Which dragon fruit variety is your favourite?

 

There are very few plants like cacti that do not need a lot of special care. Dragon fruit is a type of cactus from the hylocereus family. The plants name come from the Greek word “hyle” meaning woody and the latin word “cereus” meaning waxen. Dragon fruit is also known as pitaya as well as strawberry pear. The name dragon fruit is derived from its appearance similar to that of an artichoke. The pointy ‘scales’ around the oval shaped fruit are reminiscent of a dragon.

 

Dragon fruit is high in vitamin C and other antioxidants, which are good for your immune system, as it can boost your iron levels. Thus, dragon fruit contains iron which is important for moving oxygen through your body and giving energy.

 

When testing for sweetness of the Dragon Fruit a device called a refractometer is used. It uses the brix scale of sweetness. This scale ranges from 0 to 32. The higher the number the sweeter the fruit. In addition to sweetness any unique attributes such as size and flavor are also considered when giving this rating.

 

DID YOU KNOW?

• Dragon fruit is a cactus that blooms for one night per fruit cycle
• A combination of dragon fruit with cucumber juice and honey creates a compound like an ale that can soothe burnt skin.
• Pollination of dragon fruit is done by nocturnal creatures like bats and moths.
• Eating a huge amount of dragon fruit can give rise to a harmless condition called pseudohematuria, which turns your urine reddish.
• To choose a ripe dragon fruit, look for bright, even-colored skin. A few blemishes on the skin are usual, but if the fruit has a lot of flaws, it may be over-ripe. Hold the dragon fruit in your palm, and try pressing the skin with your thumb or fingers. It should give a little, but shouldn’t be too soft or mushy

 

Dragon fruit varieties

We have the following varieties available, from cuttings, rooted cuttings to plants of 1meter tall. Come and choose one of the varieties that suits you or even try a few different options. The root system of the plants are quite small and won’t take up much space so looking after them will be quite easy.

 

Dark Star Dragon Fruit

The dark star has medium to large size purple fleshed fruit weighing up to 700 grams. It has an average brix rating of 19. The fruit has a mild grape like flavour and the skin of the fruit has a dark pink tint to it. This variety is self pollinating, therefore a single plant will bear fruit, and is a  great grower with great fruit.

The Dark Star variety usually blooms mid to late summer and enjoys the heat and sun. White fragrant flowers adorn the plant in late spring to early fall. Flowers are elaborate and bloom only at night. This variety has long skinny bracts or fins that make it especially attractive.

 

Delight Dragon Fruit

The delight fruits are medium sized that can weigh up to 500grams. The flesh has a unique pink hue with a delightful flavor, hence the name delight. The flowers are enormous nocturnal blooms of over 35cms which will bloom all summer. The stems are green three-sided with small spines along the rib. It has an average brix rating of 18.

The delight is self pollinating and a very fertile variety and would be a great addition.

 

Physical Graffiti Dragon Fruit

The physical graffiti produces medium to large fruit of between 500-900grams. This variety has an exceptional taste as it produces pink red skinned fruit with a light purple sweet flesh. The flowers are huge nocturnal blooms of over 35cm and blooms throughout summer. It has an average brix rating of 18.

The physical graffiti is self-sterile as you would need another variety for cross pollination. This variety is also a very aggressive grower.

 

Purple Haze Dragon Fruit

The purple haze has large fruits that can range between 500gram and 1kg. The fruits has a bright purple flesh with a pink exterior and green fins. It has refreshing taste like sweet grapes. In some cases, it has been known to be self-sterile, but it is recommended that you would need another variety to assist with pollinating. It has a brix rating of 19.

The purple haze is an aggressive growing plant.

 

Sugar (Voodoo) Dragon Fruit

The sugar dragon produces small oval shaped fruit of about 200-400 grams. The external appearance of the fruit is red with tiny green tints and almost brown fins. The inner flesh is a bright red purplish colour with a semi firm texture that is very sweet. It has an average brix score of 18.

The sugar dragon produces plenty flowers which are fragrant and self-pollinating. It is a robust grower with meaty stems that are olive green in colour.

 

For any additional growing information visit our website and order your favourite varieties today. The dragon fruit have very small root systems and will easily grow in a pot. With the handcrafted pots we have available you can easily fit 4 different varieties into one pot, as it will truly allow good drainage for the plant.

The dragon fruit do however need a trellis or frame to grow onto in order for the flowers and fruit to hang down from. For this we have the handcrafted dragon fruit stand available which fits perfectly into our large planter pots. You could even fits the dragon fruit growing stand into your garden soil and grow these amazing varieties in your garden.