How to grow Dragon Fruit in Australia

Where to plant

Give dragon fruit a warm, full sun position and soil that drains very well. Although it is a cactus, it likes soil improved with compost or aged manure, but poorly drained soil leads to stem and root rots. In cooler areas, a spot against a warm brick wall helps. Light frost damages the stems, which usually recover, but long spells below freezing can kill them.

The plant is heavy and spreads widely once mature, so plant it beside a strong post or frame with at least a 2 m radius of space, and keep it away from trees and fences it could climb into and take over.

• South East Queensland, the Northern Rivers, North Queensland and Darwin: grows easily. Plant from September to February.
• Sydney: marginal. It grows in warm, sheltered spots, but can be slow to flower. Plant from October to January.
• Perth: viable only in the warmest spots, such as coastal Fremantle and Mandurah. Plant in October or November.
• Adelaide: not reliable outdoors, as winter cold and frost damage the stems. Grow it in a heated greenhouse or a pot that can be moved under cover.
• Melbourne, Canberra and Hobart: our calendar marks these as unsuitable outdoors. A greenhouse is the only reliable option.

Choosing a variety

Dragon fruit is sold by fruit colour. White-fleshed fruit with red skin is the common type (Selenicereus undatus, formerly Hylocereus undatus). Red-fleshed types (formerly Hylocereus polyrhizus) are prized for their deep colour, floral aroma and richer flavour. Yellow dragon fruit (Selenicereus megalanthus) has yellow, spiny skin and white flesh.

Many varieties are self-incompatible, which means a flower will not set fruit with its own pollen or pollen from the same clone. Unless the label says self-fertile, plant two or three different varieties so they can cross-pollinate.

How to plant

1. Set up the support first: a strong hardwood post, star pickets or a frame, with a cross piece or ring at the top for the stems to hang over.
2. To grow from a cutting, take a stem section about 15 to 40 cm long and leave it in a dry, shady spot for about a week until the cut end has dried and sealed.
3. Plant the cutting or potted plant beside the post in free-draining soil improved with compost, setting the cutting shallowly.
4. Water in lightly, then water again only when the top of the soil feels dry until new growth starts.
5. Tie the stems to the post as they grow. Once they reach the top, let them branch and hang over; flowers and fruit form towards the ends of the hanging stems.

Watering and feeding

Water when the top few centimetres of soil feel dry, and never leave the roots in soggy soil. Established plants are drought tolerant, but they crop far better with regular watering through flowering and fruiting. A drier spell in winter and early spring helps bring on flowers.

Feed each spring with a general organic fertiliser such as blood and bone or compost, and give potted plants a light feed every month or two through the warm season.

Pruning and care through the year

• Prune once a year in late winter. Remove damaged, weak and tangled stems, and stems that hang to the ground, to let in light and air. Pruning also encourages new fruiting branches.
• Keep the plant within its frame. Stems that reach trees or fences will climb them.
• Hand pollinate for better fruit set. Flowers open after dark and close by the next morning. At night or early the next morning, use a soft brush to carry pollen from one flower to the centre of a flower on a different variety.
• Use the pruned stems as cuttings to start new plants.

Harvesting

Fruit is ready about 28 to 30 days after flowering, according to the NT Government. In the Top End it fruits from September to March; further south mostly from summer into autumn. Pick it when the skin is fully and evenly coloured. Cut the stalk with secateurs, or twist the fruit gently off.

Ripe fruit keeps for 4 to 5 days at room temperature, or several weeks in a plastic bag in the fridge.

Growing in pots

Dragon fruit grows well in a pot, which is also the way to move it under cover in cool areas. Its roots are shallow and the plant is top heavy, so use a large pot that is at least as wide as it is deep, with plenty of drainage holes. Fill it with premium potting mix with extra sand or perlite, and fix a sturdy post or frame in the pot at planting. Top up with an organic fertiliser each spring.

Using it

Cut the fruit in half and scoop out the flesh, or peel it and slice it. The small black seeds are eaten with the flesh. It is mild and sweet, and good fresh, in fruit salads and smoothies, or frozen.