Some banana variants still produce viable seeds, but most gardeners prefer to start with a so called pup,

the sprouting root chunk of a banana tree. (Truth be told, bananas are not really trees, they are herbaceous plants and the stem is only a pseudostem.) To plant the pup, dig a whole into the ground in a sunny spot of your garden. Many banana varieties stop growing if the soil temperature falls under 68 degrees F so a sunny spot is really important. Stick the pup in the whole and refill. Sandy loamy soil is recommended for most banana varieties, but it is always a good idea to research your particular variety. How to grow banana tree is not only about finding the right spot for your tree spacing is also important. Banana plants need some room, at least of you want them to grow big and produce a lot of fruit, and cramming them together is therefore not recommended. For most varieties a distance of at least 6 feet between each plant is recommended, unless you are okay with them staying somewhat smaller and yielding fewer/smaller bananas. If one of your banana plants fails to thrive, it can be because surrounding, stronger plants are depriving it of water and nutrients. One way of combating this problem is to dig a trench between the strong plants and the weak plant. The aim of the trench is to form a barrier between the roots of the different plants. Once you have cut all the roots, you can refill the trench with the old soil.

How to grow banana tree and prevent disease

It might be tempting to accept banana plants from fellow gardeners, but such plants can carry unwanted micro organisms such as fungi. It is therefore safer to purchase sterile banana pups from commercial nurseries. Even if your bananas are strong enough to resist the fungi, it might harm other plants in your garden that are not equally resilient. If you still want to use non-sterile pups, dip the roots (and any soil) in a weak Chlorox solution before you plant them. Also remove as much soil as possible, since the soil can be filled with fungi.
PRUNING

tree pruning is also a way of obtaining suckers for propagation, since non-wild bananas cannot be grown from seed. If you need to get suckers, simply use a machete or a sharpshooter to remove them when they are a few inches tall. It is recommended to detach the sucker from the mother plant underground. Once a pseudostem has bore fruit, it will start to wilt and decay. This doesnt mean that it should be pruned away directly the bananas need to stay on the stem until they are old enough to ripen on their own. Wait until no more banana hands form around the banana flower before swiftly removing the flowering stem with a sharp knife. It is important to cut the flowering stem below the level where no more banana hands are forming (below since banana flowers tend to grow upside down, but here are of course exceptions). Let the bananas stay on the pseudostem for an additional 4-6 weeks before cutting them lose and leaving them to ripen in a shaded area. Now is the time to carry out some hardcore banana tree pruning the entire pseudostem should be cut off near ground level and removed. A pseudostem that has produced fruit will always die and there is no way of saving it. It is therefore best to cut it down right away and remove it to give the other pseudostems more light. If you cut the old pseudostem in 3-4 pieces and split them

lengthwise you will speed up the decomposing process. The remains can actually be put to good use as mulching material. If your banana plant has been subjected to a serious cold that has killed it to the ground, cut away the dead pseudostems at ground level as soon as possible. If you wait, they will start to decompose (albeit slow in really cold conditions) and cutting down decomposed pseudostems is much harder than cutting down freshly killed ones. When banana plants grow outdoors, the wind will normally tear their leaves into shreds. This is perfectly natural and the plant will still have use for those leaves. Removing them is therefore not recommended, unless the sight of worn and torn leaves really disturb you. Removing yellow leaves is however a recommended part of proper banana tree pruning since such leaves are no longer producing any energy for the plant. Shredded banana leaves are not a problem for the plant as long as the leaf is green it will continue to carry out photosynthesis and provide the plant with energy. Trimming banana tree leaves as soon as they become a bit worn will actually deprive the plant of valuable nutrients and decrease its energy production. Realising that torn banana leaves are perfectly natural and let them stay in your garden is therefore the wisest decision. If you truly hate torn banana leaves, you must plant your bananas in a highly sheltered spot where the wind cannot cause any damage. Unfortunately, such sheltered spots tend to be shaded, thus unsuitable for the light craving banana. Yellow leaves do not carry out any photosynthesis, but trimming banana tree leaves as soon as they go a bit yellow is still not a good idea. If you let the leaf stay on the plant for a while, the banana plant will have time to draw valuable nutrients, such as potassium, back into the plant. This reduces the need for fertilizers and boosts the growth rate of the banana plant.

