Last Updated on November 8, 2021 by Guillermina
Growing pitaya indoors can be fun, especially when you have a lot of free time. Whether you are a stay-at-home mom or an avid gardener, you have come to the right place. Today on the blog, we will share some tips on how to grow dragon fruit indoors – also known as pitaya.
Pitaya comes from a family of cacti and is native to Central and South America. But because of its oddly delicious pink fruit, it is now grown in many places around the world. Malaya and Vietnam are a few of the top countries that have capitalized on the pitaya or dragon fruit plant. While it grows in arid climates, its stem provides the fruit with moisture that partly makes it so uniquely delicious.
Is Growing Pitaya Indoors Possible?
You can develop the dragon plant (Hylocereus undatus) inside if your home has an area with a lot of daylight. For example, if you have a sunny room, this can become a great alternative for the outdoor atmosphere. In any case, the plant needs to have six to eight hours of daylight.
Pitaya or dragon fruit may require hand-fertilization, a task that is finished by moths, bats, and honey bees outside.
The dragon fruit is a plant that can grow up to 20 feet tall. Assortments appropriate for indoor development incorporate ‘Edgar’s Baby,’ ‘Alice,’ ‘Seoul Kitchen,’ ‘Yellow Dragon Fruit,’ and ‘Zamorano.’
The most effective method Of Growing Pitaya Indoors
As a vine with elevated roots arising out of its branches and locking onto objects, the plant needs a trellis to develop upright. Ensure that it is tough and sufficiently able to help the branches with organic products, which can get weighty.
Daylight
The dragon fruit plant needs six to eight hours of full daylight each day to foster blossoms and organic products. Morning sun from an east-bound window and evening sun from a west-bound window is great. If your window is southbound, the light may be excessively bright. It may burn the plant, particularly in the late spring. You may need to turn the plant 180 degrees at normal stretches. This settles the score sun openness on all sides.
Grow Light
Rather than six to eight hours of regular light all year, you can utilize a grow light. To mirror solid daylight, you need to find full-range LED lights.
Steadily adjust the plant to the light, particularly if it has been in the shade for some time, for instance during transportation. Start by putting the light around 30 inches away from the plant and draw it nearer throughout a couple of days.
Temperature
The ideal room temperature is approximately in the range of 65 and 85 F. The plant doesn’t endure temperatures more than 100 F and ought not to be kept in rooms that get excessively blistering throughout the mid-year.
The pitaya or dragon fruit is not cold-tolerant. During winter, get it far from cold windows. Growing dragon fruit indoors can be challenging when the season gets colder. During this time, you need to carefully look after your plant as they can be dormant – or worse die.
Humidity
Normally, 30% to half room humidity level is sufficient for the dragon fruit to thrive. During the warmer days, you can place the plant in a room with a humidifier, or moist the plant from up above. Growing pitaya indoors can be fun but expect to have a lot of discoveries as you go through the process. In any case, you will love the journey.
Watering
Growing pitaya indoors requires a unique watering technique. Unlike other succulents, you need to water them carefully. The plant is exceptionally sensitive to overwatering however can withstand some dry conditions, as its phylloclades. That means the leaf-like branches will hold water. During the dynamic developing season in the mid-year, water when the highest point of the dirt feels dry. In fall and winter, cut down on the watering, which incites plant torpidity.
Air Circulation
The pitaya plant is an incredible plant that should be scaled back and dispersed once every year to guarantee great air dissemination. Poor airflow makes it more inclined to parasites.
Fertilizer
Notwithstanding that it is a tropical plant, the pitaya develops throughout the late spring. Give it low-nitrogen fertilizer once a month. This will help the plant grow. Do not over-fertilize as it may cause the plant to decay.
FAQ About Growing Pitaya Indoors
Growing pitaya indoors is a great option if you want to build an indoor garden. Pitaya is very healthy and can bring a lot of benefits to your body. The following are some reasons why you might want to add these to your garden arsenal.
- It is very rich in antioxidants like phenolic acid ad flavonoids. Eating dragon fruit can help keep your skin young-looking. It prevents deadly diseases like cancer and protects your cells from damage by free radicals.
- It doesn’t contain any fat and has high in fiber. If you are suffering from constipation and other gastrointestinal diseases, you definitely will love dragon fruits.
- It may help lower your blood sugar levels. Researches say this might be partly because it replaces damaged cells in your pancreas that make insulin.
- It can strengthen your immune system. Dragon fruit is high in vitamin C and other minerals and antioxidants that help boost your body’s immunity to diseases. Why do you have to drink vitamins when you can get them by eating natural fruits like dragon fruits?
- It can improve the iron levels in your body. We need iron to be strong and healthy. Moreover, iron is important for moving blood circulation and for moving oxygen throughout the body.
When growing pitaya indoors, you need to watch out for diseases like aphids, mealybugs, and scale. This plant is very susceptible to pest infestation because of its delicious fruits. In terms of harvesting, you have to wait until the fruit is bright pink for optimum flavor. You can simply trust or cut it off the stalk.
Learn more about 8 Fastest Growing Vegetables Indoors