Patty-
oh. nuts.

I thought you said you sent me Vietnamese Jaina? its a white fleshed.

I guess Ill know in a year or 2 huh?

I would love to get this to fruit in the near future, but I have limited space to keep a huge plant. Ive got large planters (about 10+ gal) I was planning to set one each of the red? and white cuttings in. the yellow cutting is still quite thin and will stay in its own 2+ gal pot for now.

Ramon-Tj- In another month or 2- I wouldnt want the cutting to freeze and then die. The one in my spare room is quite dormant right now, its green, but its not sending out roots or anything.

Patty, I actually made the bold move to plant my dragon fruit directly into the ground in my greenhouse. I put in an 8', 4"x6" post into the ground as my support post. They are growing like crazy and hoping for even more stunning results come spring.

The only reason I would suggest a larger container is for a nice, heavy base. They may not need a lot of soil but I bet they take advantage of what they are given. The larger the container, the larger and sturdier a support you can build. If you look at some of the photos of dragon fruit, they get enormous at the top. I'm willing to bet those branches weigh a freaking ton.! I've always believed in overbuilding rather than find out too late that I didn't do enough. I can't see a 5' plant, especially one that is branching, being very forgiving during repotting and such. Plus, it would be a shame to have it get so top heavy it topples over a smaller, lighter container.

I'll try and get some current pics. Here are a couple from early Jan. After these pics, I wrapped the post with a coconut fibre mat to give the aerial roots something to latch onto. I have not built the top support for the branching yet. Since these pics, the two larger plants are now about a foot and a half from the top. I also got rid of the ugly orange ties!

Hey.. I just had an Idea...
Patty I know you have worked with concrete planters in the past.. your cute little face thingies.. How about making a planter with a concrete mix that has moss and perilite to lighten it a bit (so it isn't TOO heavy) and you could cement a post or posts in to the pot for your dragon fruit to grow on??
Gina *BabyBlue*

Garnet, I was a little confused till I looked up these pics:
http://www.tropicalfruitnursery.com/dragon/

Yellow is at lower left (easy cuz it's the only yellow LOL) I got that from Citrus Joe last yr. There are 2 Jainas - one red & one white fleshed. All I know is that William told me that mine is red fleshed Jaina & from Thailand (maybe Vietnam?).
Jay, thanks for the pics. I can't believe you can grow them inground in your plant zone (6?). I will have to put them in a large cont'r so they won't topple.
Now, trying to decide to put both in one or separate them hmmmm.
Gina, that was a good idea, but even tufa (cement mixed with perlite & peat) would be too heavy to move in & out of sunroom. I made a large tufa trough & it stays outside on wheels & it's still hard to move.

I have an extra Yellow Dragon Fruit plant that presently has 8 or 9 side branches that are approximately a foot long. I am going to try growing it as a large hanging basket. My greenhouse is 12 feet tall in the center, so I should have plenty of room. - Millet

Millet, that's a GREAT idea!

Garnetmoth, MY APOLOGIES! Turns out I have a WHITE fleshed Vietnamese Jaina which is what I sent you. The label is barely readable, but I can see that part.

thats OK hon!

I e-bayed some cheap Red cuttings after thinking you were sending me a White. Im glad I have a white, red, and yellow for comparison!

I am going to the Lawn and Garden show today, might shop for containers! the Yellow has a lil support, but the Red and White need tall column support buckets or something.....

I just finished with putting the top supports onto the main post for my dragon fruit plants. Here's a couple of photos.





Total height now is about 6'. The cut ends of the 2x2's are right at scalp level. I have a feeling I will forget and end up loosing some skin, hair, and blood before long! At least this little project didn't cost me any blood or bruises...as normally happens during a project.

Thanks for the pics Jay. You wrapped the post with choir & then tied the branches onto it to grow upward thru center, & then to hang over top?
Nice carpentry job BTW!
I still have ideas running thru my head. I think Iwill plant both in one big pot, but I'm still thinking to keep the pvc. Maybe two 2 1/2 inch main posts up to 7 - 8 ft high & then fittings to make canopy. I'll wrap the posts with canvas or something. Still thinking pvc cuz it won't rot & it's really strong stuff. Hmmm I better get crackin!
Can I ask what soil mix you used?

I planted these directly into the ground inside the greenhouse. I dug out a bunch of the clay and then emended what was left with lots of peat moss, top soil, compost, and such. We're are finally getting a bit of warm weather and sunny days. The dragon fruit are really popping now.

I topped 24" off of my DF and today's inspection revealed lateral growth at no less than 5 points on the top of the DF plant. Will post picks on Sunday.

Mine seems to be growing like a weed in a coarse mix of grit:bark:perlite:promix.

SB, glad you are getting those lateral growths! I hope you are rooting that 2 footer you lopped off --maybe in same pot?
Can't wait for pics.
I may go to Box stores to get mix & pvc this wkend. I'll post pics when I get it all together.
At the rate you guys are growing, you should at least get blooms this year!
I have a small yellow rooted cutting that I might do what Millet is doing... hang from ceiling in planter near skylites
Mine will really take off IF SUMMER EVER GETS HERE . My yard looks like mid Jan...covered w/ snow!

Hey Stress, at what height did you cut yours? I'm trying to figure out when I should cut mine...before the upper supports or after it has gone thru the grid. 5 branches? Wow! That's pretty awesome. Definitely show some pics.

Jay, I cut mine at 4.5-5' from the level of the container medium, about 6 feet from the floor. I cut just above the level of the top support...I don't know if this is best or not.

I have new growth at seven points around the top. Patty, yes, I am attempting to root the 2 foot section I cut off.