Trimming banana tree for the winter

If you keep a non-cold hardy banana variant in an area subjected to harsh winters, thick mulching may not be enough to prevent the rhizome (root) from dying during the cold season. One solution is then to move the entire banana tree to a sheltered area, such as your garage or an insulated shed. Start by trimming banana tree leaves off where they fork at the trunk. (Do not do this too early; give the plant a chance to draw nutrients back from the cold-damaged leaves.) Spade a circle around the plant, roughly 12 inches from the base and about 10 inches deep. Pull the trunk out of the ground and place both rhizome and trunk in the sheltered area until spring. Do not water during the winter. N.B! Trunks always die once they have produced fruit. Trying to save a fruit-bearing trunk is therefore useless. Concentrate your efforts on digging up the rhizome and protecting it during the winter; it will produce new pseudostems as the warm season returns. Planting banana tree pups with the aim of getting fruit will require even more care when it comes to spot selection, since the banana plant needs to develop a certain number of leaves before it produces any fruit. If the soil is to cold, the growth rate of the leaves will be really slow, and the

plant will not have time to develop a sufficient amount of leaves during the summer season. In most varieties, the plant needs at least 12-20 leaves before it can produce any bananas. To promote fruiting, feed your banana plants plenty of nutrition as soon as the soil temperature goes above 68 degrees F. Despite what you may have heard, banana tree planting is still possible through ordinary seeds. The reason why many people assume that there is no such thing as banana seeds is that the commercially grown bananas that we can find in the grocery store are produced by seedless cultivars. If you prefer to grow wild bananas or one of the seed-producing cultivars, you can use seeds. If you on the other hand want to grow Cavendish bananas or any other seedless cultivar, you have to plant a pup (the sprouting root chunk of a banana tree) or similar. After the banana tree planting, it is important to make sure that your plants receive sufficient amounts of potassium. As you may know already, bananas are high in potassium, and that potassium is derived from the soil in which the banana tree is planted. Poor soil or overcrowding can easily result in a potassium deficiency that will harm the entire plant. Large scale banana growers normally chop up old pseudostems and use them as mulch this way the potassium will return to the soil and the same potassium can be used by generation after generation. If you do not want to do this in your garden, you can instead purchase a fertilizer suitable for banana plants. If you fail to locate special banana fertilizer, get an ordinary citrus fertilizer and add a high-potassium product to the mix each time you fertilize. Banana trees grows fast and consumes a lot of nutrients, so using both compost, mulching and commercial fertilizers is often a good idea.

Why are banana cultivars seedless?

The reason why most cultivars are seedless is simple: most people dislike having to pick seeds from their fruit, especially when the seeds are spread throughout most parts of the fruit instead of being confined to the centre. Another benefit of non-sexual reproduction is that the new plant will be an exact copy of the old plant, not a random combination of genes from two parent plants. A disadvantage of asexual reproduction is that it is harder for the plant to adapt to new conditions, since no improvement and adaptation takes place through natural selection and evolution. Banana cultivars can for instance be really sensitive to disease. When the dreaded Panama wilt disease began to spread during the early half of the 20th century, it more or less eradicated the Gros Michel cultivar from the planet.

How to: propagating the banana tree through suckers

Suckers are produced at the base of the banana plant and can be removed when they have reached a diameter of roughly 2-6 inches. It is important that the sucker has developed its own independent root system before you separate it from the old plant. Commercial nurseries normally cut off the leaves completely, but as a hobbyist it is enough to simply cut them down at

