Dragon Fruit Dark Star Vine Plant Pitaya Hylocereus

Description

Plants for sale are Dark Star Dragon fruit vines

Plants will be between 4-10″ tall. The Dragon Dark Star plant is a vining terrestrial with fleshy stems. White, fragrant flowers adorn the plant in late spring to early fall. Flowers are elaborate and bloom only at night.

Produces round, Red colored fruits. The round fruit is covered with distinguished scales and can get up to 5 inches long. Enclosed in the thin rind is a large mass of sweetly flavored Red colored pulp and numerous small black seeds. The fruit can be eaten out-of-hand, and is also used as a flavoring in pastries and drinks.

In full production, Dark Star may have up to 4 fruiting cycles per year. We recommend 2-3 different var. for proper cross pollination. Fast grower. Easy-to-grow. Easy to containerize.

Dragon Fruit Dark Star Care and Planting Instructions

Soil and Light Requirements

Grow Dragon Fruit in well-drained soils, in full sun to partial shade. By keeping the plant in full blasting sunlight with a fairly warm temperature, the vine will grow from the root.

Plant the vine in a normal, large-sized pot. Use good potting soil, such as a mixture of compost, sand, soil, peat moss and vermiculite (See References).

Site selection and preparation

When choosing a site full sun is preferable with afternoon shade. Rich loose top soil is preferred as long as it drains freely. Ph requirements are 6.0-7.5

Plant spacing

Plants should be spaced 8-12″ apart in any fashion desired. Plants are often clustered around a pole or climbing structure.

Fertilizer/Soil and pH

Grow in moist, well-drained soil rich in humus. Additionally, we recommend against fertilizing at planting time and during the first growing season in your garden. Plants need time to settle in before being pushed to grow. Most established plants grow best if fertilized lightly. Fertilize in early spring with a light coverage of a balanced, organic fertilizer. However, if a concentrated, water-soluble fertilizer is used, please follow the manufacturers’ recommendations carefully.

Water Requirements

This cactus should be watered regularly, do not allow the soil to dry out between watering. Water thoroughly after planting and give new plants a good soaking once a week during summer, unless rainfall is plentiful (more than 1 inch per week).

Established plants can generally get by on less water, but most grow best if the soil remains evenly moist. As long as the vines are growing hardy weed control wont be a problem. Drip line irrigation is the preferable method. Water once for every two weeks, letting the soil dry between these times.

Then, after the root has formed, other vines will begin to grow. After, let the plant grow weeks until it reaches over 10 pounds. Eventually, you will begin to see the fruit populate the plate once it has reached this size.

Continuing Care

Easy to grow, dragon fruit will climb almost anything. Where dragon fruit is not winter hardy (Zone 8b and colder), it can be grown in containers and brought indoors. The root structure is very small.

 Pests and diseases

Pests and diseases are few and far between if using irrigation/drip irrigation it is better to keep evenly moist.

Additional Information

Other names include: Strawberry pear, dragon fruit, night blooming cereus. Spanish: pitahaya, tuna, nopal, pitajaya.

There are hundreds of named dragon fruit species. Plants orogin; Tropical America; southern Mexico, Pacific side of Guatemala, Costa Rica and El Salvador; Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Curacao, Panama, Brazil and Uruguay.

Description: Pitaya are fast growing, perennial, terrestrial, epiphytic, vine-like cacti. They have triangular (3-sided, sometimes 4- or 5-sided), green, fleshy, jointed, many-branched stems. The flowers are large and night blooming. Each stem segment has 3 flat, wavy wings, (ribs) with corneous margins and may have 1-3 small spines or be spineless.

The stem sections of pitaya form aerial roots which adhere to the surface upon which they grow or climb. The stem may reach about 20 ft (6.1 m) long.

Florida Hill Nursery is your internet source for buying rare plants and fruit trees. Our online Plant selection ensures the best selection of internet plants available. Check out our wide selection of other tropical plants, subtropical plants and northern temperate climate plants. Buy 1 plant or tree and receive free shipping on the next three plants or trees using *best way shipping. We recommend using only Bio Spectrum organic Fertilizer  located In our store.