I started a red dragon fruit a couple yrs ago from seed and it is now blooming! I just have it in a hanging basket type pot sitting in a plant stand about 2 ft tall--it has grown really well and put out a bunch of stems--the one that is blooming is about 2 ft long.

I also started some white dragon fruit at the same time, but it has grown much slower.

Skeeter,

Do you have a picture? I have some myself and have often wondered how they would do in a Hanging Basket.

Ned

I have two Red Dragon Fruit plants that I have grown for years as hanging baskets. They do very well as hanging plants, and enables them to receive a full sunlight. As they do not require frequent watering it is a great method of growing them, plus they can be hung in an out of the way unused portion in the greenhouse. - Millet (1,273-)

I am wondering if dragon fruit plants can tolerate any frost or are they suseptable to frost damage? They seem like an interesting fruit to grow, however I would not want another frost sensitive plant.

Thanks Millet. How large are your basket, and have they born fruit?

Dylan, As far as cold hardiness is concerned, I am told they are hardy to about 30 degree f., but I would not allow mine to get below freezing, nor to be exposed to frost.

Ned

I will try to get a picture of the flower when it is fully open (it is not open yet, but close). The pot it is in is only about 12 inches across--typical hanging basket for a fern.

I have one that is trained to grow straight up--it is over 6 ft tall and has a few branches, but the one in the pot has many stems that are over 2 ft each.

I did put them in my shop when the temp dropped to mid 20 last winter and I covered them with a sheet several times when there was frost warnings. It is not an easy plant to handle with all this thorny stems.

Thanks for the responces about cold hardiness Ned and Skeeter. I think I will wait on this one untill I have a frost free area outside or a greenhouse.

Hey all my dragon fruit AKA pitaya cactus is Doing well

in Oregon and we have had tons of frost check out my web site my red is blooming 1 yr after i started it .
I found out by mistake they love Orchid food .

Tammy

Just noticed I never posted a picture. Here it is:


As for cold hardiness, my dragon fruit plants are getting too big and thorny to try to move, so I could only put a sheet over it during the recent freeze--almost 2 weeks of nights in the low 20s. I figured they were toast. The white may be, but both reds seem to have survived--the biggest one in a large hanging basket (about 24 inches in diameter) on a plant stand may only have minor damage!

I've never seen the fruit of a dragon fruit. What's its description and how does it taste?

It won't survive a good freeze. The fruit is very bland tasting at least the ones I've tasted. I've pretty much quit trying to grow as I hate the cactus spines. The fruit is about apple sized and the ones I've seen were red. The flesh was white with black very tiny seeds, sort of like kiwi seeds.

The fruit are quite variable in taste. I have tasted some of the red fruited varieties that were very good.