I checked out the landline website but all it's telling me is that a couple won the dragon pearl fruit and that's it. so sorry, no I have not heard about it so let us know, when you find out what it is. It sounds very interesting

Miss Eggy

Ditto haven't heard of it myself but Cactus fruit can be delicious especially Prickly pear.
Regards Dave61

I'm sure We are growing what you are chasing though didn't see the program. PITAYA(Hylocereus)-dragon fruit .There are sites and info on the internet. Daleys[www.daleysfruit.com.au) sells the red and yellow. A local grew the large red pitaya(a small quantity] and sold them to our local grocer. They were delicious, we planted the seeds and they are growing slow but fine. The yellow one is suppose to taste even better. Outside Kyogle in an old abandoned area there are two growing rampant and wild.They are up very large trees and cover quite an area of ground as well. One is the yellow, it has just had loads of flowers and the fruit is half grown already[unfortunately we are leaving town this week] but we have cuttings which have grown inches already.

Wicked!!!!
I live in Perth city, and we only just discovered a red fruit exactly like that and it was labelled Dragon Pearl fruit too.. but they're like 5 dollars each! I hadn't heard of it before until Marg put this post up.. and then two days ago mum was going on about growing fruit from our rhipsalis or something and I told her that couldn't be possible because they simply couldn't grow big enough to produce a fruit of that quantity! so I check it out and sure enough there was this picture that seem descriptive of rhipsalis. I was puzzled. thank goodness there's someone like linden who could fill us in!
Well I'm thinking about buying it!

Miss Eggy

Hi Guys
I think yellow pitaya is a Selenicereus but not sure if anyone has any seedlings or seeds could they please let me know.
Regards Dave 61

I have found out lots since posting this. Its bot. name is PITAYA (Hylocereus sp) H. undatus is red skinned.
H. polyrhisus has a small fruit. red skin and dark-red flesh and more spines than the others.
Selllenicereus megalanthus is yellow skin and clear to white flesh. 2 types available ie red (not so sweet) and yellow needs cross pollination.
Two types are available from www.daleysfruit.com.au. But orders must be of $100 plus GST plus $29 freight with each order. The price of each plant is $9.75. I got their catalogue and was surprised with all the exotic and unheard of fruits, as well as the ordinary. This nursery is at Kyogle, and has a retail sales section. If anyone lives or knows someone local that would be the way to to.
Regards. Marg McN

Thanx Marg I think I have Yellow Pitaya advertised somewhere
else but now that I havr technical name I may be able to track it down through a Cactus Retailer.
Regards Dave Hall

I think some nurseries around here have been selling pitayas. so if I find and buy one, I'll send a cutting or something to anyone who's interested (for free.. I'm not sure this is legal, if it isn't, let me know), will cuttings work by the way?
Miss Eggy

Hi Miss Eggy
Cuttings will work and I am interested
Regards Dave61

Here's two sites you might find interesting; the first is a nursery, featured on Gardening Australia, and the second is a UK website where the guy shows how he grew a dragon fruit from seed.
http://www.fruitspirit.com.au/ (great selection of seeds/cuttings)
http://www.personal.u-net.com/~treetops/home.html (go to "grow your own exotic plants").

I have had a look around and no-one seems to have heard of anything like this. So I have to say, buying a plant is not an option sorry Dave.

The fruit is being sold regularly at a mart down the road from my place and my mother is considering growing from the seeds! so if we're successful, I'll let you guys know and we'll see.

Miss Eggy

Why, oh why didn't this start before I left Kyogle. I could have sent you all truckloads. My seedlings and cuttings are growing very fast and hopefully before too long I can share some. Also, don't suppose its a help but Daleys does have suppliers/agents listed in the front of their catalogue even one in W.A. And there is one at Bundaberg. The fruit does have literally hundreds of seeds so they are still probably a cheap seed packet even at their price plus you get the fruit as well.

here is a bit more info, goes into useful detail about growing methods to produce a good fruiting plant.

http://www.nt.gov.au/dpif/pubcat/agnotes/778.htm

Hi I have just planted over 500 dragon fruit plants and hope to have a commercial crop in two years.I don't know of anyone else in Qld.growing them but I would like to talk with them.Please call if I can be of help

