How to Propagate Dragon Fruit in 12 Steps
Growing a tropical fruiting cactus is easier than you think! If you can take herb cuttings, then you can propagate dragon fruit. Garden expert Logan Hailey explains the most important steps for beginning (or expanding) your dragon fruit garden.
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If you’ve ever rooted an herb cutting, then you already know how to propagate dragon fruit. This plant may look wild and exotic, but it is easy to clone and plant, just like other garden perennials.
Pitaya, pitahaya, or dragon fruit are all nicknames for the same plant: a subtropical or tropical vining cactus that produces outrageously delicious, sweet, vibrant fruits. Growing your own dragon fruit may seem intimidating, but this plant is very vigorous and easygoing once established. You can successfully cultivate it outdoors in zones 9 and warmer or use containers to move it indoors for winter in colder zones.
But first, you must start your delicious dragon journey with cuttings! Let’s dig into how you can easily propagate this cactus at home.
How Do You Propagate Dragon Fruit?
Dragon fruit is best propagated by stem cuttings. Seed propagation can take five or more years and may not produce true-to-type varieties. In contrast, cuttings can mature within one to two years and yield exact clones of the mother plant.
The vines naturally grow in distinctive sections, making it easy to cut off a vine piece from the woody “joint” and safely plant it in the soil. You can also make flesh stem cuttings by slicing through the soft interior of a leaf tip. The latter method usually requires 12-24 hours of callousing to prevent the bottom part of the cutting from rotting once planted.
It’s best to take several 7-10 inch long segments to maximize your container space. Plant them in a well-drained cactus soil blend, burying the bottom about one inch deep. Use a stake to keep cuttings upright and water regularly, but avoid overwatering.
Place in dappled shade to help the plant establish. After two to four weeks, they should be rooted and ready to transplant into larger pots.
Benefits of Propagating by Cutting
Cuttings are the best way to propagate because they are fast, reliable, and mostly fail-proof. Seeds are much more time-consuming to germinate and tend. Vegetative propagation is the cheapest and easiest way to grow.
The only drawback is you must have access to a mature dragon fruit plant of your desired cultivar. If you have a friend growing pitaya, then you are ready to go! Otherwise, you may have to purchase a potted plant from a nursery and wait for it to enlarge before you can take cuttings.
Seeds can easily be purchased online, but they can take a very long time to germinate and mature. Fresh seeds (from ripe fruit) may germinate in just a few days, but dried seeds could take up to eight weeks to sprout!
Moreover, the seedlings can take up to five years to reach maturity and start producing fruit. This means you won’t even know the true variety of the plant until you taste the first fruit! Most of us are eager to enjoy this tropical cactus, so cuttings are the obvious choice.
Here is a quick comparison of the differences between growing dragon fruit from cuttings vs. seeds:
Cuttings | Seeds |
The plant matures in 1-2 years | The plant takes 5+ years to mature and start fruiting |
Roots in 2-4 weeks | Seeds germinate in 1-8 weeks |
Must have access to an established plant | Can collect seeds from fruit or order online |
Vegetative (cloning) propagation | Sexual (floral) propagation |
Exact clone of the mother variety | Unknown genetics until fruiting (due to cross-pollination) |
Less diversity | More diversity |
12 Steps to Propagate Dragon Fruit by Cuttings
Don’t be intimidated by propagation—this is just the scientific word for cloning a plant. Cuttings are pieces of vine that grow their own roots when they’re planted in soil. Stem cuttings are used to replicate many plants. As long as you prepare the soil properly and maintain the right moisture level, you should have no problem rooting as many as you’d like!
Gather Materials
The tools for propagation are easily accessible. Most gardeners already have them in their tool shed.
You will need:
- Sharp, sanitized shears or hand pruners
- Mature cactus (explained below)
- Medium-sized pots, like a 5-gallon pot or larger
- Bamboo stakes, about 18” long
- Extra well-drained soil, such as a cactus or succulent blend with perlite and sand
- Tape or twine, like garden tape or masking tape
- Pen or marker
It’s important to start with sanitary tools to prevent the spread of disease. I like to keep a small spray bottle of diluted bleach solution nearby to spritz on my pruners and pots. An easy dilution is one part bleach to nine parts water.
Cactus rust is a common issue with dragon fruit, noticeable by little orange spots. If you accidentally come into a vine with signs of rust, be sure to treat your tools with the bleach solution. You can also use diluted hydrogen peroxide directly on the rust. Use a mix of half 3% hydrogen peroxide and half water in a spray bottle.
These little steps go a long way in preventing diseases and ensuring the maximum success of your baby cacti!