2-3 feet. Carefully dig out the sucker using a sharp spade and cut the underground base of the sucker from the side of the big rhizome. Propagating the banana tree through suckers is not difficult and you can either plant it in a container or directly in the soil at the desired growth spot. Ideally place it at the same depth as it once grew. If you want to ensure a substantial fruit production it is advisable to place your suckers at least 6-8 feet apart, since they will otherwise compete a lot over water and nutrients. If you do not care about the number and size of the bananas, keeping the suckers 2-3 feet apart from each other will be enough. FERTILIZER Potassium is a chemical element that makes up roughly 1.5% of the weight of the Earth's crust and it is commonly occurring in most soil types. It is never found free in nature and when you purchase a fertilizer with potassium the potassium will normally be in the form of a chloride, sulfate or carbonate. The name potassium is derived from potash, since potash was once used to create potassium for commercial use. If you want to purchase a commercial banana tree fertilizer, look for a 5-10-10 or 10-20-30 mix and use roughly 40-50 lbs a year for each plant. (This figure is only a general rule-of-thumb and must naturally be adjusted somewhat depending you banana plant size, variety, the length of the growth period and the quality of yours soil.) Always use a balanced fertilizer, i.e. a fertilizer that has all three numbers on its label. The fertilizer should not be too high in nitrogen since this is not beneficial for the plant. Do not drench your banana plants in banana tree fertilizer once in a while it is much healthier for them to receive a low dose that is spread out evenly from early spring to mid fall. If you live in a warmer part of the world, you can fertilize your banana plant year round. Organic fertilizers work well for bananas and a mixture of compost and mulch has proven successful in the past. Adding a lot of mulch will also retain moisture and protect the rhizome from temperature swings and chilly weather. As your banana plant grows, the old leaves will begin to yellow to leave room for new, fresh leaves. It is naturally tempting to remove the yellow leaves, but it is actually better to be a lazy gardener and let them stay because as the yellow leaves shrivel the nutrients will be re-absorbed back into the banana plant. Old leaves will therefore serve as a form of banana tree fertilizer. If you cannot stand the sight of yellow leaves, cut them off using a sharp knife and place them on top of the mulch. This

Dragon Fruits

What is "Dragon Fruit" Actually? Is it some kind of a gimmicks another gadget inventor created to help mankind? As matter of facts, it has nothing to do with the latest gadgets. Dragon Fruit is actually a fruit comes from the Cactus family. In Spanish it is called "Pitaya" and it is extremely beautiful fruit that has dazzling flowers and intense shape and color. The dragon fruit is usually a dark red color, although some types of this fruit are pink or yellow. The skin of the dragon fruit is a thin rind. The skin is usually covered in scales, and the center of the fruit is made up of a red or white, sweet tasting pulp.
Contents at a Glance 1. Where it all begin 2. Dragon Fruit, What so good about it 3. Dragon Fruit Recipes

more...
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Where it all begin

Hey! at least we should know where it started or where it comes from

It not known where the dragon fruit originated, but it is thought to have come from South America. The French are believed to have brought the dragon fruit to Vietnam over a hundred years ago. Dragon fruits were grown there to be eaten by royalty and very wealthy families. Now the fruit flourishes in American states such as Texas and is also grown in Mexico and other South American countries such as Argentina and Peru. The dragon fruit is cultivated in tropical regions around the world. The plant of the dragon fruit can grow from around a few inches or centimeters to up to twenty feet(around six meters) It flourishes in hot regions with a heavy rainfall. Periods of cold will kill the plants and it loves the high temperatures found in tropical countries.

The flowers of the dragon fruit plant only bloom at night and usually only live for one night. Polination happens at this time to allow the fruit to emerge. the flowers of the dragon fruit give out a very beautiful scent and the smell can fill the night air wherever the plants grows.

Dragon Fruit, What so good about it

Dragon fruit is not only refers as to fruit, it can be taken as flowers, vegetable, health products and medicine as well, called "priceless treasure"

1. as "King of the fruit" so called, dragon fruit appears shining red and olived-shaped. Every single one is 500-1200g, and its flesh is white or red, tasted sweet but not thick, with light fragrance. The sweetness of the dragon fruit is 16-18 degree, better than water melon. it can be called as"water on trees", considering about its structure,eating method and planting way. 2. Dragon fruit is delicious vegetable dishes, having high nutrition, low heat,rich vitamin C. The fruit is best eaten by cutting the fruit in half and scooping the flesh out. 3. It is good material of beverage, it can be served in fruit juices and fruit salads or made into jam. They can also be juiced and added to alcohol to make a very delicious drink. 4. Dragon fruit can be used as cosmetic and health material with functions of improving eyesight and preventing hypertension,boosting immunity and preventing cancer. 5. Environment protection. Dragon fruit absorbs C02 at night and releases oxygen to purify the air.

