Dragon fruit also called Pitaya/Pitahaya or strawberry pear are native to America and these fruits are produced from a cactus variety plant. These fruits are eaten raw or along with salad, juices, and smoothies.
Here are the below steps to propagate Dragon fruit from seeds with pictures to give you a better understanding.
Introduction
Dragon fruit belongs to the cactus variety and is cultivated in India, Southeast Asia, and the US. They are climbing cacti and require some support once they establish themselves.
Another peculiar characteristic of the plant is that the flowers bloom only overnight and usually wilt after that.
Types of Dragon Fruit?
- White Fleshed Pitaya -White flesh with Pink skinned
- Red Fleshed Pitaya - Red fleshed with Red skinned
- Yellow Fleshed Pitaya - White fleshed with Yellow skinned
Why is it called Dragon Fruit?
The outer layer of the fruit is silky with spikes which resemble Dragon and now we know the obvious reason why it is called a Dragon Fruit.
Benefits of Dragon fruit
- They are rich in antioxidants and fiber content
- It may help in lowering your blood sugar level
- They can strengthen your immune system and they are rich in prebiotics ( Probiotic bacteria that help your gut feed on Prebiotics)
Ways to Propagate Pitaya - Cuttings and Seeds
Pitaya plants can be propagated through seeds or cuttings. I will be growing them through seeds as I did not have any Pitaya cuttings available. But if you do have cuttings available with you - just plop the cutting into the soil. Place them in a warm area and wait for it to grow. Keep the soil moist but take care not to over water.
Ok, so I bought a dragon fruit from the store and scooped out a spoon of the fresh white pulp and kept it aside ( we will be propagating this), and enjoyed the remaining portion by making myself a dragon fruit juice ( Cut the flesh white part into small pieces and mix it with a portion of milk, water and sugar according to your taste).
How to Grow Dragon fruit from Seeds
- Take a fully ripen Dragon fruit and cut it into two halves.
- Scoop out the seeds from the pulp as shown in the below image. The pitaya flesh has numerous seeds and when I grew them last time I had an almost 90% propagation success rate. So you will face no despair growing these varieties in your home.
And the best part is you can grow these in your balcony gardens or terrace gardens. Intermittent
- Wash the seeds and sprinkle the seeds onto a moist tissue paper. Though they belong to cactus variety they prefer slightly moist conditions.
- Pro tip: If you want to keep your seedling humid, you could also tie wrapping them in a polythene cover. This will act like a temporary greenhouse.
- Alternatively, you can sprinkle the seeds onto moist tissue paper in a takeaway box. This will help in keeping the conditions favorable. When the tissue paper dries out sprinkle some water.
- The seeds only took around 3 days to germinate but it might vary depending on the climatic condition you live in.
I had grown Dragon seedlings from dragon fruit a few months back and I was quite surprised by the rate of germination. Almost all the seedling had germinated. But I lost the seedlings as I was out of town for a few days and no one was there to take care of my poor little seedling. So this is my second attempt at growing them.
I will be posting the progress so keep yourself subscribed to get my updates.
Repotting of Dragon Fruit Seedling
After the seedlings have grown, repot them into small containers. Ensure you keep the soil moist and provide them with enough sunlight.
Happy Gardening!!!
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