Can you hydroponically grow pitayas?

How to Grow Pitaya

• Answer:

  The pitaya (Hylocereus undatus) is also known as the pitahaya or nightblooming cactus. Its edible fruit are known as strawberry pears or dragon fruit. It is a climbing cactus species from the tropical Americas but is widely cultivated for its fruit in Southeast Asia. Pitaya fruit are up to 4 inches long with large red scales with green tips. The flesh is white or red and dotted with tiny black seeds. The yellow pitaya (Selenicereus megalanthus) produces similar fruit that is yellow in color. Pitaya cactus plants can grow in areas with minimum temperatures of 31 degrees Fahrenheit and can survive light frosts. Difficulty: Moderately Easy Things You'll Need Sharp knife Heavy clay pot Potting compost Perlite or sand Palm tree fertilizer Compost or rotted manure Instructions Grow pitaya cactus from a stem cutting taken from a mature plant. Sever an entire terminal section of a stem at the base using a sharp knife. Choose a section between 6 and 15 inches long. Dip the cut section in fungicide powder and leave it to dry in a dry, shady spot for a week. Plant your pitaya section in a large, clay pot of standard compost mixed with 30 percent sharp sand or perlite. Place the pot in a shady but warm spot and keep the compost moist but not waterlogged. Plant out your rooted cutting after six months in its pot. Choose a sunny spot with some midday shade with soil that does not flood. Dig a hole three times as wide and deep as the pot. Add 50 percent well-rotted manure or garden compost to the soil. Remove the cutting from the pot without disturbing the root ball, and plant your pitaya at the same level it was in its pot. Use excess soil to build a berm or well around the plant. Water your pitaya twice a week during the warm months of the year, aiming to evenly moisten the soil around it. Reduce watering just before the spring flowering season to encourage flowering. Fertilize your pitaya plant every two months with 1/4 lb. fertilizer formulated for palm trees. Increase the level of fertilization as the plant grows. By the fourth year of growth, you should be applying up to 3/4 lb. fertilizer per plant up to four times a year. Supplement fertilizer with 4 lbs. of garden compost or well-rotted mature during the first year, increasing this to 6 lbs. in subsequent years. Tips & Warnings Tip: Mature pitaya plants can weigh several hundred pounds and require a strong trellis or other structure to support them. Individual plants can be grown over a pile of rocks or supported by a thick, tall wooden post. Warning: Do not allow compost to touch the main stem of your pitaya cactus as it may cause rotting.