Dragon Fruit

Dragon Fruit

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Hello, Welcome to the Dragon fruit section of my website.

Dragon fruit, also known as pitaya or pitahaya, is a tropical fruit native to Central and South America that is now cultivated in many regions around the world.

It's characterized by its vibrant exterior, typically red or pink, and its distinctive, spiky scales. Inside, the flesh can be white, pink, or purple, often flecked with tiny black seeds.

Dragon fruit is known for its mild, slightly sweet taste, described as a mix between kiwi and pear.

My Dragon Fruit Collection

I’m currently growing between 41+ varieties of Dragon Fruit (Hylocereus spp.), including popular and rare types such as:

American Beauty, Asunta 4, Ax, Bruni, Colombia Yellow, Connie Mayer, Cosmic Charlie, Dark Star, Delight, Edgar Red ES1, Filipino Red, Florida Red, Frankie’s Red, Giant Palora White, Godzilla, Halley’s Comet, H.S. Camillion, Israel White, Kathie Van Arum, Lisa, Pacific Palora, Physical Graffiti, Pink Panther, Purple Haze, Sugar Dragon, Thai Red, Thai White, Townsend Pink, Vietnamese Red, Vietnamese White, Voodoo Child, my own unique cultivar “Thaizilla,” and many unidentified red-fleshed varieties.

How To Pollinate Dragon Fruit Flowers:

Pollinating a dragon fruit flower (also known as pitaya) is quite simple and often necessary if you're growing the plant indoors or don't have natural pollinators like bats or moths. Here’s how you can do it manually:

What You Need:

• A soft brush, cotton swab, or even your finger

• A flashlight (dragon fruit blooms at night)

• Optional: Another dragon fruit plant (for cross-pollination)

Steps to Hand Pollinate a Dragon Fruit Flower:

1. Timing Is Key

• Dragon fruit flowers bloom at night and stay open until early morning.

• Pollinate between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. or early the next morning before the flower wilts.

2. Identify the Flower Parts

• Stamens: These are the long filaments with yellow pollen.

• Stigma: The central part with finger-like structures, often located above or among the stamens.

3. Collect the Pollen

• Use a brush, cotton swab, or your finger to gently collect yellow pollen from the stamens.

4. Apply the Pollen

• Dab or brush the pollen onto the stigma of the same flower (self-pollinating varieties) or a different flower (for cross-pollinating varieties).

5. Repeat if Needed

• For better success, repeat the process over several flowers if multiple are blooming.

6. Wait and Watch

• If successful, the flower will wilt the next day and a small fruit will begin forming at the base in a week or two.

Tips:

• Some dragon fruit varieties are self-sterile, meaning they require cross-pollination with a flower from a different plant.

• Keep a journal to track which combinations yield fruit if you're growing multiple varieties.

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  Pollination and Flowers

  ![Bees on a dragon fruit flower]

  Dragon fruit (pitaya) plants produce some of the most spectacular blooms in the cactus family. These stunning white flowers open at night and close by early morning, attracting natural pollinators like moths, bats, bees, and ants. However, relying solely on nature can be unreliable—especially for varieties that require cross-pollination.

  One of the most common frustrations for growers is seeing a beautiful flower yellow and fall off just days after blooming. The key to preventing this? Understanding flower fertility types and learning how to hand-pollinate when needed.

  Know Your Flower Type

  Dragon fruit flowers fall into three categories:

  1. Self-Fertile Varieties

  Self-fertile varieties can produce fruit using their own pollen, but the pollen must reach the stigma (the central female part of the flower).

  What to watch for:

  If the stigma sticks out far from the anthers (the pollen-producing male parts), natural pollination may not occur—even if the plant is self-fertile. In these cases, hand pollination is recommended.

  Tip: Some self-fertile types only produce small fruit with their own pollen. Cross-pollinating with another variety can lead to larger, more flavorful fruit.

  2. Self-Pollinating Varieties

  Self-pollinating varieties are a subset of self-fertile plants. Their flowers have a short stigma that naturally touches the surrounding anthers, allowing the flower to pollinate itself as it opens.

  Still, hand pollination can improve results. Even for these varieties, manually applying extra pollen to the stigma can increase fruit size and improve consistency—especially in less-than-ideal conditions (like low pollinator activity or cool nights).

  3. Self-Sterile (Cross-Pollinating) Varieties

  These varieties cannot set fruit with their own pollen. They typically have long, protruding stigmas that don’t come into contact with their own anthers. Cross-pollination from a compatible variety is essential.

  Common trait: Colored-flower varieties are often self-sterile.

  Best practice: Use a known pollinator variety like ‘Sugar Dragon’, which works with many other types. If compatible varieties don’t bloom on the same night, you can store pollen in the fridge or freezer for later use.

  Pro Tip:

  • Mix pollen from several varieties to increase your chances of successful pollination.
  • Always use fresh pollen when possible, as it has higher viability than frozen.

  Why This Matters:

  Understanding whether your plant is self-fertile, self-pollinating, or self-sterile can make all the difference. By identifying flower types and applying the right pollination strategy, you’ll avoid the disappointment of failed fruit sets and get the most out of your dragon fruit plants.

  Before buying new varieties, ask the seller about flower fertility. Sticking to named, well-documented cultivars will help you plan your garden for better pollination success.