I ordered a dragon fruit plant from an online nursery, but it didn't come with any instructions. It has developed two buds which subsequently developed roots, seemed to be begging to be potted. So I cut one off and put it in its own pot. I'm not seeing anything that remotely looks like a place where a flower could develop. Are the buds where the flowers grow?
Dragon Fruit
"Dragon Fruit" or Hylocereus is an epiphytic Cactus that needs an open, light mix, good light but no midday sun, moderate water when in growth and almost dry conditions in Winter, when the plant is resting.
Essentially, Hylocereus requires the same care as you would give an Epiphyllum.
Oh, I forgot: The wikipedia-page on Hylocereus...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hylocereus
The are climbers. They like to climb up trees but will freeze back at around 28F.
Put it in a pot with really well drained soil and a sturdy wood trellis to grow up. Once it gets about 6 feet tall, you might get a flower that year. It will be the size of a basketball so you cant miss it. They only open at night and are pollinated by moths. Good luck dragging that thing inside during the winter without a million pokes.
True! They get BIG and HEAVY! More suitable for a greenhouse or something than for indoors culture as with many other epiphytic cacti. I'd rather grow a Rhipsalis - much easier to handle... :)
I got one at a farmer's market from a little specialty fruit nursery. The lady that sold it to me said to just leave it in the pot, set it by a fence to climb onto, and ignore it. It grows little rootlets along the stem, and they attach to the fence to hold itself up. It's grown about 6ft. in a year but has not made a flower yet. It will branch out and spread itself over whatever it climbs up on.
You'll probably get a new little plant from the piece you cut off, but I'd leave the rest of it alone to grow if you want flowers and fruit. The flowers are big, beautiful and fragrant but only open at night, so once you get flower buds be sure to go out at night to enjoy them.
It's a rambling, vining cactus with little spines along the edges of the stems. Likes lots of humidity and warmth but doesn't want to be in the blazing sun all day. Mine gets morning sun and filtered shade in the afternoon.
Unfortunately in zone 7 you can't just set it by a fence and ignore it, it'll need to be brought inside for the winter.
They are very easy to grow from seed (buy the fruit at your grocery store) too.
There are commercial growers of Dragon Fruit here, most grow them on posts or along trellises about 1.5 to 2 metres high to keep them manageable. They're grown out in full sun.
I saw the same thing in Thailand where they stake the plant on a pole and let it grow across wires to another post (like grapes in a way). I think I read that Thailand is the #1 exporter of Dragon fruit (although Viet Nam may be #1). Funny how this is a native central American plant and is not the #1 grower of this fruit.
Vietnam used to be #1, but Thailand seems to be overtaking everything in horticulture these days.
this is my physical graffiti in a pot with some rolled up fencing someone was throwing out. i have yet to get a flower though.
Here's a pic of the one climbing the pine tree - I hadn't realized until I really looked today, but it's climbed at least 20ft. up the trunk!
Here is another thread about Dragon fruit.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1129744
Growing them staked like grape vines is how they grow them at the Bamboo Farm in Savannah. The vertical posts are very heavy as is the wire strung between them.
Thanks for the info, will build a little twig trellis for it to climb. This is going to be fun to repot....
Make sure the support is sturdy enough, they do get quite heavy as they grow.
True, you might need tree trunks rather than twigs, the posts I saw were at least 4" x 4" .
Right now the tallest part is less than a foot tall, but I will keep all this info in mind when I transplant it to a larger pot.
Mine shot out from less than 3ft. to 8ft. long in one summer. Some parts are over 2in. thick, too.