How to grow dragon fruit or pitaya

Dragon fruit is the strange-looking fruit that is taking over your Instagram feeds. It is the exotic fruit of several types of cactus that are indigenous to South America. You might also know dragon fruit as pitaya, strawberry pear, cactus fruit, Kaktus madu, night-blooming cereus and Belle of the night but whatever the name one of the best things to know is that you can grow your own at home in a couple of simple steps.

Dragon fruit is a white-fleshed fruit with tiny black seeds and vibrant pink skin. Each fruit weighs between 150-600g and is commonly used in fruit salads, smoothies and salads. It has little flavour and its texture closely resembles that of kiwi fruit. To prepare all you to do is to cut the fruit in half and then scoop out the flesh.

From seeds
To grow dragon fruit from seeds you need very little equipment but a lot of time. Grab an organic dragon fruit from your local supermarket and scoop out the seeds. Was the seeds and dry them overnight before planting them. Simply sow cacti seeds in compost or potting mix the seeds should germinate within two weeks. From seed it can take between five and seven years for the plant to produce fruit which is why it is the least popular option.

From a cutting
Propagating a dragon fruit tree is relatively easy, all you need to do is find a friend with a tree and you’re good to go. Snip off a 30cm section of a dragon fruit tree and leave it to dry out for 5-6 days or until the cut end turns white. Once it has dried out simply place cut side down into sandy cacti soil and water monthly. Your plant will send out roots and make itself at home within a month and then continue to grow. Easy peasy! You’ll need to wait between one and three years for fruit using this method.