How to Grow Dragon Fruit

Dragon fruit is easy to grow in the garden or in a large pot. It's a climbing cactus, so it requires a frame or trellis for it to grow up and trail over, but once that is in place, it's relatively easy-going. Plus, you can grow dragon fruit from seeds or cuttings, so if any of your friends or neighbours have a plant, pay them a visit and ask if you can have some fruit or cuttings. 

Dragon fruit are native to parts of Central and South America, so will grow best in tropical, subtropical or warm temperate frost-free climates. Position in full sun and protect from strong winds.

Grow dragon fruit in well- to free-draining soil. As a type of cactus, dragon fruit will rot in poorly draining soils. If the soil does not drain well, consider growing in raised beds or large pots (at least 500 mm wide) filled with a free-draining mix. Before planting, enrich the soil with organic matter, like Yates Dynamic Lifter Plant Food & Soil Improver Pellets.  Alternatively, after planting water in well with Click & Grow Yates Dynamic Lifter.

As a climbing cactus, dragon fruit need support to grow. You will need a sturdy frame, made up of a central vertical post, at least 200 mm in diameter and 1.5-1.8 m high, and a sturdy square frame or horizontal supports mounted on top.

To train the dragon fruit to climb, position 2-3 plants around the base of the frame and secure them to the post, using garden ties or similar. Remove any side shoots and this will encourage the stems to grow up. Once the desired height is reached, cut the ends of these stems to encourage branching shoots. These branches will eventually grow and hang over the horizontal supports.

Feed dragon fruit in spring and summer with a potassium enriched fruit fertiliser like Yates Dynamic Lifter Fruit & Citrus Plant Food Pellets. 

Water weekly during summer. During the cooler months, reduce watering to once every two-to-three weeks. Take care not to over water, as dragon fruit will not tolerate wet feet.

It's natural for the crown to become crowded and wild, but after a few years, it can become congested and unruly. This can also impact the fruit quality, so it's a good idea to prune once every couple of years or as needed. To prune, wait until fruiting has finished, then use a sharp pair of secateurs or loppers to cut back the longer branches. Use the clippings to grow new plants (see How to grow dragon fruit from cuttings).

After pruning, Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser around the base of the plant and water in well. This adds valuable organic matter to the soil and provides with plant with gentle slow-release nutrients. 

Choose a large sunny spot with well-drained soil. Enrich the soil with Yates Dynamic Lifter Plant Food & Soil Improver Pellets. If the soil is clay based, add Yates Gypsum Claybreaker and fork in well. Consider mounding the soil to improve drainage, if necessary.

Install the support frame as described above in Support.

Dig planting holes near the base of the support frame, making them twice as wide and to the same depth as the root-ball. Remove plants from the container, gently tease the roots and cut away any circled or tangled roots.

Position in holes and backfill, gently firming down. Water in well. Mulch around the base with a bark-based mulch like Yates Dynamic Lifter 4 in 1 Mulch, keeping it away from the main stem. Mulch helps to protect the shallow root system. 

Prune any side shoots off the plants and secure the main stems of each plant to the support frame with garden ties or similar.

Feed with a complete fruit fertiliser, such as Yates Dynamic Lifter Fruit & Citrus Plant Food Pellets in spring and summer.

Prune the ends of each main stem once they reach the horizontal supports.

Fruit will be ready to pick around 4 weeks after flowering. To harvest, look for fruit with slightly withered scales or wings. Use a sharp knife to remove fruit or simply twist and pull away. The timing of picking is important as fruit doesn't ripen further once picked. But also, don't allow fruit to over-ripen, as this will spoil the taste.

Dragon fruit are well suited to growing in pots, provided they are least 500 mm wide.

Choose a pot at least 500mm wide and deep. Position in full sun and protect from strong winds.

Fill pot with free-draining cacti and succulent mix.

Install a support system into the centre of the pot (see Growing Tips for more ideas on supporting dragon fruit in pots). Dig two or three planting holes around the base of the support.

Remove plants from containers, gently tease the roots and cut away any circled or tangled roots. Position plants in holes and backfill, gently firming down. Water well.

Prune any side shoots off the main stem and secure the stems of each plant to the support frame with garden ties or similar.

Feed with a complete fruit fertiliser, such as Yates Dynamic Lifter Fruit & Citrus Plant Food Pellets in spring and summer.

Fruit will be ready to pick around 4 weeks after flowering. To harvest, look for fruit with slightly withered scales or wings. Use a sharp knife to remove fruit or simple twist and pull away. The timing of picking is important as fruit doesn't ripen further once picked. But also, don't allow fruit to over-ripen, as this will spoil the taste.

It's easy to grow dragon fruit from seed, but it can take between 5-7 years before it reaches fruiting maturity. Here's a step-by-step guide to growing dragon fruit from seed.

Wash the seeds to remove the flesh. Line a plastic container with a moist paper towel and evenly space the seeds on top. Cover and position in a warm spot, out of direct sunlight. Seeds should germinate within two weeks.

Pot seedlings up into a seedling tray filled with Yates Seed Raising Mix when seedings are 25–30 mm tall. Water lightly to keep the soil evenly moist.

Repot seedlings into individual pots filled with cacti and succulent mix when seedings are 70–120 mm. It will take a few years before they reach fruiting size.

Repot plants into the garden or pots once ready. See How to grow dragon fruit in a garden or How to grow dragon fruit in a pot.

Like all cacti and succulents, dragon fruit propagate readily from cuttings. Plants can easily be shared between family, friends and neighbours or bought online with little risk of the plant dying in transit. Cuttings reach fruiting maturity faster than seeds, taking between 2-3 years, instead of 5-7 years.

Follow our step-by-step guide to grow dragon fruit from cuttings:

During the warmer months, cut a 30-50 cm segment from a healthy plant. Place in a cool, dry spot out of direct sunlight and allow the ends to form callus, which helps reduce the chance of the cutting rotting.

Insert the cutting into a pot of Yates Seed Raising Mix and water well. Position in a cool, dry spot out of direct sunlight and lightly water once a week.

After 4-6 weeks roots will form (it may take longer in cooler conditions). Plant out in the garden or in a pot when ready. See How to grow dragon fruit in a garden or How to grow dragon fruit in a pot.

• If growing multiple pots, consider fashioning the horizontal support system that can be shared between pots.
• Star pickets can work well as support systems in pots.
• There are some self-fertile varieties however for others, fruit set requires pollination from a different variety. Pollen can be transferred between flowers by night-flying moths and bats or hand pollination can be done using a soft paintbrush.
• Split fruit can be caused by too much moisture during fruit development, so monitor the potting mix or soil for excess moisture.

A few pests may occasionally bother dragon fruit, but generally, it's tough and can handle small numbers of insect pests. If you need to control sap-sucking pests like Aphids or Mealy Bugs, spray with OCP eco-insect killer. Certain cacti can be sensitive to sprays, so always do a spot test on a small inconspicuous area and wait for a few days to see any adverse reactions. If none are observed, go ahead with a more widespread spray.

Snails and Slugs may find young plants attractive. Sprinkle Yates Snail & Slug Bait around the base of the plants, taking care not to contact plant parts.

All cacti, including Dragon Fruit, need very well-drained soil or potting mix, and moderate amounts of watering.

If you notice that your Dragon Fruit has brown water-soaked marks on the stems, is droopy after watering or heavy rainfall, or is rotting off at the base of the plant, these are all signs that the plant is getting too much water.

The best thing to do is to plant them in the right spot where the soil is very-well draining, or for pots use a cacti and succulent mix; only water when needed; and if they are in a pot bring them undercover if heavy and prolonged rain is expected.