I know a nursery that sells the Pitaya. I'll do a bit of research on the subjest and get back to you all asap. Regards Joy.

hello to all in dragon fruit land im happy to tell all ive just bort 350 red and getting a 1000 in a month or two if some one can help me find a large numer of the yellow that are for sale please call me or email me . ph:0416258605

Marg I have sent you an email. I can send you some peices if you like of both the red and yellow. along with instructions

Ironstone Lagoon nursery has dragon pearl fruit plants in Darwin

Hi Marg, How did you get on with the cuttings I sent you a few months back of the Red Pitaya? Did it strike at all. I put in a few cuttings myself and they all struck, so I have quite few plants now.
Regards, Joy.

Our local safeway supermarket had some dragon fruit in stock yesterday. There was no tag on them, so I asked one of the workers how much they were, and they told me that they didnt know what they were, and that I could have them for free!!! Silly me, I only picked 2, I should have got all 6 of them, but then again, I shouldent be greedy.

I saw them in Woolies this week for $10 per kilo

They sell here for about 50c each, but i have to say after all this raving over their taste I personally found it a bit tasteless and watery (of course, it is a cactus so its fruit would be watery!). But they do look like a fascinating plant to grow. I just planted some seeds but there was too much so had to throw the rest away! I dont know if they keep well stored..any ideas?
Cleveland

I'm a bit late but yes I am growing 3 pitaya species - red skin red flesh, crimson/pink skin white flesh and the yellow skinned clear fleshed.

Looking forward to my first fruit harvest after Xmas.

Miss Eggy

This sounds interesting. Could you let me know where you can buy the fruit in Perth?

Thanks
Morie

the mart is not selling the fruit anymore.. sorry. when they come out with it again sometime this year I'll be sure to grab a few fruit!
the place is called, "Herdsman's Growers Market" and it's on Pearson Road, in the north of perth... just outside of Herdsman's Lake.
I'm moving house so it'll be harder for me to grab but then again, i found i'm not particularly into the fruit anymore. just a one time thing i guess.
miss eggy

Thanks Miss Eggy

I know it well and go there regularly. An amazing range of products. I'll keep an eye out.

HI,

My name is Paul and I love to eat this fruit so much.
I want to have the fruit for my mother (she haven't
eat it for 20 years since we moved to USA). If anyone
can sell me some cuttings of both the red and yellow
kind, I really appreciate. I will pay for all shipment
and package. Please help.Thank you.

Hi Paul
Ive only got the red one and only in small quantities but if no-one else can help you out i will
just e-mail me and we can talk

Hi all, just found this site. i tried this fruit out last summer and kept the seeds. they didn't grow!! got mine in Woolies for around $4.
have eaten the fruit from the epiphyllums which can be quite tasty and a bit like passionfruit. some others were bitter. think this is a summer fruit.
Jancc

If anyone's still interested I have a few fresh seed from a red skinned white fleshed dragonfruit bought at safeway (woolworths) I have planted some and all have germinated. Would love to swap for seed of a yellow or red fleshed one. Jus.

Hey I'm miss eggy, just changed the username... times changes and so does the person!

anyway... this has got to be the oldest thread I've ever come across.. I cant believe it's still here!

I'd like to buy some off u (rivermint) if u dont mind... I dont have any dragon pearl fruit hence the askance.

I'll be back.

I have just planted out seeds of the white fleshed variety and will be happy to trade either seedlings or seeds for yellow and red fleshed varieties.

We bought ours at Woolies where they were listed at SEVENTEEN DOLLARS A KILO!! :o

Sorry jen, just got back to this thread and saw your request. Email me, happy to send some if you still want. (apologies to marg for the irrelevant email) Cheers.

Hi all,

I found the pitaya being sold at Phoenix shopping centre, in the tropical fruit section (small, and even has lady finger bananas!).

I understand that the pitay can still grow in a sandy soil. So go WA!

For those searching for Pitaya, I found my first (and only bought one, at this stage) at a nursery, within an area where there mainly lived people of an asian (in particular those from Vietnam). They love it and the nurseries cater for them. This might help if other nurseries are lacking.

Good luck!

Greetings from -21 centigrade !