Dragon Fruit Recipes

How to prepare some of the recipies and ingredients Tropical Dragon Fruit Sauce Servings: 4 Ingredients 4 Peach Halves in Light Syrup 1 Canela (Cinnamon Sticks)Canela (Cinnamon Sticks) 2 Tropical Dragon FruitTropical Dragon Fruit peelded and cubed

1 cup Frozen Raspberries thawed and drained 1/4 cup Orange Liqueur (optional) 1 cup Vanilla Ice Cream Preparation Drain peaches and reserve juice. In a saucepan, bring peach juice and cinnamon to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Pour liquid over peach halves and cool. In a blender puree Tropical Dragonfruit, raspberries & liqueur (if desired). Refrigerate. Place peach halves in dessert cups, garnish with scoop of ice cream and top tropical dragonfruit sauce. Nutrition Facts * Calories 160 Calories from Fat 40 * % Daily Value* * Total Fat 4.5 g * Saturated Fat 2 g * Cholesterol 15 mg * Sodium 30 mg * Total Carbohydrate 30 g * Fiber 5 g * Sugars 24 g * Protein2 g * 10%Vitamin A * 30%Vitamin C * 8%Calcium * 15%Iron * * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Fruit Skewers Servings: 4 Ingredients 1/2 Pineapple peeled and cored

2 Organic MangoOrganic Mango peeled halved and de-stoned 1 Strawberry PapayasStrawberry Papayas peeled halved and de-seeded 1 Tropical Dragon FruitTropical Dragon Fruit peeled 1 KiwiKiwi peeled 12 Green LycheeGreen Lychee peeled and de-stoned 1/4 Red WatermelonRed Watermelon (use Seedless Watermelon) 6 Skewers Preparation Cut the fruits into rough shapes. Thread the fruits through the skewers alternating varying the fruits as desired. Chill until required or place on a BBQ or grill and cook for 2 minutes on either side. Serve hot or cold.

Tuna with Tropical Dragon Fruit Salsa and Scallion Aioli Servings: 35 Ingredients 1 loaf French Baguette sliced 1/4 inch thick and toasted 1 pound Tuna (sushi grade) sliced 1/8 inch thick square Tropical Dragon fruit Salsa

1 Tropical Dragon Fruit Tropical Dragon Fruit diced fine 2 Jalapeno Chile Jalapeno Chile diced fine 1 South African Baby Pine apples South African Baby Pineapples diced fine 2 tablespoons Cilantro Cilantro chopped fine 1 Organic Limes Organic Limes juice freshly squeezed Salt to taste Scallion Aioli 2 tablespoons Olive Oil 1 bunch Scallions sliced thin 1 cup Mayonnaise 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard 1 Organic Limes Organic Limes juice freshly squeezed Salt and Pepper to taste 1 head Frisee Lettuce for garnish Preparation Preheat oven to 350. Place cut bread on a sheet pan and lightly brush with olive oil. Dice the Tropical Dragon fruit, Baby Pineapple, and Jalapeno. Then chop the cilantro, mix in a bowl and add lime juice and salt. Heat fry pan, add olive oil then scallions cook for 1 minute. Let cool and then mix, mayonnaise, dijon mustard, lime juice, scallion, and salt and pepper. Spread Aioli on baguette, slice the tuna and place on the baguette. Then place some of the salsa on top of the tuna. To finish place a dollop of the aioli on the top of the salsa and garnish with a piece of frisee.

Dragon Fruit Pizza Recipe Servings: 12 Serving Description: 1 pie slice Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Ingredients - 1 package of ready to use pre-made sugar cookie dough - 8 ounces cream cheese - 1/2 cup powdered sugar - 1 tablespoon lemon juice - 3 dragon fruit, peeled and sliced - 3 kiwi, peeled and sliced - 1 cup strawberries, hulled and cut in half - 1/4 cup apricot glaze Directions Roll out cookie dough into a 12 inch round. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow to cool completely. Meanwhile, prepare fruit by washing and slicing it into 1/4 inch slices. Cream together the cream cheese, powdered sugar and lemon juice. When the crust is cool, top with the cream cheese mixture. Lay fruit in a circle on top of the cream cheese mixture. Spread apricot glaze over fruit. Chill until ready to serve. *Any combination of fruit can be used for this recipe.

