Growing Dragon Fruit Plant from Your Backyard or Rooftop

Since dragon fruit is from the cactus family, it requires less water and enough sunlight to grow. So it's suitable to grow them in the Philippines, probably right in your backyard or on your rooftop if it's the only available space you have. Or perhaps your garage if you don't own a car yet.

You can start growing them from seeds but make sure you have the luxury to wait 3 to 5 years. Can't wait that long? Then start from cuttings which take only 9 to 12 months before they start bearing fruits. So the smart thing is to start with cuttings. Cut from the base of a stem, at the point where the stem connects with the tree so you have the whole stem intact. Choose stems about 8 to 10 inches long.

Planting

Place the cuttings in a dry place away from direct sunlight for 2 to 3 days. Then plant the stem in a pot big enough for the plant--about 10 inches tall and 20 inches wide. Make the base of small pebbles for good drainage, then put in a balanced mix of organic compost, sand and garden soil. Then plant the cutting into the soil, with the base of the stem embedded about 2 to 3 inches deep. Make sure it's firmly supported by the soil. Then put just enough water.

After 60 to 65 days, transfer your cutting to a bigger pot, about the size of a regular bucket, or about 18 to 25 inches in diameter and 15 to 20 inches in height. The pot should have enough holes at the bottom to prevent flooding when watering. Bear in mind that this plant is from the cactus family. Then put enough spoil mixture again of compost, sand and garden soil.

Then transfer the plant from the initial pot to the bigger pot. Careful not to damage the roots, but make sure the roots are also free from hardened soil. It should be like cactus in desert soil. Planted firm enough but not too much. You may plant two cuttings per pot. Then put enough water.

In the Bigger Pot

The first two days after the transplant is crucial. So make sure the plants are comfortable in the pots with just enough water and gentle sunlight, away from a hot sun. After 4 days, start providing climbing support for the plant to crawl on. These can be simple long sticks erected firmly beside the pot, or simply embedded right in the pots.

Climb support for the dragon fruit plant.

Then tie the sticks together from the bottom up with an abaca rope to form a fence around the plants. In 9 to 12 months the plant will mature. Replenish the plants with fresh amounts of compost from time to time, probably every 2 to 3 weeks, while the plants are maturing. In about 12 months or so, the dragon fruit plants should start flowering.

Some backyard gardeners simply place the pots near a rough hollow block wall or fence and allow them to crawl there. Some provide mesh wire or square wires for the plants to lean and climb on. The support ensures that the plant trunk is well reinforced and does not easily break from its own weight. Or when accidentally bumped. 

Remember that though dragon fruit plants are like cactus, they they shouldn't be put in places under direct sunlight, especially during a hot summer noon or early afternoon. But they need enough gentle sunlight. They may be placed in shaded areas reached by enough sunlight. So choose carefully where to put them on rooftops. 

The dragon fruit itself is rich in antioxidants (like betacyanin, flavonoids, phenolic acid and others) due to its various bright colors and contains vitamins A and C, calcium, magnesium and iron plus plenty of dietary fibers. This is according to WebMD. Besides, you enjoy its rich, fruity and juicy flavor, especially when refrigerated. It blends well in mixed fruit salads or used as toppings on ice cream or yogurt. 

But of course, nothing beats eating it fresh as soon as you pick it from the tree, with all the nutrients intact. And the best thing is, you don't have to buy it from the market or grocery store where it's probably been sitting for weeks or months and largely losing its freshness and nutrients, but right from your backyard or rooftop.

How to Grow Your Organic Lettuce

GardenWeb

Soil Prep. Prepare the soil first. Lettuce needs a lot of nitrogen, so make sure the soil is well fertilized, with pH balance at least 6 to 6.8. But you don't have to fuss about that. Simply spray the soil with our Rapha Humus organic liquid fertilizer as you cultivate it and turn it inside out. Spray liberally to make sure of the soil's nutrition content and alkalinity. Most soils are acidic. This fertilizer has nitrogen and microorganism that "catch" nitrogen in the air.

Plus, your compost adds a bit more nitrogen and other nutrients. And till and cultivate the soil to make it soft and well drained (or to make water easily seep into it).


