Mar 29, 2025

How to grow Dragon fruit in a pot in the terrace garden

Aakanksha Sharma

Dragon fruit growing

Dragon fruit is quickly gaining love and fame for its exotic nature, its look, and also because of its numerous health benefits. But as the price for Dragon fruit continues to soar, people are eager to know if it can be grown at home. Here are some steps to follow.

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Seeds vs Grafting

While growing dragon fruit from seeds feels extremely rewarding, and is possible, it will take atleast 4 years for the plant to start producing fruit. And so the faster and more reliable method is to grow dragon fruit from cuttings, as they start fruiting in 1-2 years.

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Best time to grow

The best time to plant dragon fruit is during the warm months, preferably in spring or early summer, and this makes March-April the best time. It grows best in a warm climate and needs full sun for atleast 4-6 hours everyday.

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The right pot needs

It is also important to keep the cutting in the right pot so that it has the space to grow. Even if it is a small cutting, add it to the largest pot you have, atleast 15 inches in diameter and deep enough for the roots to grow.

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The best soil mix

The best soil mix for Dragon fruit will be a mix of soil, sand, compost, and cocopeat. For the best results, it is best to add 40% garden soil, 10% sand for absorption, 30% cocopeat for nutrition, and 20% compost.

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Planting the cutting

Once the pot, climate, and soil mix is all taken care of, the cutting should be planted. Take a healthy cutting of the plant, atleast 12 inches in length, and then dig a hole in the soil and add the cutting. Take a healthy 12-18 inch cutting from a mature dragon fruit plant.

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Supporting the plant

Dragon fruit grows in the form of a climbing cactus and needs good support to keep growing. So as the plant starts to grow and bend due to the weight, buy a good metal pole or a log of treated wood, and tie the growing cactus to it.

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Water it well

As the Dragon fruit grows from a cactus, it needs to be watered sparingly. Water the plant once everyday if it gets 4 hours of direct sunlight, but if the sunlight in your terrace is limited, watering once every two days will be fine.

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Fertilisation

As the dragon fruit plant produces both flowers and fruit, it is best to fertilise it with a liquid fertiliser. Mix water and fertiliser and feed it to the plant, or maintain a good organic compost for the plant.

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Trimming the excess

Pruning the plant is also important as more leaves and stems will only result in competition for nutrients. If there are any wilting or yellow branches, cut them off and remove any excess buds from the plant.

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The first flower

When grown with a cutting, you will be able to see a big, bright white flower within 7-8 months of growing the plant. It is a beautiful flower that wilts and makes way for the fruit.

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The final fruit

Dragon fruits are ready to harvest 30-50 days after flowering. As the flower wilts, it makes way for the fruit to grow, and this fruit can be harvested when skin turns bright pink or yellow. Just gently twist the fruit to detach it from the plant.

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Thanks For Reading!

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