Dragon Fruit make into drink

CAPRI SUN ~ VITAMIN WATER Dragon fruit are getting attention from a broad spectrum of major bottlers.

RED DRAGON MARTINI-AKA DRAGONTINI Ingredients:

Four cups of top shelf Vodka Two tablespoons of sugar One half Zamorano or Red Jaina dragon fruit Garnish with V. Jaina for contrast

Red Dragon

3 strawberries 2 tbsp Skyy vodka 1 tbsp strawberry liqueur 1 tbsp vanilla liqueur ginger ale, for topping up 1 wedge of dragon fruit, to garnish Blend all ingredients with ice in a blender, pour into a cocktail glass, add ice cubes and top up with ginger ale. Garnish with a slice of dragon fruit.

"Dragon Fruit" Variety viewer

See different type of colors, textures and shape of "Dragon Fruit"

Costa Rican Sunset

Physical Graffiti

Yellow

Dragon

What Do You Say

Dragon Fruits

I say:

Marc3ll says:

Taste nice. Totally difference from other fruits. Mouth watery. Full of Vitamins Posted August 10, 2008

1 of 1 page

The Legend of Dragon Fruit

Its Only a Myths The Legend of Dragon Fruit

Thousands of years ago, fire-breathing dragons created the dragon fruit. During battles, when the dragons breathed fire, the last thing to come out would be the fruit. If the dragon was slain the fruit would be collected and presented to the Emperor as an indication of victory and as such was a prized treasure. Whilst the slain dragon would have been eaten by the victorious soldiers... it's believed that if you ate the flesh of the dragon you became empowered with the dragon's strength and ferocity. In fact, it is said that the meat from the base of the dragon's tail from where it was believed the dragon's fire originated, was the sweetest and best tasting. It is said that the thirst for these meat is what brought the the destruction of all dragons.. or so the legend goes...

Plant Cultivation

A vining, terrestrial or epiphytic cactus, with fleshy stems reaching from a few inches up to 20ft long (in mature plants). The plant may grow out of, and over the ground or climb onto trees using aerial roots. It grows best in dry, tropical or subtropical climates where annual rainfall ranges from 20-50" per year. In wet, tropical zones, plants may grow well but sometimes have problems setting fruit reliably. Will tolerate temperatures to 104F, and short periods of frost, but prolonged cold will damage or kill the plant. The plants aren't usually too picky as to soil type, but because of their epiphytic nature, it is recommended to grow them in soil that is supplemented with high amounts of organic material. The plant has been grown successfully in sandy soils. Shade is sometimes provided in hot climates. Flowers

are ornate and beautiful, and many related species are propagated as ornamentals. They bloom only at night, and usually last just one night where pollination is necessary to set fruit. In full production, pitahaya plants can have up to 4-6 fruiting cycles per year. Propagation: By seed, or by stem cuttings.

Here's my favorite link:

Growing dragon fruit from vine cuttings

Dragon Fruits Displayed

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5 Great Ways to Lose Weight Fast Different Exercises Schedule to Combat Diabetes, Arthritis, and Obesity! Weight Loss - Get Ready or Face the Music! A Dietitian's Approach Towards Fast Weight-loss Programs By John Scott

Fruit. DIETS FOR SPECIAL PROBLEMS

My Other Lenses Refers to Food and Nutritions

Passion Fruits

Passion Fruit's original home is Brazil, but the vine now grows throughout tropical regions such as New Zealand, Australia, Africa, Malaysia, West Indies, and in South-East Asia. The passion fruit is round to oval, yellow or dark purple at maturity w...

Healthy Party Snacks

Would you like a refreshing list of what you SHOULD be eating at any party year around? Parties happen all-year long and there's no getting around it - and you don't need to either! So, whether you're throwing a festive shindig for your f...

