Do you know how to grow dragon fruit from cutting? If not we can learn together. I’m always fascinated by these weird-looking fruits that grow from one extending longleaf. Today I will show you how you can grow dragon fruit from cuttings.
What Is Dragon Fruit
Dragon fruit gets its name from dragons that love to eat them. It’s their main fruit.
Hahaha all kidding aside. I was just kidding. On a serious note, dragon fruits are cultivated in Southeast Asia, United States, and India, and other tropical areas.
This dragon fruit is ready to be picked. It is from the family Cactaceae. This fruit is known as pitaya or pitahaya. But, I like the name strawberry pear. A night-blooming cereus.
A perennial vine that is hardy to zone 10 and 11. I’m in zone 10a and I planted a few of them in the tropical side of a community garden that I volunteer at back in November. It is wasn’t looking too good when I saw it in January.
The cutting was wilted and seemed like the water had been sucked out from it. However, it is now May and I thought it was a goner but when I last saw it last week it has two new growths.
So, I’m pretty excited to see how well it does in the summer. I have my own that I baby but, how will it do by itself with the help of the volunteers and mother nature, fingers crossed.
It comes in a few different colors. I’ve seen the yellow ones and the bright red colors. If you take the fruit and look from the top down, to me, it looked like a lotus flower. Very pretty.
When cut it’s peppered with seeds on the inside. Sweet to taste and when chewed it crackled and pops.
It almost tastes like a kiwi fruit with all its seeds. Just not tart. Without further ado Let’s get started!
Things You Will Need
- Clean sharp knife or pruning shears
- Leather gloves
- Marker pen
- Bamboo support sticks
- Organic potting soil
- Gardening tape
- Terra cotta pot or any planter
- Trowel (optional)
- Rooting hormone powder (optional)
- Some dragon fruit cuttings (must have!)
Let’s Get Ready
When it comes to dragon fruit cutting you have to let it callus or cure for a few days up to a week, just like the plumerias. Take your cleaned sharp pruner cut an older stem because older stems will minimize diseases. A younger stem will do fine too but it’ll take longer to root, not that long, but you’ll get a chance of root rot.
If you bought your stems it should already be callused. Now if you got a long stem of more than 12″ inches (30.48 cm.) You should cut them to 12″ preferably.
Then make sure you know the polarity of the top and bottom of the stems. That’s where the marker pen comes in handy. Mark the top with an arrow so you know that you should stick the bottom in the ground and not plant them upside down. Just like I did when I propagate my sansevieria cylindrica.
Now, people who have a green thumb like my mom. She cut’s them and stuck them right into the ground and a week later it’s fine. I on the other hand had to let it cure. So be it.
Now, once you let it callus you are ready to plant the dragon fruit.
When To Propagate Dragon Fruit
From my experience propagating dragon fruit stems in the winter will take longer for the dragon fruit cuttings to root. It may even cause root rot. However, if you do you’ll probably get a heating mat and put your cuttings on top of the mat after you have planted them.
The perfect time for us, zone 10a is from mid-February to October. If you’re reading this during these months that I had mentioned then perfect if not then you must do what I said on top.
Let’s Get Dirty
Today is the day we get to plant our dragon fruit.
Take your pot, fill it up, or 3/4 quarters full or all the way up. Insert your callused dragon fruit into the soil about an inch (2.54 cm) and use your bamboo stick to help your stem stand. Lightly cover them with soil if you only have the soil 3/4 quarters full. Next, use your gardening tape or strings to hold the stem and the support stick together so the stem stays put.
Finally, you would want to water your cuttings and set them in the shade until you get new growth and set them in the partial shade until it roots then planted in the ground or bigger planter box.
When the cuttings are established they will stay healthy and do well in the partial shade.
Zone 10a is mostly dry hot heat in the summer. I planted them under the shades between my trees. And I also have mine in a 25-gallon pot because I want to grow them together in the trellis my hubby built me. They are under my shade in my backyard.
Just remember that this night-blooming cereus, dragon fruit likes water, a lot of water especially in the desert southwest.
Thank you for reading my blog. I really appreciated your time as yours are as valuable as mine. If you have any comments, questions, or like to educate me, please feel free to do so. I love learning new things. 
Why do I have beef bones in my planter? I used them to separate the dragon fruit stems and add calcium to them. Does it help? I don’t know I just made it up! But I did use them as a separator and I never took it out.
Go take on the day and challenge the unknown. Be brave and grow something.
Here’s a video from San Diego: Enjoy.
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