I'm a "late bloomer" concerning this discussion, but found it while browsing for information concerning certain types of fruiting cactii.

It might be that the "dragon pearl" that Marg_Mc asked for is a pitahaya (Hylocereus), but it is also possible that it is a fruit of a cactii of an Epiphyllum anguliger or related species. All these cactuses are epiphytic and originate from Central and South America. I have bought some fruits of them in Malaysia, they were sold by name Dragon pearl, although that name normally means fruit of different pitahayas in S.E.Asia.

Ten years ago I got a cutting of a leafy cactus from a tomato grower friend of mine. He got it from a vicar friend of his who got it from a friend of his etc. Story goes that it might be originally from some botanical garden in U.K. The only thing my friend knew was that it produces large white flowers, which are fragrant, and later produces fruit, which are sweet and strawberry flavoured.

It took two years before my cutting bloomed, but Oh Boy what results!

15 fragrant flowers, followed by 9 green-reddish fruits, about the size of an hen's egg.

And the taste! Succulent, sweet and sligthely strawberry tasting. Small black seeds that need not to be removed. Taste is better and sweeter than that of a red pitahaya and slighly sweeter than yellow pitahaya, which I also grow.

This cactus is easily propagated from cuttings and these days some 15 friends of mine grow these "orchid cactuses", mostly on their windowsill (due to our arctic climate). What is amazing is that the size and shape of the cactus, as the shapes of their branches, varies from individual to another. Some plants produce flat "zig-zag" leaves, some more cylinder shaped, some both types on same plant. This is probably due to different temperature, light and soil conditions. I grow my plants on a type of epiphyte soil, 30 % bark, 30% moss and 40% sandy mulch. But some friends of mine grow it on a desert type cactus mulch, and still their plants thrive.

Light or temperature doesn't seem to play major part in blooming. Conditions of my friends vary, some live in central heated apartments and keep their plant on windowsill, year around. Some (as I) live in a house. I heat my house with fireplaces, which means quite high humidity (compared with central heating), modest temperature and some draft. Light is sparse, same as with most of my orchids. During summermonths (June-August) temperatures might rise to +25-30 C, believe it or not, and we enjoy "midnight sun". I place my Epiphyllum's outside, at the branches of appletrees. Conditions are as ideal for a such cactus as can be.

I and some friends enjoy of regular blooming and fruiting, I just ate two fruits few days ago. Some have never seen their cactus in bloom but enjoy of beautiful foliage. There seems to be no common factor who succeeds in blooming.

Despite of all this, I don't know the exact nature of my...

I have a small (young) Pitaya growing well in my backyard here on the Gold Coast. No fruit yet. I got some cuttings a couple of years ago but they died. It seemed they got major sunburn and died in the drought. They just turned into brown mush. This was not what I expected from a cactus as I had done no research on how to grow them. I had them planted in the hottest, driest spot that was super well draining against a north facing fence.

My first puchased plant is growing well in a moist position by a west facing fence. The soil is a clay loam with good drainage. The plant has trippled in size in about 2 months of torrential rains. I also recently puchased a 1m tall plant from Bunnings for $20. I have put this in a very wet spot (partially chosen through lack of options) which has heavy clay soil and poor drainage - that may end up too wet, we'll see.

Some massive plants grow in Byron Bay (white variety) in northern NSW. They are growing on the sand dunes amongst the other trees right next to the beach. This indicates that they are very salt tolerant and that the roots can handle drying out. These do not seem to produce much fruit though.

I hope this is of help to someone.

Scott

What a marathon discussion ! Thk God I found this site though kind of late. I have been growing lots of the red & white flesh species and dying to try out some yellow skinned ones. Could someone please help either with seeds / seedlings / cuttings. Would be much appreciated and all costs absorbed. More than willing to reciprocate your good deed.

Hi All, wondering if anyone has heard of a fruit tree called the Lukmar or Lukma. Apparently the tree bears heavy crops of large maple syrup flavored fruits. I think its a native of South America. I gotta get me some of these trees! I have heard fruit Spirit Dr Paul Lecher might have them, but I can't track him down as yet. Any info gratefully received. Cheers, Bee

Here is a link that might be useful: Merri Bee Organic farm