fruit cactuses? my aunt has one in her backyard and i thought it would be cool to grow one when spring gets around .

[imafan26]

Dragon fruit likes to climb and then hang from walls and fences. It likes to have its head in the sun. It can be grown as a houseplant but in zone 12a where I am from, it is an outdoor plant. I have to keep cutting it back because it likes to climb the fence and hang over into the neighbor's yard. They can be grown from cuttings. Callus off the ends before planting. They grow from cuttings very easily.

[Seananers]

so if i was to get a cutting from a mature plant i could just grow one from that in a large pot?

[imafan26]

Yes. Make sure the end is callused off or it will rot and the soil mix you use drains well. I plant mine in cinders in a plastic or terra cotta pot because it rains too much in the rainy season. It has been raining nearly every day for about a week, if this keeps up I will have to move the succulents I have into my lanai so they can dry out.

[Seananers]

i live in zone 6A so i would have to keep them in a greenhouse of some kind since they are a subtropical cacti ?

[applestar]

Dragon fruit is one plant I gave up on trying to grow. When I started reading up on its care, thinking I might replace my night blooming cereus with one that would produce edible fruit, I found these rather significant details at Logee's website, which I tend to refer to for their detailed plant care sheets --

Dragon fruit

Dragon Fruit (Hylocereus species)
http://www.logees.com/dragon-fruit-hylo ... ecies.html

Once the vine matures at 4-5’, it will fruit throughout the summer

Dragon Fruit ‘Edgar’s Baby’ (Hylocereus hybrid)
http://www.logees.com/dragon-fruit-edga ... ybrid.html

Once the vine matures at 4-5’ tall, it begins flowering and fruiting. Fruit ripens four to five weeks after flowering

[Seananers]

i found something about a cactus called the peruvian apple cactus here: http://tastylandscape.com/2013/04/24/a- ... eruvianus/. apparently they are easier to get growing from a cutting and they make edible fruit. maybe i'll try this instead

[imafan26]

You can try to grow prickly pear. In the southwest the leaves are eaten and pickled, but it is a lot like eating okra, an acquired taste. It is best if you have a dry climate.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-foo ... az84zloeck

Dragon fruit does not fruit year round here even when they are old, They will flower in early summer.