Growing Dragon Fruit in the South: A Beginner's Guide to This Exotic Cactus

Dragon Fruit Is One of the Most Exciting Plants You Can Grow in the Southern Backyard

Dragon fruit, also called pitaya, is the climbing cactus native to Central America that produces some of the most visually striking fruits on the planet. The vibrant pink or yellow exterior, the speckled white or red flesh, and the enormous white flowers that bloom only at night make dragon fruit one of the most impressive food plants available to Southern growers. In zones 10 and 11, it thrives with minimal care. In zone 9, it grows well with some cold protection. And the demand for fresh dragon fruit at farmers markets and among friends who have never tried it fresh off the plant makes it one of the most rewarding crops to grow.

What Is Dragon Fruit

Dragon fruit is in the cactus family. The plant grows as a climbing cactus with long flattened green stems called ribs. It needs a support structure to grow on because it is a vining plant that attaches to surfaces with aerial roots. A wooden post, a concrete block wall, a trellis, or even a large tree can serve as support. Left without support the stems sprawl on the ground and production suffers.

There are three main types commonly grown. Hylocereus undatus has white flesh inside a pink exterior and is the most commonly seen variety. Hylocereus costaricensis has deep red flesh and a pink exterior with an even more striking visual impact and a slightly sweeter flavor. Selenicereus megalanthus has yellow skin and white flesh and is considered by many to have the best flavor of the three, though it is less cold tolerant than the others.

Where Dragon Fruit Grows in the South

Dragon fruit is cold sensitive. The plant is damaged at temperatures below 32 degrees and killed if exposed to sustained freezing. In zones 10 and 11, particularly South Florida, it can be planted in the ground permanently and will grow for decades. In zone 9b you can often get away with permanent planting in a sheltered south facing location with freeze protection for young plants, but mature plants in the ground sometimes survive brief cold snaps.

In zones 9a and 8b, growing dragon fruit in large containers is the most reliable approach. Containers can be moved to protected areas during cold snaps. The plants still produce significant quantities of fruit in containers and do not seem to mind being in pots as long as the container is large enough, twenty to thirty gallons minimum for a productive plant.

Growing Dragon Fruit

Start from cuttings rather than seed. Dragon fruit from seed takes three to five years to first fruit. Cuttings from an established plant produce fruit in twelve to eighteen months. Cuttings twelve to eighteen inches long taken from a healthy plant and allowed to dry and callous for a week before planting root quickly in warm, well draining soil.

Dragon fruit wants full sun and extremely well drained soil. As a cactus it is highly susceptible to root rot in poorly drained conditions. Sandy Florida soils are nearly ideal. In heavier soils, build raised mounds or use raised beds with added coarse sand and cactus mix to ensure drainage.

Provide a sturdy post or trellis before planting. The standard approach is a six foot wooden or concrete post with a small platform or cross piece at the top for the crown of the plant to grow outward from. Once the plant reaches the top it forms a cascading crown that blooms prolifically.

Flowering and Pollination

Dragon fruit flowers are extraordinary. They are enormous, six to twelve inches across, white, and fragrant. They open only at night and close by morning. Natural pollinators in South Florida include hawk moths and bats. In areas without natural nocturnal pollinators, hand pollination with a small brush or cotton swab, transferring pollen from the stamens to the stigma of the same or different flower, dramatically improves fruit set.

Many dragon fruit plants are partially self fertile but produce better with cross pollination from a different variety or a different individual plant of the same variety. Planting two or more plants of different varieties near each other improves fruit production significantly.

Harvesting Dragon Fruit

After a flower is pollinated the fruit develops over thirty to fifty days. Harvest when the exterior is fully colored, the skin is bright rather than dull, and the fruit gives slightly when pressed. Dragon fruit does not continue to ripen after harvest so picking at peak ripeness is important. At true ripeness the flavor is sweet, refreshing, and quite different from the bland, underripe fruit available in most stores.

Dragon Fruit in Your Southern Food System

Dragon fruit is a genuine conversation starter in any Southern garden and a rewarding crop for the adventurous grower. It slots beautifully into the vertical layer of a food forest growing on posts, walls, or pergolas. For help designing a complete food producing Southern landscape that includes crops like dragon fruit, the Florida Food Forest Blueprint covers how to integrate tropical and unusual crops into a productive backyard system. And the Florida Food Forest Masterclass goes even deeper with video training for building your complete Southern tropical garden.