Find Mature Cactus of Desired Variety
There are six species of pitaya cultivated commercially, and dozens of unique varieties. Your propagation journey must begin with choosing a cultivar. You want to know the cultivar of the plant before propagating because it will determine the color and flavor of the fruit.
Even more importantly, the cactus variety will determine if you need to hand-pollinate or not. The night-blooming flowers of this cactus only open for a brief period. If they’re not properly pollinated, they won’t produce fruit. Luckily, some cultivars are more beginner-friendly because they can self-pollinate.
Varieties typically meet one or two of these descriptions:
Self-Fertile
The plant doesn’t require cross-pollination from another plant. It can fruit alone.
Self-Sterile
These varieties must be crossed with another variety to set fruit.
Self-Pollinating
These types don’t need any human intervention to pollinate their flowers and produce fruit.
As you can imagine, the easiest types to grow are self-fertile AND self-pollinating. These varieties include:
- ‘Sugar Dragon’
- ‘Vietnam White’
- ‘American Beauty’
- ‘Colombiana’ or ‘Yellow Dragon’
Finding a Mature Cactus to Take Cuttings
Your variety selection will likely be limited by the mature cacti in your area. The best way to start propagating dragon fruit is to find a friend who grows it. Otherwise, you will need to purchase a plant from a nursery.
If the plant is still very small, you may need to wait a few months for it to develop more foliage. Don’t take cuttings from a plant shorter than 12”, as this could set back its growth. Fortunately, dragon fruit grows up to one inch per day in summer weather!
A mature cactus is the best option because the vines will have lots of side shoots and stem cuttings that are ready to root. These will be noticeable by the brownish semi-woody nubs between each chunk of stem. Similar to sausage links, this cactus naturally grows in sections. Each section can quickly root into a new plant.
If a cactus doesn’t have tall vines with distinct side shoots or sections, you may need to take flesh from the tips.
Stem vs. Flesh Cuttings
There are two different types of cuttings used to propagate dragon fruit. Stem cuttings come from distinct woody stems between vine segments. Flesh cuttings require cutting through the fleshy part of the vine and then allowing it to form a callous before planting.
Stem segments are quicker and easier to establish because the woody nub is ready to root without much risk of rot. In contrast, flesh cuttings are very succulent. The fleshy chunk must be left out in the air to form a callous over the cut portion. This prevents it from rotting in the soil. If you’ve ever propagated succulent houseplants before, you may be familiar with the callousing process.
This table compares the main differences between stem and flesh cuttings:
Stem Cuttings | Flesh Cuttings |
Fastest and easiest | Takes longer to callous and form roots |
Distinct woody nubs separate stem segments | Cut through the fleshy tip of a vine |
Less risk of rot | Higher risk of rot |
No callous-period required | Must leave out to callous for a few days before planting |
How to Take Stem Cuttings
- Identify the distinct woody stems between each segment of a vine.
- You can also take stem cuttings from side shoots of a main vine.
- Use sharp, sanitized pruners to cut at the base of a woody segment.
- Ensure most of the nub is attached to the cutting.
- The woody nub acts as its own stem, so they do not need to sit out and callous.
How to Take Flesh Cuttings
- Find a healthy, long vine with bright green flesh.
- Use a sharp, sanitized knife or pruners to cut in 4-8” long sections.
- Lay the cuttings on a shady table or indoors on your countertop.
- Wait 24-28 hours for a visible callous to form over the base of the cutting..
- Ensure no juice or bright green color remains.
- Once the cut-end of the flesh is tannish-brown and slightly dehydrated, it is ready to plant.
Length of Cuttings
The ideal length for cuttings is 8-10 inches. Longer ones have more stored plant energy and, therefore, grow more quickly. They are also easier to secure to a stake.
Shorter segments will work, but they must be a minimum of 4 inches long to ensure there is enough green stem above the ground to photosynthesize. Photosynthesis (transforming sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into plant sugars) is crucial for root formation and growth into a new plant.
Fill a Medium-Sized Pot with Soil
Cactus or succulent soil is the best potting medium for propagating dragon fruit. Look for a mix high in perlite, vermiculite, sand, peat moss, and/or coco coir. These ingredients ensure that water passes through the soil profile quickly. This mimics the native subtropical habitat of this cactus. The tropics tend to have very sandy, fast-draining soils that flush out water quickly during monsoon season.
Rot is the biggest threat. If the soil does not drain quickly, the cuttings may turn to mush before they can form roots. The soil should never be soggy or waterlogged. Be sure to fill your container to the top.
Like most seed-starting and propagation techniques, it is helpful to give each cutting its own pot so it has room to establish its root zone without competition. A 5-gallon pot is great, but any nursery container will suffice.
