I had the branches/arms (17inches) tied up for support but I read somewhere that it will produce fruits better if they are on a downward angle. The 3 longest ones here just grew in last 2-3 months. Notice how "skinny" they look? The others are nice & thick & fat. What should I do with these branches... let them hang down (maybe break off?) or tie them upward. They may even break if I bend them upward to tie. Any help would be appreciated.
That's a 12" ruler in pot & there's the yellow dragon fruit Citrus Joe sent me..it is really growing well...MUCH bigger.

Mine looks more like the one in the black pot!

I would think that rather than tying them up, you would want something that the adventitious roots could cling to. I was thinging of using a locust branch...slow to decay. Some growers wrap the support with burlap so that they can soak the burlap with dilute fertilizer.

Patty, I received two yellow Dragon Fruits from Citrus Joe about 6 months ago. Mine also look more like the one you have in the black pot, except much more bushy. They have not started to send up a tall straight flowering shoot as of yet. There is an article in the CRFG's maganize about commerical Dragon Fruit growers. The article shows how they tie them up. I'll send you a photo copy of the article with colored pictures, as have a color photocopier at the office. - Millet

Robert...something that the roots can cling to??? The small roots on branches are no where near long enough to cling to anything LOL. I like the idea of burlap soaked with fert's!
Still don't know how to stake those branches. Can you see how thin it is where it attached to the main stem?! I'm afraid to move them.
Thanks Millet, looking FWD to those pics when you get chance.
I saw pics on a Pitaya forum but it's too hard to figure out how they stake the branches. They show HUGE stakes and tie them on - like wrap around them. Have also seen some just hanging downward.
My yellow DF has grown at least 4 times the size when I got it & there are a bunch of branches (bushy) that don't show in pic. Wondering if I should get them trained to upward by staking up (?)
Thanks guys

Want you to see my "staking contraption". First, here's a pic taken I think in April - about how I got it last Dec. Yellow lines are new growth.

That top branch broke off & I rooted & traded it.
Here it is now in a new pot - a bin I had laying around. It's good cuz it's wide but shallow. I can use the lid for a tray when I bring it in for winter.
The top right branch grew a branch out of it's tip! And, the yellow DF is on right - it was only about 2 inches when I got it last March/Apr.
The pvc is working great... I can add on where ever, like tinker toys.

Besides drainage holes, I drilled a few to put copper wire thru to hold pvc in place.

thanks patty! your loss is my trade

I havent propped yours up yet, ill get into garden gadgets this winter again most likely.

It wasn't a loss Garnet..it is now a new nicely rooted plant that you have LOL. Just grow it strait up - it won't grow much if any, during winter now. Next summer it will really take off & then you can think of ways to support where needed. Same thing w/ the little yellow one you have. Look how much mine grew this summer - from a 2 incher last spring!
BTW, how's the 'nana doing?

hey, sorry just saw this.

Dont know if its the warmpth of the house, or the light i keep on into the evenings, but your Hylocereus dragonfruit is putting out 2 new shoots! The lil yellow one is still lil. I made a neat pot for them last night, ill get pics taken!

Your nanas are great, and i will get them boxed tonight!

Do you have a good container mix for Dragon Fruit? I got one as a Christmas gift and I really don’t know what to use. All recommendations appreciated!
Karl

Hi Karl, Dragon fruit are easy to grow. I grow my dragon fruit different than most on this forum. I am growing my two plants as hanging baskets. The greenhouse is 12 feet high. Being a cactus type of plant they do not require a very large size container. If the root become completely dry, it still does not hurt the plant. I made my growth medium out of 4 parts asscoria (lava rock)and 1 part CHC. They do fine. - Millet

There is some experimental work with Drangon Fruit going on at the Bamboo Farm and Coastal Gardens. Stan, some friends, and myself visited there sometime around September, and were given a tour by the person conducting trials with the bananas and dragon fruit. If my memory serves me correctly, they were being grown in 30 or maybe 45 gallon grow bags,. They were located within a greenhouse frame that could be covered in winter. I am not sure what the media was, but I can find out. They were trained up wooden poles that had been covered with a woven fabric of peat, which provided a surface for the Dragon Fruit to cling. I took some pictures with Stan's camera (didn't have mine) at the time. Stan may be able to post them if they came out alright. If not, I will take some the next time I am there and post them here.

Ned

Ned, Yes I would love to see any photos that you could share. I have not had much luck finding information on these plants .but a couple of places on the net did recommend an18 to 24” container with high organic soil content.

I looked on line to see if I could find anything about the DF at BF&CG. Here is a brief excerpt from something I ran across.

"Next to the sugar cane, the dragon fruit garden is under construction. The cactus from Central America produces flowers that bloom at night and will drape over bamboo trellises. The fruit with green scales is described as looking like a dragon's egg. The desert plants are in raised bags above coastal ground level and attached to coconut matting for rooting in the poles.

Richard Wallace, a chemistry professor at Armstrong Atlantic State University who just received the school's award for Distinguished Faculty Service to the Discipline, is a tropical fruit fanatic.

At the Bamboo Farm, one of his projects is trying to determine if banana crops can grow consistently in Savannah. Several trees already have bunches growing above the deep maroon blooms. Several of the ornamentals produce blooms that rival the lotus in pink perfection."

I see that the material used to cover the poles was coconut matting.

Professor Wallace is going to give a talk on his banana projects at the next Southeastern Palm Society meeting.

http://www.sepalms.org/SPS_Meetings_News.htm

Ned