Dragon fruit

[green fingers]

I had a dragon fruit last year and popped some of the seeds into a pot. I now have about 7 little cacti. The problem is they are all growing on very thin stems just like any other seedling does with the fleshy cactus perched on top. What do I do with them now? Do I repot them planting them so the stem is under the soil with the fleshy part in contact with the soil? All cacti I have ever seen are just the fleshy spiky bit sticking out never on a thin stem.

Wendy.

[Reweed]

I love dragon fruit. I've just come back from Cambodia, and they have hundreds of them everywhere in markets. I never saw the plants though.

Are they available in the UK all year, or seasonal? I would kill for a dragon fruit now.

[green fingers]

I bought it in Sainsbury last year. They were on special offer and I had never seen them before so I thought I would try one. I don't know how often they have them but the seeds grow really easily on the windowsill.

[Reweed]

I'm going to go on the hunt this weekend then.

[Lesley Jay]

I have been reading about growing dragon fruit but I can't find anything about how deep to repot the seedlings. They need repotting when they are a couple of inches long and the stems thicken up after a couple of months. They are a climbing cactus and throw roots out of the spiky branches which can damage surfaces they root on so give them a stake to grow up. They flower at night for one night only so pollination can be a problem. I hope that helps a bit!

[green fingers]

Thanks Lesley, I had a little google myself and I think if I repot them I will put some grit of some sort up to the base of the succulant part so the stem is at the same soil level as it is but the main body is resting on the grit.

[whitedragon]

this mite help
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitaya