Daily Express Subscriber
Sign in to your account.

DRAGON fruits are wonderful plants that produce a lot of appetising fruits of various colours.  The plant is essentially within the cactus group that originate in Central America but is now widely cultivated all over the world especially within tropical and sub-tropical zones.

Variously known as pitaya, pitahaya, strawberry pear and of course, dragon fruit, there are more than 30 varieties and cultivars that bear fruits of assorted sizes and colours.

In the cultivation of dragon fruits, only the fruits are much valued where they are almost always eaten fresh while the skin is still taut and attractively coloured but not eaten.

A good way to eat the flesh is to first slice the fruit into half.  From here, it is easy to scoop out the edible stuff with a spoon and then shove it into the mouth.  

If they are not consumed at this fresh stage, the fruits may age with the scales and skin turning firstly into a brownish-black which then regress into a wrinkled worn-out leather in much the same way human skins wrinkle, shrivel and crumple as their age nears 100 or even earlier.

Of interest to growers and plant lovers are the most popular three main types which are within the genera of Selenicereus. The most widely seen variety is the one with pinkish red skin and white flesh.  

Next is the one with pinkish red skin and red flesh, while the less common one has fruits that have yellow skin and white flesh.  In shape and form, they all appear to be quite similar except for the yellow skin variety which is of a smaller size.  

Overall, the yellow skin fruits are the sweetest of them all but they are not often available in the market compared to the other two varieties.  

I had the first taste of the yellow fruits in Tambunan years ago but hopefully, the plants are still there, that is, if they can withstand the rip-offs by passers-by.

During the last couple of years, there were regular articles on gardening in the internet in which the writers shared on popular horticultural plants including dragon fruits.

Interestingly, most of the information are already common knowledge among Sabahan gardening fraternity, which is the reason why even faraway places such as Tambunan already have beautiful dragon fruit plants many many years ago producing marketable fruits.

 As a matter of information, the current price of fresh dragon fruits in KK central market is about RM14-RM18 per kg.

CULTIVATION

Most Sabahans already know that dragon fruits are not difficult to cultivate.  Planting materials especially the seeds may be easily obtained by scraping them out from a mature fruit.  

Seeds are extremely tiny usually measuring about 1.0-1.5mm but they are plentiful.  It is better to sow them in a germination tray from which seedlings will appear in about 12-15 days.  

As they are wholly succulent, the medium should preferably be kept on the drier side to reduce the incidence of seedling rot.

For backyard cultivators, there are no strict and hard rules.  Plants grown outdoors are the best although potted ones placed on balconies with half-day sunshine may also be grown successfully.  

The important thing to do is to keep them well ventilated with sufficient moisture and light.  Also, it is necessary to keep away pests such as slugs, mealy bugs and other chewers which may ruin the plant.

Apart from the use of seeds, vegetative sections taken from the stems or branches may also be used to propagate new plants.  In fact, this method is much faster than propagating from seeds as it reduces the time period from rooting to fruiting.

As the young plants grow taller, they need to be supported to prevent the branches and main stems from collapsing.  Although not a true branch, a single central stem may produce up to ten or more branches as it grows older.  

Growers normally replace the central support with a pole made of belian wood or concrete as permanent structures of support.  With this method, it is possible to sustain the plant for many years without worrying about the ability of the structure to stay on.

In open spaces, it is best to cultivate dragon fruits on undulating lands which means there is little chance of flooding or water-logging.  However, in the backyard or front yard, it is usually extremely rare to be able to see undulating soil surfaces unless artificially constructed.  

In such limited spaces, it is still possible to fit in plants on a tight 2.5m x 2.5m basis, but in “kampong” areas, it is possible to cultivate hundreds of them to yield tens of metric tons of fruits.  Just imagine the wealth generated if they are sold at RM18 per kg. 

This is where the hardworking agricultural officers, with their superb skills and brilliant practical knowledge, may step in to guide the mouse poor kampung folks into developing their farming business and turning them into a wealth-generating enterprise, thus enriching the “kampong”, the district, and ultimately the state.

Normally, maintaining a small number of plants is actually a breeze.  Of great importance is to ensure there is little or no water-logging.  It is also necessary to keep the area clean and highly sanitary so that the condition does not support the retention and spread of pests and diseases.  

Also, it is necessary to apply a high K and high P fertiliser at least on a half-yearly basis especially during the flowering and fruiting seasons.

When these are done, it is just a matter of waiting to harvest the fruits and jogetting all the way to the bank…..while not forgetting to take a sip or two of your favourite fiery beverage. 

# The above writer may be reached at: onggrow@yahoo.com