Dragon fruit support frame.

Danie

Active Member
Premium Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2015
Messages
29
image.jpeg
Original plant that Broke
image.jpeg

And planted new cuttings. Of the original plant

Hi Mark

I have a question about dragonfruit, 2wks ago, we had a really bad wind storm and I had thought that my dragonfruit would be protected by seeing up close to the house, I guess Not That poor plant toppled over onto the ground. I saw those after I got home from church. I was so sad Stupid me went and picked it up trying to bring it closer to the house for protection, but it cracked and then I brought it inside into the garage and I just made it worse. It completely snapped off.
Any ways I made other cuttings and planted the others so I am not sure what I should do now I would like lots of information and help. Will a new plant start grow on the plant??
Thanks
Danie
 

Danie

Active Member
Premium Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2015
Messages
29
Yep, I'm with the Director on the DF Danie your plant will recover and good job on potting up the cuttings.
Thank you guys!! I have not watered them since I repotted them. Because I was reading and it said to not water them until they have a root system is this correct?
 

Mark

Founder
Staff member
Premium Member
GOLD
Joined
May 27, 2012
Messages
5,192
Location
Bellmere, QLD
Website
www.selfsufficientme.com
Climate
Sub-Tropical
Because I was reading and it said to not water them until they have a root system is this correct?
I guess the odd bit off water won't hurt but the idea is to prevent the cutting from rotting, which can happen if they sit in wet potting mix and haven't yet taken as a plant.
 

Ash

Valued Member
Premium Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2015
Messages
679
Location
Preston, QLD
Website
asmedical.webege.com
Climate
Temperate (all seasons)
Wow that looks fantastic, it certainly seems to like where it is. Is it very old Ash?

I can only guess that it's as old as the house that is supporting it is - about 10 years old.


Much fruit?

If there was I haven't seen any of it yet. Just the spectacular flowers:


A whole load of cuttings had to go but I'll put some healthy ones on stakes in the orchard and trial them.
 

Danie

Active Member
Premium Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2015
Messages
29
Oh
I can only guess that it's as old as the house that is supporting it is - about 10 years old.




If there was I haven't seen any of it yet. Just the spectacular flowers:


A whole load of cuttings had to go but I'll put some healthy ones on stakes in the orchard and trial them.
wow! Does that mean you, you threw away a lot because they were damaged or what??? Hope the ones you keeping make it.
 

Ash

Valued Member
Premium Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2015
Messages
679
Location
Preston, QLD
Website
asmedical.webege.com
Climate
Temperate (all seasons)
I had to do a good cull job on it because it invaded too far into the house structure and needed containing.
I have kept some of the cuttings and will try and preserve them for future use.
 

Danie

Active Member
Premium Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2015
Messages
29
Nice hope you get more plants
I had to do a good cull job on it because it invaded too far into the house structure and needed containing.
I have kept some of the cuttings and will try and preserve them for future use.
 

Mudmaker

Member
Premium Member
GOLD
Joined
Feb 3, 2016
Messages
17
Location
Brisbane
Climate
Sub-Tropical
If there was I haven't seen any of it yet. Just the spectacular flowers

Such a shame to have such a healthy plant and not get fruit. I’m not sure what actually pollinates them but I have read you can hand pollinate if you are so inclined.
 

Ash

Valued Member
Premium Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2015
Messages
679
Location
Preston, QLD
Website
asmedical.webege.com
Climate
Temperate (all seasons)
Thanks guys. I will give it a shot to grow back and get the feed into it as well. We'll see how the cuttings do.
 

ClissAT

Valued Member
Premium Member
GOLD
Joined
Sep 27, 2015
Messages
1,842
Location
Pomona, Qld
Climate
Sub-Tropical
I got a heap of cuttings from a very large vine over a year ago.
To transport them on the day I stood them up in old horse feed bags. All 3 bags were full of cuttings all standing up in there together.
Because I couldn't plant them immediately, I stood the bags under a large hibiscus tree.
There they stayed for over a year until recently. I just watered them occasionally & they got some rain I guess.
I poured a bit of liquid fertilizer over them 3 times I think.
The bags fell apart from sun on them but the cuttings were all good to go with large root systems & new shoots.
I have planted most out around the base of several palm trees & tied the shoots onto the trunks.
I still have a few to do.
Most of them have grabbed hold of their palm tree & are running up the trunk & branching.
Some are wanting to go somewhere else & sending long branches out in search of other trees I guess.
I think I only lost a few of the original cuttings that got cactoblastis grubs in them.
But I didn't loose any due to leaving them there all that time.
So this is a way you can get your dragonfruit cuttings to take without potting them.
I wonder if the soil might cause root. Mine that were left standing in bags had no soil but it was a humid moist environment inside the bags where they developed huge root systems.
The roots went through the rotting bags & into the dry soil under the hibiscus tree.
I had to cut away a lot of root systems to release some of the cuttings from the ground.

So Ash you could do that with all your prunings. Just stand them in old feed bags & leave them somewhere shady until people want them.
Mine would have gone on living in that situation forever I think. They would have eventually taken over the hibiscus tree though. :)
 

Mudmaker

Member
Premium Member
GOLD
Joined
Feb 3, 2016
Messages
17
Location
Brisbane
Climate
Sub-Tropical
I got a heap of cuttings from a very large vine over a year ago.
To transport them on the day I stood them up in old horse feed bags. All 3 bags were full of cuttings all standing up in there together.
Because I couldn't plant them immediately, I stood the bags under a large hibiscus tree.
There they stayed for over a year until recently. I just watered them occasionally & they got some rain I guess.
I poured a bit of liquid fertilizer over them 3 times I think.
The bags fell apart from sun on them but the cuttings were all good to go with large root systems & new shoots.
I have planted most out around the base of several palm trees & tied the shoots onto the trunks.
I still have a few to do.
Most of them have grabbed hold of their palm tree & are running up the trunk & branching.
Some are wanting to go somewhere else & sending long branches out in search of other trees I guess.
I think I only lost a few of the original cuttings that got cactoblastis grubs in them.
But I didn't loose any due to leaving them there all that time.
So this is a way you can get your dragonfruit cuttings to take without potting them.
I wonder if the soil might cause root. Mine that were left standing in bags had no soil but it was a humid moist environment inside the bags where they developed huge root systems.
The roots went through the rotting bags & into the dry soil under the hibiscus tree.
I had to cut away a lot of root systems to release some of the cuttings from the ground.

So Ash you could do that with all your prunings. Just stand them in old feed bags & leave them somewhere shady until people want them.
Mine would have gone on living in that situation forever I think. They would have eventually taken over the hibiscus tree though. :)

ClissAT thanks for the tip, it sounds like a great way to keep dragon cuttings when you haven’t got the time to pot them up, I’m all for things that make life a little easier. My dragons are only small at the moment but once they get big enough I’m hoping to share and this will work a treat.:D
 

Mark Healey

Member
Premium Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2016
Messages
5
Climate
Sub-Tropical
So I got all excited a week or so back and planted 3 poles in the ground to grow some Dragon Fruit on. Was on the lookout for some kind of support rings for when they grow up. I have no welding or forming gear so was limited to what I could buy locally. Nothing too great in the shops and simple round rings were upwards of $30. So on a whim I ducked into an Anaconda outdoor shop and picked up some kind of fishing net-thingies for about $6.50 each. I guess you'd get them at BCF as well.

IMG_20150327_133251954_HDR_zpseuccyfsz.jpg


Pretty cunning don't you think?
Of course I had to cut the netting off but the black nylon support string came included. :)
I'm hoping it's going to be strong enough when the plants have grown up that high...which might be a while.

IMG_20150327_133312627_HDR_zpsze3ow3xn.jpg
 

Mark Healey

Member
Premium Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2016
Messages
5
Climate
Sub-Tropical
I can see this is an old post I've stumbled on, but I'd like to show how we finish the top of the support post with two pieces of wood of the same length- approximately 60 cm each. They are then hammered into the top of the post with a 10 cm nail in a cross pattern- ie 1 piece north to south, and the other hammered on top east to west (like a cross),

An old motorbike tire is then placed on top of the cross, and tied to the cross with 4 pieces of wire.

The plant is then allowed to grow up the post, through the tire, and then droop down using the tire as it's support.

I've attached a photo of some of our plants.
dragon.jpg
 

Mark

Founder
Staff member
Premium Member
GOLD
Joined
May 27, 2012
Messages
5,192
Location
Bellmere, QLD
Website
www.selfsufficientme.com
Climate
Sub-Tropical
An old motorbike tire is then placed on top of the cross, and tied to the cross with 4 pieces of wire.
Great tips @Mark Healey and a wonderful image of your farm. How many plants do you usually grow up each post? It looks like at least two or three?
 
Top Bottom