Question Dragon fruit vine sudden die back problem

[Mark]

One of my dragon fruit vines has suddenly died back in several areas quite severely too! It may have started from small rust type spots and then rapidly spread up the vine arm but I can't be sure. There are some out spots also affected (not in pic) and then there are parts of the plant which seems to be growing fine...

I haven't seen this problem in any dragon fruit before.

If anyone knows what the problem is or has seen it before then please let me know.

 

[armysnail]

I've never grown Pitaya but it looks like some type of fungal disease. I'd suggest pruning all infected parts, enclose in plastic and remove from the site. Try a broad spectrum fungicide or phosphoric acid. If I remember, I'll ask the nurseryman I know if he is familiar with diseases of Pitaya.

 

[Mark]

I've never grown Pitaya but it looks like some type of fungal disease. I'd suggest pruning all infected parts, enclose in plastic and remove from the site. Try a broad spectrum fungicide or phosphoric acid. If I remember, I'll ask the nurseryman I know if he is familiar with diseases of Pitaya.

Cheers, I had a feeling it was fungal - it has finished fruiting so I'll give it a spray and quarantine the prunings. Thanks for that - it's handy having a horticulturist drop by the forum

 

[Amanda]

Hey Mark,
How did you go with the pitaya fungus? I've got some yellow/orange fungal looking spots on mine at the moment, what did you use to treat it?

 

[Mark]

, what did you use to treat it?

Hi Amanda, I have used a general copper fungicide in the past but what really helped was extra watering from our grey water system which was totally by accident. After about two weeks of daily watering the vine went crazy growing heaps of new healthy shoots and also healing some of the rust affected stems - I was very surprised! Also, I continue to prune out rust spots or rotten stems.

 

[ClissAT]

Cactoblastis grubs &/or Cochineal insects!
Cactoblastis was introduced into Australia to combat the scourge of prickly pear in the mid 1920's.
Along with the Cochineal, it now infests any type of cactus, sucking it dry or chewing out the flesh from inside & allowing all other forms of disease in as well.

https://www.northwestweeds.com.au/sample-page/cactoblastis-biocontrol/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cactoblastis_cactorum

 

[Amanda]

Cactoblastis grubs &/or Cochineal insects!
Cactoblastis was introduced into Australia to combat the scourge of prickly pear in the mid 1920's.
Along with the Cochineal, it now infests any type of cactus, sucking it dry or chewing out the flesh from inside & allowing all other forms of disease in as well.

https://www.northwestweeds.com.au/sample-page/cactoblastis-biocontrol/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cactoblastis_cactorum

Thanks! I think that may be my problem! I think I may have some of the egg sticks on the effected cacti, I thought they were roots because it's a transplant.
The plant is probably lost now hey?

 

[ClissAT]

If those old brown leaves are the total of your plant then yes it is lost.
However if there are lower or other branches that are not brown but still have some greenness to them then a good spray with pyrethrum should do the job along with some TLC in the form of a good fertilizer & some nice new composty soil.
Maybe even some seaweed solution sprayed on each week.

 

[Mark]

That's my plant in the pic - first post. It has now fully recovered and is going gangbusters! I'll post a pic tomorrow if I remember.

 

[Amanda]

I can't seem to upload a pic, my pics are too big!

I did check the cacti for what I thought might be egg sticks, but thankfully they weren't! They were just roots

 

[Amanda]

Hoping this works

 

[Amanda]

This is the main stem :-/

 

[Brendan b]

Hi Mark, we live in Brisbane and have just started growing Dragonfruit! The possums and cockatoos love our backyard fruit and do a very good job with helping us to eat them. Do your spiny (white) dragonfruit get eaten by the possums etc, I.e. do I need to net the fruit? Or do the spines repel them? In my experience, nothing repels possums as evidenced by them eating plants sprayed with Carolina Reaper (worlda hottest chili) juice!