Seed Planting in Garden Plot. Then plant the lettuce seeds about an inch or so into the soil. Lettuce plants have short roots so you don't need to plant them deeper into the soil. Then cover the seeds with about 1.3 cm soil. Then cover that with your organic compost, about 3 or 4 inches high. Composts keep soil moist and stop weeds from growing. Just make sure the compost is organic. Don't mix anything cooked when composting because anything cooked and rots becomes acidic.

Thin Out. Then, when the tiny plants have appeared, the plants should be from 5 to 8 or even 12 inches apart. So, thin out the small plants. This means removing some of them and replanting them so that they have enough spaces between them, not clustered. This is especially so if you use organic Rapha Humus fertilizer which tends to increase the size of the leaves and the plant itself.

Spraying. Spray the organic foliar fertilizer on the leaves. Do this regularly, ideally three times a day. Rapha Humus organic fertilizer has zero photoxicity or photoirritation---a condition where the plants, and especially the leaves, become "burnt" due to the reaction of the fertilizer to sunlight especially during noon. Rapha Humus does nto have this problem. So, you can spray at different times of the day, especially if you want harvests with abnormally big sizes. No overdose.

Per spray bottle, use 2 tablespoons of Rapha Humus for both soil application and foliar (spray).

Watering. But watering should be done early in the morning and late in the afternoon. Never water at noon or during hot times of the day. And water gently, being careful not to flood the soil. Make sure the plants are watered enough, though.

With Rapha Humus, green leafy vegetables often take only 3 weeks to reach their full potential and for harvest, with big impressive leaves and delightful taste.

Pesticide. How about pests? Well, it has been observed that pests hate the smell of organic fertilizers, especially our Rapha Humus. So, when sprayed on the plants, it also act as organic insect repellent.

In Containers. If you plant lettuce in containers, make sure the soil is replenished well (about every week) with compost and sprayed regularly with organic liquid fertilizer.

This same procedure is good for pechay and mustard and other similar plants.

Containerized Gardens: Vital Tips When Starting Your Home Organic Vegetable Garden

If you are not a gardener but are about to start your home organic vegetable garden, you may be wondering where you should start. There are various ways to start that's why the job seems daunting and confusing. But a good way to start is buy our HOV gardening kit.

Most people start by buying vegetable seeds (or collecting them from raw vegetables and drying them) and planting them in a seedling container like a wooden box. When the seeds sprout after a few days and grow big enough, they are transferred to a pot or garden plot on the ground.

But in between, there are vital tips you should consider:

1. Choose big enough containers. I know. Small containers for plants seen on Youtube or Google pictures look cute. But reality says containerized gardens are best done with containers that are big enough. Soil in big containers don't dry up as fast as those in small containers. Moreover, it is easier to manage bigger containers especially when it comes to replenishing soil and compost in them.

If you should opt for smaller containers, prepare to do more maintenance work. And that would be difficult in a very limited space.

2. Be careful about watering plants. Plants in containers should be watered gently. Do not pour water or put large amounts at once as to flood the containers. Use sprinklers with fine perforation and water carefully several times (one voluminous watering won't do) to let the water seep into the soil slowly, being careful not to flood the container. Use a sprayer for hanging containers. Containers should have holes at the bottom and/or sides for draining excess water.

3. Choose sunlighty areas. Whatever gardening type you are engaged in, plant in areas where there is enough sunlight. This is a vital reminder especially if you are into home gardening. Slightly or partially lighted rooms or spaces won't do. You either put the plants outdoors or directly facing windows receiving ample sunlight.

The good thing about containerized gardening is that it is portable. You can always transfer them to areas more exposed to sunlight or transfer them to safer places during the rainy season or storms.

4. Green leafy. Green leafy vegetables are mostly easier to plant and grow. So start with lettuce, pechay, or mustard. Easier to grow is sweet potato leaves or camote tops.

5. Keep off from pets and kids. Make sure the containers are out of reach of pets and children. Thus, hanging or shelved gardens or those attached to walls are preferred.

6. Foliarize well. When using foliar organic fertilizer, remember to apply or spray according to set schedules. Containerized plants get limited nutrition from the soil in their containers so they need frequent supplementation.

7. Go organic! Never underestimate the power of organic foliar fertilizer and compost.

For more details please watch the video below: