HOW TO GERMINATE DRAGON FRUIT SEEDS

HOW TO GERMINATE DRAGON FRUIT SEEDS

Dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus), also commonly known as night-blooming cereus or red pitaya, is prized for its showy flowers and fleshy, edible fruits. This cactus, which is potentially cultivated outdoors in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 and 11, is injured by prolonged freezes and features a fast growth rate and vining, green, fleshy, jointed stems that can grow up to 20 feet tall. Dragon fruits are potentially propagated using stem cuttings, grafting or seeds.

1.Scoop a pulpy, seeded portion out of the center of a ripe, halved dragon fruit and wash all the gelatinous fruit pulp off the seeds.

2.Fill a flat or pots that have ample holes for drainage most of the way with a sterile germinating medium that offers excellent drainage and low fertility; purchase or create the medium by combining equal parts peat moss and sand, perlite or vermiculite.

3.Sow the dragon fruit seeds evenly over the surface of the medium.

4.Sprinkle a very light layer of germinating medium over the seeds, using just enough to barely cover the seeds.

5.Mist the seeds and medium gently but thoroughly at the time of sowing and whenever the medium is dry to the touch prior to germination

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6.Cover the flat or other container with a glass or plastic lid or enclose it in a polyethylene or plastic bag to help maintain a high level of humidity around the seeds and minimize the need for misting.

7.Place the flat or other container with seeds in a spot that receives bright but indirect light and has a temperature between about 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The seeds should germinate within 14 to 28 days. Remove any plastic, glass or polyethylene covering once germination occurs and allow the medium surface to dry out slightly between waterings.