Growing from a Cutting

• 1). Cut six to 12 inches of a Dragon fruit stem off the mother plant, with a sharp knife or gardening shears. Make sure the cut is diagonal. In Florida, Dragon fruit plants can be started year around.
  
  
• 2). Place the cutting in a shaded, but dry, location for 4 to 5 days to cure, or dry.
  
  
• 3). Fill a two to three-gallon pot with potting soil. Bury 1/3 of the cured cutting in the soil and water well. Place the cutting where it will receive indirect filtered sunlight. Keep the soil moist but not wet until new growth appears. Keep the Dragon fruit plant in the pot for six months before transplanting
  
  
• 4). Plant your Dragon fruit plant where it will receive filtered sunlight. Dragon fruit can get large and require a trellis or staking. Many areas of Florida have sandy soil. If your garden is one of them, amend the soil heavily with compost before planting your Dragon fruit plant.
  
  
• 5). Pollinate your plant by rubbing a cotton swab around the inside of the flower to collect the pollen. Repeat this action with the next flower, transferring the pollen from the first flower to the second. Repeat until you've swabbed every flower. Dragon fruit flowers open at night, so pollination takes place after nightfall.
  
  
• 6). Prune your Dragon fruit plant to size up to three times a year, but at least once a year, to induce fruit production and improve air circulation within the plant. Prune after fruit harvest, removing all diseased or damaged stems. Healthy pruned stems can be rooted for more plants or composted. Destroy all diseased stems and treat your plant with a fungicide to prevent the spread of fungus.
  
  

Growing Dragon Fruit from Seed

• 1). Purchase or collect Dragon Fruit seeds. Make sure there is no flesh on the seeds as this may cause them to rot.
  
  
• 2). Fill small pots with gardening soil. Plant the Dragon fruit seeds 1/8 of an inch deep. Water well and keep the soil moist but not wet. In two weeks you should see the first seedlings emerge from the soil.
  
  
• 3). Transfer the seedlings to individual pots when they are four to six inches tall. Keep the soil moist but not wet. Place the pots in filtered sunlight and keep the temperature warm. Keep the plants in pots for up to six months to give them time to develop a strong root system and then transfer them to the garden.