Lycopene

What is Lycopene? We have either eaten it or we totally unaware about it. Lycopene is a pigment that gives vegetable and fruits, such as tomatoes, pink grapefruit and watermelon, their red coloring. More importantly, lycopene also appears to ex...

Dragon Fruit Photos Galleries

Naar Mui Ne

Fruit

Vietnam 2008

Dragon Eye Fruit

Firethorn, potted up

fire dragon fruit

Fruit Fest 2008

dragon fruit

dragon fruit, 45 bah...

individually wrapped...
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Dragon Fruits Info Links

Dragon fruit, Hylocereus Undatus, Jason Chow October 2001 ... The thornless dragon fruit is a bit like the kiwi and can weight up to 3 pounds. ... from the dragon fruit. Use Bandini "Super Bloom" fertilizer, ... Dragon Fruit - Hylocereus undatus Dragon Fruit. Hylocereus undatus. a.k.a. Pitahaya, Strawberry Pear. Round, often red colored fruit with prominent scales. The thin rind encloses the large ... Pitaya - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The pitaya (also known as pitahaya, dragon fruit, hu%u01D2 lng gu%u01D2 (%u706B%u9F8D%u679C/%u706B%u9F99%u679C), strawberry pear, nanettikafruit, or thanh long) is the fruit of several ... Dragon Fruit - Pitaya | Hylocereus sp The Dragon Fruit or Pitaya is a stunningly beautiful fruit with an intense colour and shape, magnificent flowers and a delicious taste. Tropical Fruit Photography - Ian Maguire Dragon Fruit (Pitaya) has created sparks for niche market farmers that are ... I have been working with a dragon fruit expert and my good friend Erik Tietig ... What is Dragon Fruit? Brief and Straightforward Guide: What is Dragon Fruit? Dragon Fruit Ok then, I know you won't believe me, but I bought a dragon in Tesco's last week ... or should I say a Dragon Fruit. A bit on the expensive side (1.79) ... Growing dragon fruit in Asia, Mexico and San Diego, pitahaya, pitaya The dragon fruit cactus came from the tropical jungles: of Central America. ... Tall dragon fruit plant at house entrance, Old Town, San Diego. ... Melissa's Produce, Fruit & Vegetable Information - Tropical Dragon ... Originally from Central America and now domestically grown in southern California and Florida, the Tropical Dragon Fruit is an exotic cactus fruit that is ... Book on Dragon Fruit, grow your own pitahaya, hylocereus ... Dragon Fruit page on the WEB Buy this book with credit card The book sells for $8, add $2 for shipping in USA, $4 for international shipping. ... Dragon Fruit at Chinatown Produce Stand Picture of Dragon Fruit at Chinatown Produce Stand. Tropical fruit trees, akee, all spice, ambarella, annona, avocado ... Common name: Dragon Fruit, Pitaya, Pitahaya Botanical name: Hylocereus sp. Family: Cactaceae Origin: Central America Varieties: See PIN Dragon Fruit Viewer ... WFMU's Beware of the Blog: Tropical Fruit Reviews

I've been missing out on some damn good fruit... Here's a roundup of my favorite new culinary delights, appearing in order of relative deliciousness: ... Growing dragon fruit in containers, Pitaya festival 2005 Gardeners in USA and Canada want to grow dragon fruit in pots. As long as the plant is kept from freezing, it will grow well with very: little soil. ... Dragon Fruit Glossary Term Dragon Fruit grows from a flowering bud into a fruit that is 3 to 4 inches in length when picked. If picked before the bud opens, the Dragon Fruit is then ... Dragon fruit Dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus), a tropical fruit popular in Southeast Asia, belongs to the climbing cacti (Cactaceae) family. Vietnam Dragon Fruit - Manufacturers, Suppliers, Factory ... Vietnam Dragon Fruit from or made in Vietnam, browse for Vietnam Dragon Fruit Manufacturers, Suppliers, Factory, Exporters, Factories, OEM. Too Many Chefs: Dragon Fruit characters, were scrawled the words "Dragon Fruit". Well, well. This we have to try. So I bought one and brought it home. How can you NOT want to try ... Dragon Fruit Jam Dragon fruit, also know as Pitaya or Pitahaya, is grown in Kona turned into a ... The jam is made with purple dragon fruit giving it a berry like taste. ... Viewing Product - Hylocereus undatus 'Thai Dragon Fruit' - Stokes ... Hylocereus undatus 'Dragon Fruit'- A fantastic new edilbe fruit plant obtained from Thailand. The 'Dragon Fruit' is a vining, terrestrial with fleshy stems. ... Daleys Fruit Tree: Dragon Fruit at Mount Warning The dragon fruit is quite happy to hang itself off this tree and it loves getting all the sun near the pool. It climbed to the very top of the palm tree ... pitaya: Information from Answers.com The pitaya (also known as pitahaya, dragon fruit, hu%u01D2 lng gu%u01D2 (%u706B%u9F8D%u679C/%u706B%u9F99%u679C), strawberry pear, nanettikafruit, or thanh long) is the fruit of several ...

Discussion Forum: Planting - dragon fruit I am glad that you are keen in Dragon fruit plantation as it will be a very fruitful investment as compared to others. Have you got an email address whereby ... Dragon Fruit growing guidelines - Cacti & Succulents Forum - GardenWeb I have a Dragon Fruit aka Pitaya which I am growing in a container. I have had it about 6 weeks and it is in its second bloom now. ... Tropical Fruit Photography - Archive I have been busy shooting the winter season tropical fruit crops here at TREC. ... Pitaya, Dragon Fruit. Read more aboutthe dragon fruit - Click Here ... Discussion Forum: Pitaya - Dragon Fruits Pitaya - Dragon Fruits ( Forum Locked Forum Locked). Show Topics ... Hot Topic (no new replies), talk about Dragon fruit Pages 1 2 3 4 Guest, 36, 5071 ... Pitihaya / Dragon Fruit - Market Manila Pitaya, Pitahaya, Strawberry Pear, Dragon Fruit (Hylocereus undatus) is actually the fruit of a large CACTUS plant that is believed to be native to Central ... Cooking Recipes Tuna with Tropical Dragon Fruit Salsa and Scallion ... Tuna (sushi grade) sliced 1/8 inch thick square. Tropical Dragonfruit Salsa. 1, Tropical Dragon Fruit Tropical Dragon Fruit diced fine ... Mass propagation of pitaya (dragon fruit) Fruits, vol. 61 (5). 313. Mass propagation of pitaya (dragon fruit). Abstract -- Introduction. To facilitate establishment of pitaya (Hylocereus undatus) ... A study on fruit growth and development of dragon fruit ... A study on the fruit growth and development of dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) revealed that the growth pattern resembles a single sigmoidal curve. ... eBay: Orchid Cactus Pitaya RED Dragon Fruit Rooted Cutting (item ... Find Orchid Cactus Pitaya RED Dragon Fruit Rooted Cutting in the Home Garden , Gardening Plants , Plants, Seeds, Bulbs , Cactus Succulents category on eBay. The Commercial Storage of Fruits, Vegetables, and

Scientific Name and Introduction: The dragon fruit (Hylocereus spp. ... The dragon fruit is a selfcompatible cultivar in Vietnam (Mizrahi et al., 1997; ... Enter the dragon, plucked in your own yard - The Honolulu ... Eager to eat healthy this year, but tired of the same old fruits? Try some dragon fruit. This native of Central and South America, where it's known as ... Dragon Fruit Dragon Fruit, pitihaya/pitaya/pitahaya, red pitahaya, night blooming cereus, strawberry pear, Belle of the Night, conderella plant ... How to cross pollinate dragon fruit? - Tropical Fruits Forum ... My friend has a dragon fruit plant in their backyard and it has flowered a few times, but they have no luck in getting fruit. Does the dragon fruit plant ... Blue Dragon Fruits and Flowers Dragon Fruit is a stunningly beautiful fruit with an intense color and shape, magnificent flowers and a delicious taste. Once only seen in the finest ... Vietnam fresh fruits Our range of fruits includes passion fruits, dragon fruit, ... Vietnam fresh fruits such as dragon fruits, passion fruits, whole coconuts, queen pineapples ... Cerise Fruit Dragon fruit is best serve in cold (refrigerated). Some people found that Dragon Fruit which import from other country are not sweet (plaint) and with awful ... Dave's Travel Corner - Tropical Fruit Photos Green Dragon Fruit (21384 bytes), Photographer: Dave Description: Immature Dragon .... Description: Opened dragon fruit - notice the inside is bright red ...

Dragon Fruit
Hylocereus undatus
a.k.a. Pitahaya, Strawberry Pear

Seeds Now Available!

see more pictures of the Dragon Fruit

Round, often red colored fruit with prominent scales. The thin rind encloses the large mass of sweetly flavored white or red pulp and small black seeds. Some varieties are pinkish or yellow.
Description: A vining, terrestrial or epiphytic cactus, with fleshy stems reaching from a few inches up to 20ft long (in mature plants). The plant may grow out of, and over the ground or climb onto trees using aerial roots. Flowers are ornate and beautiful, and many related species are propagated as ornamentals. They bloom only at night, and usually last just one night where pollination is necessary to set fruit. In full production, pitahaya plants can have up to 4-6 fruiting cycles per year. Hardiness: Will tolerate temperatures to 104F, and short periods of frost, but prolonged cold will damage or kill the plant. Growing Environment: Dragon Fruit grows best in dry, tropical or subtropical climates where annual rainfall ranges from 20-50" per year. In wet, tropical zones, plants may grow well but sometimes have problems setting fruit reliably. The plants aren't usually too picky as to soil type, but because of their epiphytic nature, it is recommended to grow them in soil that is supplemented with high amounts of organic material. The plant has been grown successfully in sandy soils. Shade is sometimes provided in hot climates.

Propagation: By seed, or by stem cuttings. Uses: The fruit is popular eaten chilled, out of hand. It is also used to flavor drinks and pastries. Unopened flowerbuds are cooked and eaten as vegetables. Native Range: The exact origin is unknown, but is likely from Southern Mexico through Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador and Costa Rica. It is cultivated around the world in tropical regions.

The curious dragon fruit

By Serapion S. Metilla Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 19:57:00 07/22/2008

MANILA, PhilippinesBelying its fearsome name, the dragon fruit is one of the most beautiful fruits, with its bright red color, thick, leathery skin with interesting flaps that are scale-like in appearancesimilar to the scales of the mythological animal. The flaps are strategically distributed all over the oval fruit which is as big as a mans fi st, more or less. Scientifically named Hylocereus Undatus, this tropical plant belongs to the Cactaceae family, native to the Americas. This is the most popular cactus because of its edible fruits, which are also called strawberry pear, now sold in most supermarkets throughout the world. The plant is also called Queen of the Night. This is because it blooms in the middle of the night and by 5 a.m., starts to wilt. The flowers are large, even bigger than your open palm, somewhat white and creamy in color. A hardy plant, it grows in any porous, well-drained soil. A rambler type, its stems are triangle, measuring 2-3 inches across seemingly scalloped sides with short spines in every areoles. It branches through the areoles in two- to three-feet distance and anchors itself to any hardy material such as trunk of trees, rocks or concrete walls. Three varieties When planted solely, it should be supported with bamboo poles or better iron bars to let it clamber at least six feet above the ground. This particular cactus bears flowers in May and June. By July to August, it may develop fruits which, when already bright red in color, can be harvested. There are about three varietiesone variety has red flesh, another has white flesh, and still another has yellowish flesh.

Some say the one with red flesh is sweeter. All over the flesh are very tiny black seeds which can be eaten as well or, if you want to propagate, can be separated. The dragon fruit is said to be nutritious, containing vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber. It is said to lessen cholesterol. The flesh can be scooped with a spoon when you eat it. Should you prefer to take it as a cool drink you can make a dragon-fruit shake. The flowers, before they wilt, can be eaten as salad or cooked as vegetables. Propagation can be easily done by stem cuttings. Keep this in mind not to plant them when newly cut. Have the cut parts first fully dried before planting. Use a porous potting medium one part garden soil, one part river sand, one part coco coir dust, one part rice hull and one part coarse perlite. Place your plant in full sunlight and provide stakes or poles for the plant to climb on. Seeds can also be propagated, but they will take some years to flower. The cactus is succulent, so it needs not much watering.