Do you prefer the name Dragon Fruit or Strawberry Pear? Both names refer to the same plant which originated in tropical America and is often called the pitaya. The pitaya is a vine-like cactus that produces a large fleshy red or yellow scaly, potentially spiny, berry with red or white sweet flesh and small seeds. This delicious fruit is becoming popular in fruit juice flavorings and as fresh fruit. Combined with a huge beautiful night-blooming flower, the pitaya can make a unique addition to your backyard fruit collection.

Pitayas will do fairly well in our subtropical area. This cactus will experience damage at about 31 degrees, but will recover from short-term freezing events. While pitaya will tolerate, and maybe even benefit from some shade, they can be sunburned by too much direct sun. Make sure that the planting site is well-drained and add composted manure to the planting hole. Fertilize about every two months the first year with a palm special type fertilizer according to label directions and adjust as the plant matures. Additions of composted manure placed around the base, but not touching the plant, are also recommended.

I have a pitaya in my yard which I started in a pot from a cutting of about 12 inches long. It rooted rapidly and was planted out in the landscape where it grew up a trellis to almost six-feet tall. The literature indicates that cuttings may grow as much as a little over an inch per day. As the pitaya is a vine-like cactus, it sends out aerial roots that cling to the wood trellis and help support the entire plant.
A wooden trellis (not wire which could cut into the cactus stems) of some sort is essential as a single plant can grow to more than 15-feet tall and weigh several hundred pounds at maturity. A post with some sort of cross beam at the top will work. An arbor may also be considered. A single plant may even be trained up a small tree. Train the pitaya up the trellis as a single stem until it reaches the top. At this point, the tips are pruned to induce side branching.

A period of dry weather is required to cause pitayas to flower and produce fruit. Too much drought is not beneficial however, and supplemental watering may be needed. As pitaya flowers open at night, moths are one of the best pollinators. It is advisable to have two to three different types of pitayas planted to ensure better cross pollination resulting in better fruit set and fruit size.

Besides different species of pitaya, there are also recognized cultivars that were developed in California, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and Vietnam as well as Florida. Some Florida-developed varieties include Red Jaina, Seoul Kitchen, Voodoo Child and Yellow Dragon. While not readily available, I have seen several local garden centers carry pitaya from time to time. Internet searches should also show a few mail-order sources as well.

How much fruit can a pitaya produce? If all goes well, a 4-year-old plant can, in theory, produce 220 pounds in one year and produce for about 20 years. The pitaya fruit comes in spined and spineless varieties. Use leather gloves to pick the spiny types. Use clippers to remove the full-colored fruits from the stems. The fruit will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks in plastic bags.

Beyond eating pitaya fresh from the plant, the pulp can also be used to flavor ice cream, yogurt, juices and pastries. The seeds are reported to contain an oil that is mildly laxative. The unopened flowers are also edible and can be cooked and used as a vegetable.

Is there a pitaya in your future? Be the first in your neighborhood to grow one! For more information on all types of tropical and subtropical fruits, please contact our Master Gardeners on the Plant Lifeline at 941-764-4340 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Our office is located at 25550 Harborview Road, Suite 3 in Port Charlotte.

Our Plant Clinics are available across the county: Demonstration Garden from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. every Thursday; Englewood/Charlotte Public Library 9 a.m. to noon every Monday; Mid-County Regional Library from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. the first and third Thursday of the month.

Monthly Plant Clinics are Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon at the following locations: Cape Haze Publix, first Saturday of the month; Peachland Promenades Publix, second Saturday of the month; Home Depot Murdock and Home Depot Punta Gorda, the third Saturday of the month.