Growing Guides
Cultivation Notes
Practical growing advice from Simon's own farm in Champion Lakes, WA — written from real hands-on experience, with more guides added as time goes on.
Step by Step
Guides to get you growing
Everything Simon has documented so far — with more guides being added over time.
Harvesting, Storage & Troubleshooting
30–50 days from flower to fruit. How to tell when it’s ready, how to store it, and the most common issues to watch for in peak season.
Read guide
Pollination
Flowers open one night only. How hand-pollination works, when to do it, and which varieties need a cross-pollinator to set fruit.
Read guide
Fertilising
Light feeders — too much nitrogen delays fruiting. When to use a balanced NPK and when to switch to potassium before flowering.
Read guide
Watering & Irrigation
Drought tolerant once established — but overwatering is the most common mistake. How Simon uses drip irrigation to keep roots healthy.
Read guide
Trellises & Support Structures
Dragon fruit are climbing cacti and need strong support. Simon’s approach to posts, platforms, and letting canes cascade naturally.
Read guide
Soil & Site Preparation
Well-draining sandy loam, pH 6–7, full sun and a north-facing position. Getting the foundations right before you plant.
Read guide
Variety Accuracy
A note on naming accuracy
You only need to be in the dragon fruit industry for a few years to discover issues with misnaming varieties and naming varieties with varietal names already in existence.
For example, with the Isis Gold / Israel Gold / Aussie Gold issue, when doing some research, I've come up with 17 names with different combinations of the above names plus others — Hawaiian Gold and Thai Gold may also be the same. You'll no doubt see claims that some are the same and others saying they're different. With plenty of opinions about, we'll never know the truth without a scientific DNA test.
At present there are a number of varieties that have two of the same name getting around. For example, there are two Pink Diamonds — one the size of Sugar Dragon and a larger fruit. There are two by the name of Scotts Purple, one originating at Tamborine Dragon Fruit Farm (now closed) with red flesh, and another from a large farm in Queensland with purple flesh. My belief is the TDF one is correct and the argument for the other seems to be just that it's purple. Another example is Malaysian Purple — there's also a large fruited "Malay Purple" and a plant with a smaller fruit similar to S8. Which are correct we'll never know.
I do commit to posting photos of both and being as honest as I can, leaving it up to you to choose the fruit of your liking.
Terminology
Key terms explained
Pruina
Also known as farina, this is an epicuticular wax. Pruina is a powdery or farinaceous substance that can be found on a number of varieties, mainly Ocamponis and its hybrids (e.g. Tricia, El Grullo). Pruina can be easily removed, makes the plant impermeable to water, and protects the dragon fruit from solar radiation and possibly bacteria and insects.
Brix
A unit of measurement which indicates the percentage of dissolved solids — in this case sugars — to be found in the juice. It is measured using a refractometer and is widely used in the food, beverage, and agricultural industries to determine the sugar content and ripeness of fruits and vegetables. A Brix of one indicates the presence of one gram of fructose in 100 grams of solution, equating to 1% sugar by mass.
Self Fertile
As the name suggests, this variety will set fruit using its own pollen, but may need some assistance — e.g. hand pollination.
Self Pollinating
It will set fruit without any assistance at all.
Self Sterile
As its name suggests, it's sterile to its own pollen and will need to be cross pollinated with pollen from another variety.
Questions about cultivation?
Get in touch with Simon directly — he's happy to answer growing questions and share advice.