Our Dragon Fruit

Discussion in 'Crops & Gardens' started by Corie Henson, Jul 17, 2016.

  1. Corie Henson

    Corie Henson Veteran Member
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    It's already late for the season of dragon fruit maybe because of the drought that hit our country early this year. But still, the blossoms appeared a month late and we hope the fruits will be normal - there are times that fruits are so small and has a different taste, we call it abnormal fruits.

    As you can see in the photo, our dragon fruit is planted under the orchid trellis. And since we have no orchids, we decided to just use that steel trellis for the dragon fruit because this cactus plant needs to crawl on something for it to bear fruit. IMG_2869 dragon flower.jpg
     
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  2. Joe Riley

    Joe Riley Supreme Member
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    You're right, Corrie, they are really draggin'! ;) I see that they are in the cactus family. Does the fruit look like a dragon?:eek:
     
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    Last edited: Jul 17, 2016
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  3. Diane Lane

    Diane Lane Veteran Member
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    Those are pretty blooms. I think I've tried dragon fruit, but I don't recall what the taste was like. They're not that common here, but I had a neighbor from the Philippines before, and she would buy the exotic fruits and sometimes share. it's good to see your plants are growing, despite the drought. Although we've had a lot of rain here, it was dry for a period of time and my plants have dried out because I had gotten so used to nature doing the watering, that I forgot :eek:.
     
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  4. Corie Henson

    Corie Henson Veteran Member
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    You got me there with your draggin', hahahaaah. I can't say that the fruit looks like a dragon because I have yet to see a dragon, huh. But seriously, we planted this cactus variety because of the fruit that is so sweet. It is the purple type that is best to be eaten as is unlike the white type which is used in salads. I will be posting the picture of the fruit before harvesting so you will have a clear idea of how it looks like.

    @Diane Lane, we water our garden twice a day during the drought otherwise the plants will wither. There were some potted plants that we had forgotten to water every day and they were dead within a week.
     
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  5. Diane Lane

    Diane Lane Veteran Member
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    I'm glad I read this, it's a reminder that I need to go out and water the plants again. I think this week is going to be even hotter than the last few, and the sun beats down relentlessly on the container plants on the balcony. I might set an umbrella up over the section where the main plants are. The others are succulents, and seem to survive even the harshest conditions. I'm looking forward to seeing your pictures when the fruit grows.
     
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  6. Joe Riley

    Joe Riley Supreme Member
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  7. Krissttina Isobe

    Krissttina Isobe Veteran Member
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    I go to China town to shop and see this dragon fruit from time to time I guess when it's in season and it's so bright and beautiful to see. I just wonder how to eat it and what it might taste like?
    [​IMG] image from http://localgirlsguidetooahu.com/
     
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  8. Joe Riley

    Joe Riley Supreme Member
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  9. Corie Henson

    Corie Henson Veteran Member
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    I just want to brag about our dragon fruit, it is the first harvest for this season. Maybe due to the drought, the budding flowers are few and the fruit is not that big. However, the dragon plant is on the recovery now since it rains almost every day. In fact, we don't water the garden anymore, they are self-sufficient when it comes to water which the dragon plant loves. I am hoping it will bear more fruits.

    The pic was taken just this morning. IMG_2992 ripe dragon.jpg
     
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  10. Diane Lane

    Diane Lane Veteran Member
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    I've never seen them in the local grocery shops, but I'm sure if I went to the Hong Kong Market, they would stock them. I used to make it there every few months, but it's been a long time since I've shopped there. They are so pretty, I love the color. I also don't know how to prepare them. Is the entire inside contents eaten?
     
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  11. K E Gordon

    K E Gordon Veteran Member
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    I must confess I have never had Dragon Fruit, unless it was in a drink or something. There are a lot of exotic fruits and vegetables that are just hard to find in the United States unless you know where to shop. A new and very comprehensive grocery store that I am familiar with from other locations opened in the Richmond area, it is possible they might have something like that. I did see a few exotics when I briefly visited there yesterday.
     
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  12. Corie Henson

    Corie Henson Veteran Member
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    @Diane Lane, I think there is more Dragon fruit in Vietnam than any other country. Vietnam is like Thailand with a good agricultural program but Vietnam specializes on rice, vegetables and dragon fruit while Thailand's specialty are the fruits. The flesh of the dragon fruit is like that of kiwi although the dragon fruit's flesh is somewhat crispy. Yes, all the insides are eaten and the seeds are so small like strawberry seeds.

    By the way, there are 2 varieties that I know of dragon fruit. The white variety is better for salads because it is not very sweet. The purple variety is for eating. Ours is the purple dragon fruit.
     
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  13. Kate Ellery

    Kate Ellery Supreme Member
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    image.jpeg @Corie Henson I planted a red dragon plant about a month ago ,they grow / produce very well in South Australia
    The one I planted was given to me by the local chemist ,she is from Vietnam ..she also gave me bitter Mellon plants in a pot however after tasting bitter melon I decided against planting them :eek:
    I have only tasted DF in a smoothie
    I have no idea how long may take to produce fruit
     
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    Last edited: Aug 10, 2016
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  14. Corie Henson

    Corie Henson Veteran Member
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    @Kate Ellery, the dragon fruit will bear flowers within 18 months after planting. Just give it enough water and sunshine because it's not much for fertilizer although we give it the water we used in rinsing fish and meat in the kitchen. It's not a delicate plant in fact some planting materials that we cut continue to survive on its own even when not planted on the soil.

    Your dragon plant looks good with that 2 branches. Just let it crawl and it will produce more branches which will be the bearer of flowers.
     
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  15. Neville Telen

    Neville Telen Veteran Member
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    It costs $4.50 each around here, and not worth half that!
    https://www.quora.com/What-does-Dragon-Fruit-taste-like
     
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