Bury One Inch Deep
Push each cutting into the soil until just the lower inch is buried under the surface. Ensure that the woody nub (of a stem cutting) or the callous end (of a flesh cutting) is the side in the soil. The growing tip should point to the sky.
Do not bury the segments any deeper than one inch. Bacteria and fungi can easily colonize the stems and rot them. However, it’s quite apparent that a long cutting won’t stand up by itself with just the lower inch buried. This is why staking is essential!
Stake to Hold Plant Upright
A thin bamboo stake or even a stick is crucial for propagation. Choose a stake at least 18 inches long or longer. Remember, this is a vining cactus that will topple over and vine along the soil if left to its own devices. But we want to trellis dragon fruit so it grows as an attractive exotic tree. Training starts in the cutting phase to ensure an upright, vigorous seedling.
Stick the stake into the soil next to the cutting. Use garden tape, masking tape, or twine to attach the cutting to the stake. You may need several ties to keep the cutting upright. This is particularly important in areas prone to high winds. Strong root establishment depends on the cuttings’ ability to stay upright and properly buried (not too deep!)
Label the Variety
Use a marker or pen to label the variety and date of propagation. Some growers write directly on the surface of the cutting. Since the plant grows so rapidly, it can be easy to lose track of other markings or labels. Don’t worry; writing on the vine won’t contaminate your plant’s foliage or fruit growth.
It also helps to mark the planting date in your calendar. If you become addicted to growing dragon fruit (like our founder, Kevin!), you will want to track cutting growth so you can improve your propagation efforts in the future. Labeling and dating your cuttings gives you valuable insights into how fast they are growing and how long it takes them to mature before they start fruiting.
Water, But Not Too Much
Give your cutting a nice drink of water, but be careful to avoid overwatering. The vines naturally hold a lot of moisture inside the flesh. A modest amount of water is enough to fuel root growth. Do not add so much water that it puddles up in the containers. Instead, water until moisture flows out of the bottom of the drainage hole, then stop!
You will need to water the cutting modestly throughout the rooting process. Stick your finger in the soil to check that it is dry before irrigating again.
Keep in Shade for 2-4 Weeks
While this is a sun-loving plant, the cuttings are sensitive in their development phase. Too much sun can actually scorch the flesh and delay overall growth. Keep them in the shade for two to four weeks while they root. Ensure they still have indirect sunlight, like through a window or the sides of a covered patio. Avoid anywhere that direct sunlight blasts the baby plants.
Check Nodes and Gently Tug
After a few weeks pass, check if your propagation was successful! New growth is the easiest-to-spot sign of success. Tiny whitish-green nodes will begin growing from the cutting.
These little warts appear along the margins of the cactus, where thorns also grow. Nodes are clusters of “stem cells” (not to be confused with actual stems). These undifferentiated cells can become roots, stems, or flower buds, depending on how they’re treated.
If you see wart-like nodes, it is time for the tug test. Give the cutting a gentle tug toward the sky. Don’t rip the plant out of the container! Instead, check for a slight resistance that indicates roots have anchored into the soil. This means the cutting is ready to be transplanted!
Gardeners using any container with a large drainage hole can also check for root formation by simply turning the pot over. If you see roots poking out of the bottom hole, your dragon fruit is off to the races!
Prepare to Transplant
The final step of propagation is hardening off and preparing for transplant. You can harden off the cuttings similar to regular seedlings by gradually moving them outdoors to brighter light with more temperature fluctuation.
Alternatively, you can transplant the cutting in the ground or in a new pot, and cover it with row fabric, shade cloth, or a soil bag. Whatever you choose, remember that the young plants are very sensitive to sun scorch. They need time to adjust to harsher light conditions.
It is crucial that cuttings remain above 60°F (16°C) to properly root and transplant. These cacti are very sensitive to cold, especially when young. Cold weather will kill the baby cacti. Frost-free weather or a greenhouse is essential.
When transplanting, be sure to maximize your container size. A 25-30 gallon pot is generally recommended. This method works best with a 4×4 post trellis in the center. A cutting can grow on each side of this post, which means you can safely plant four per pot. Multi-plant containers ensure maximum foliage, which means more fruit later on!
Final Thoughts
Dragon fruit propagation is very similar to rooting cuttings from any herbaceous perennial plant or succulent. Stem cuttings are ideal because the distinct segments already have woody nubs to insert in the soil. If you take flesh cuttings, you must let the bottom of the cut form a callous before planting.
Maintain moderate moisture and avoid overwatering. Grow in the shade for two to four weeks until whitish-green nodes form on the stems, and a gentle tug indicates that roots have formed. For maximum transplant success, slowly acclimate the plants to brighter light conditions and avoid scorching them by rapidly exposing them to direct sun without protection,