How to Grow Dragon Fruit From Seed?

Every dragon fruit is packed with tiny black seeds, and each one can grow into a climbing cactus. Growing dragon fruit from seed starts with a ripe fruit and a pot of moist seed mix kept warm, and a dragon fruit seedling shows up in about three weeks.

Required Materials and Equipment

Start with a ripe dragon fruit and a bowl of water for rinsing the seeds. Sow the seeds in shallow pots or seed trays with good drainage, filled with a seed-starting mix that holds water, drains well, and has good aeration. In a university trial, a mix of equal parts peat moss and sand gave the highest germination, 82 percent, and pure sand was the slowest.

Later you will need a larger pot filled with cactus and succulent soil and a trellis or similar support structure. A dragon fruit cutting is the faster route, since cuttings can fruit 6 to 9 months after planting.

Seed Extraction and Planting

Harvest a ripe fruit with fully colored skin, because only well-colored, mature fruit should be picked. In Florida the ripening season runs from June to November. The skin is red or yellow with scales, and the seeds are tiny and numerous.

Slice the fruit in half, spoon out the flesh, and mash it in water to separate the seeds from the pulp. Dry the seeds at room temperature. Then press them into moist seed-starter mix so they sit about 5 mm deep, barely visible. Keep the pots in minimal sunlight, since bright light of 1,000 to 2,000 lux reduced germination in the trial while dim light of 500 lux did not.

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Germination and Early Care

Keep the mix moist and warm while the seeds germinate. Germination began after 6 days at 75°F to 82°F but took 15 days at 61°F, and 71 to 83 percent of the seeds germinated. Seedlings appeared after about 18 to 20 days in peat moss and peat-sand mixes.

Each seedling comes up with two seed leaves, and a spiny, angular stem grows from between them as the seed leaves shrivel and drop. Stakes support the seedlings as they grow.

Cold climates slow germination, so start seeds indoors where it stays warm. In hot climates, keep the pots in shade, since dragon fruit tolerates warm weather only while temperatures stay under 100°F.

Transplanting Seedlings

Move seedlings into 8-inch pots after 4 months. Rooted seedlings can move up to a larger pot again once roots fill the container. Use prepared soil with a well-drained cactus and succulent soil for pots, or native soil mixed with well-decomposed manure or compost for planting outdoors. Set the plant at the same level it sat in the pot, firm the soil lightly, and water well.

Provide a support structure from the start. A strong trellis has to carry several hundred pounds of stem weight, and a 4 to 6 inch pressure-treated post topped with a metal grid such as rebar works well. Avoid a wire cage, because wire can cut the stems, and cover any wire with plastic hose. Keep the planting 15 to 25 feet from trees and structures.

Long-Term Plant Care

Dragon fruit wants full or almost full sunshine. Light shade is tolerated, but too much shade lowers production and fruit quality, and about 30 percent shade helps for the first 3 to 4 months after planting where sun is damaging. Grow it in well-drained soil that is high in organic matter.

Dragon fruit has a fairly high water requirement even though it is a cactus, and excessive soil moisture causes bacterial and fungal diseases. A dry spell in winter and early spring helps bloom, but drought after flowering reduces production, so water periodically from flowering through harvest.

Start fertilizing about a month after planting. In the first year, apply 0.25 pound per plant every 2 months of a 6-6-6 or 8-3-9 fertilizer. Prune 1 to 3 times a year, soon after harvest, to keep the stems from crowding.

Climate Considerations with Dragon Fruit

Dragon fruit grows well in tropical and subtropical climates mostly free of frosts and freezes. Mild winters with no frost suit it, and it recovers quickly from light freezing injury, though long exposure below 31°F can damage it. It tolerates cool or warm climates, grows best between 65°F and 77°F, and does well in a warm to hot climate as long as it stays under 100°F.

Humid climates avoid the sunburn reported in low-humidity and high-altitude regions. Where there is an actual winter with freezes, grow dragon fruit in a large container, which can be moved into a house or garage before a freeze.

Pests and Diseases

Mites, thrips, ants, scales, leaf-footed bugs, mealybugs, and slugs have been reported on dragon fruit. Raccoons and birds may damage the fruit and plants as well. Stem and fruit canker and fruit and stem rot are the main fungal diseases, and a bacterium also attacks the plant. Pruning for sunlight and air movement lets plants dry quickly after rain, which reduces the chance of disease. Excess soil moisture causes bacterial and fungal diseases, so keep drainage good, and treat pruning cuts with a fungicide to reduce stem rot.

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Seed or Cutting for Your Dragon Fruit Plant

Seeds are the route breeders use to make new varieties, since seedlings differ from the parent plant.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Does Dragon Fruit From Seed Take to Fruit?

It can take up to 7 years, and the fruit and stems of a seed-grown plant vary from the parent. Cuttings can fruit 6 to 9 months after planting.

How Long Do Dragon Fruit Seeds Take to Germinate?

In a university trial, seeds began to germinate after 6 days at 75°F to 82°F and took 15 days at 61°F.

How Deep Do You Plant Dragon Fruit Seeds?

Plant them about 5 mm deep in a moist, well-draining seed-starting mix, so they are barely visible.

Will a Dragon Fruit Seedling Match the Parent Plant?

Not reliably. Fruit and stem characteristics vary in seed-grown plants, while cuttings produce plants with the same characteristics as the parent.

Do Dragon Fruit Plants Need a Trellis?

Yes. Dragon fruit is a climbing cactus, and a strong trellis has to carry several hundred pounds of stem weight.

References

University of Florida IFAS Extension, "Pitaya (Dragonfruit) Growing in the Florida Home Landscape"
https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HS303

UF/IFAS Extension St. Lucie County, "Growing Dragon Fruit (Pitaya) in Florida"
https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/stlucieco/2019/06/14/dragon-fruit-in-indian-river-great-alternative-crop-2/

UF/IFAS Extension Osceola County, "Dragon Fruit"
https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/osceolaco/?p=1126

Ahmed A. ElObeidy, Cairo University, "Mass Propagation of Pitaya (Dragon Fruit)," Fruits
https://fruits.edpsciences.org/10.1051/fruits:2006030/pdf

UF/IFAS Extension Orange County, "Cold Protection for Palms, Fruit Trees, Flowers and Vegetables"
https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/orangeco/2022/01/28/cold-protection-for-palms-fruit-trees-flowers-and-vegetables/