Dragon fruit rotting (forum)

Captlaw starts with ...
Two of my dragon fruit have started to rot from the ground up. The white one has almost reached the top of the first segment, about 300mm, the flesh has gone a yellow/brown and is soft. Has anyone experienced this and is there a treatment. The red one has just started to go soft from ground up 100mm. All the upper stems are fine except for a little sunburn from the intense heat the past few weeks.

Time: 11th January 2014 10:57am

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phil@tyalgum says...
I found the same thing happened with my red dragon fruit, it is now no longer connected directly with the ground but still continues to grow happily onwards and upwards. The aerial roots seem to be more extensive and have wrapped themselves around the support, I imagine they get most of their water and nutrients in this manner.

Time: 11th January 2014 1:02pm

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About the Author TyalgumPhil
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gimme says...
I went through one of mine with the whippasnippa a few months back. It didn't go through the spine and I'm guessing that feeds the plant, as it had very few aerial roots at the time but still grew.


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Picture: 1

Time: 11th January 2014 1:34pm

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Captlaw says...
There isn't many aerial roots on the white DF plant but has been a very vigorous grower only 11 months from planting and already 5 flowers with 4 fruits formed. Bit worried if the spine doesn't keep the nutrients up to it though


Time: 11th January 2014 3:56pm

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Captlaw says...
The one with nearly the whole lower segment brown is the white and the other a red DF.
Pictures - Click to enlarge

Picture: 1
Picture: 2

Time: 11th January 2014 4:15pm

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Captlaw says...
The one with nearly the whole lower segment brown is the white and the other a red DF.
Pictures - Click to enlarge

Picture: 1
Picture: 2

Time: 11th January 2014 4:15pm

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gimme says...
They look as if they have had too much water like some other cacti I have seen

Time: 11th January 2014 4:58pm

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Captlaw says...
I don't think so it has been really hot and dry and only watered twice a week!!!

Time: 11th January 2014 7:12pm

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Captlaw says...
There are 2 others on each of the posts and they are fine.

Time: 11th January 2014 7:13pm

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sternus1 says...
Dragon fruit can be watered to death if the soil isn't free draining. Clay is especially bad. That said, they can be cooked to death too, they are nothing like an opuntia, and if treated as such will die very quickly.

I would check for parasites. I had very similar rotting to this as a result of some sort of grey slug/worm like creatures which seem to have entered the fleshy outer via the ground. Cactoblastus cactorum will go for dragon fruit, too.

s

Time: 13th January 2014 12:29am

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About the Author sternus1
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gimme says...
Twice a week is still a lot of water if it's not free draining. I only gave my dragonfruit on the post a deep soak twice last year at flowering. It was happy all year without water.

Time: 13th January 2014 9:03pm

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Captlaw says...
Thanks for that, I will check below ground.

Time: 14th January 2014 2:23pm

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Captlaw says...
It does drain well but will find out soon as nature is doing a fair bit of watering right now.

Time: 14th January 2014 2:24pm

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BigH says...
My Dragon fruit clippings where growing fine and now all of sudden they have started to go brown looks like its rotting im not sure what to do? but below the soil its green. is it a fungus we did have 47 degree heat

Time: 15th January 2018 8:12pm

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About the Author BigH
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Fruitylicious1 says...
Hi Big H

Yes you are right. Excessive heat specially during summer will cause dragon fruit stems to be sunburnt hence causing discoloration starting with yellowing and progressing to brownish tint. What professional growers do is to install a 50% shade cloth to protect the DF during forcasted high temp days like high 30's and above. You can remove the cover when the temp goes back to normal. If your DF is in a pot you can shelter it under a tree inside a veranda or pergola.

Overwatering whether by nature (rain) or human can also cause rotting of DF's. They hate waterlogged soil like clay. Plant it on a mound, raised bed or in a big pot to improve drainage.

Since you have not uploaded a picture of the infected pitaya it's very hard to ascertain which one of the various pathogens has infected your DF.

Happy Gardening :-)

Time: 16th January 2018 8:29pm

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Original Post was last edited: 17th January 2018 6:34am

About the Author Fruitylicious1
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phil@tyalgum says...
When putting in your plant it's best to just sit them touching the soil at the base, the roots will develop and enter the ground readily. If the stem is buried it is more likely to rot, so secure it above ground against the support.

Time: 17th January 2018 2:52pm

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BigH says...
hi I have since cut the clippings and removed the rot,

I have left the green still in soil and also the bigger clipping has started to grow, must cuts have gained roots but failed to grow above. they are still green and now I am just patiently waiting to see what happens next,

thank you for the advice.

Time: 2nd March 2018 10:15pm

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