Dragonfruit Pole (forum)

Richard starts with ...
I have purchases a couple of Dragonfruit plants. I am looking at creating a pole. Have had a quick look through some other topics and found a few snippets about using either concrete or pvc to create a pole and put hessian onto it so the plant can grip on to it.

Have dug some spare 90mm PVC stormwater pipe 0.5m into the ground and 1.5m above and I using T sections and right angles to create a .5m square on top with a centre line.

With the hessian was interested if anyone knew the best way of attaching that to the pipe in a non toxic way.

Was thinking maybe a glue or clips fastened perhaps.

Any ideas?

Also interested if anyone has a better design that might be worth looking at.


Cheers

Time: 9th March 2011 11:07am

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Richard says...
Used screws drilled into pole. Seemed to work fine.

Time: 10th March 2011 11:24am

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John I. says...
Hi Richard, have you got some pictures?

Time: 10th March 2011 12:01pm

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Wayne says...
Richard
Be aware that the storm water pipe will break down after a year or two without a good paint job and it will probably collapse before that from the weight. I see you are in Robina so go get some iron bark/wattle or any local hardwood tree trunk. Say about 2.4m long and 100/125mm diameter. Dig it in 600mm and place a cross on top. I used treated poles and it was a mistake

Time: 10th March 2011 6:05pm

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John Mc says...
yes, or visit your local second hand timber yard. They'll have some old 90 x 45 or 90 x 90 hardwood.

Time: 10th March 2011 6:25pm

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speedy says...
Pitaya get very heavy when mature, nearly imposible to lift back up if they collapse their support.
they can get to 100's of kgs when mature.
remember they're a cactus ie they love water and once they store it they dont want to give it up.
I'd be going for a very strong support, like Wayne said , a hardwood tree trunk.
I'd even go 150-200mm dia just to be sure.
just letting you know that before it's too late.


Time: 10th March 2011 7:33pm

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Original Post was last edited: 10th March 2011 7:37pm

About the Author Speedy
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amanda says...
I have seen poles used in a commercial orchard and they were hardwood (as above) and also had an iron ring/s at the top (horizontal) - a bit like training weeping trees?

So the cactus climbed up and then "umbrelled" out over the ring/s and drooped down. It was all heavy duty as the guys say above...

Sorry - hard to explain. If I can find more info/pics I will post.

Nice to see u still around Speedy - hope u survived the flooding ok etc.. :)


Edit - here is a quick link from googling "dragon fruit trellis" ...(maybe try googling "growing dragon fruit" etc..?)

http://www.gardenguides.com/85945-build-trellis-dragonfruit.html

Time: 10th March 2011 11:35pm

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About the Author amanda19
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Richard says...
Hi,

Cheers for the information, yeh the PVC pipe doesn't seem rigid enough. Put it in and and won't last. I thought about link several together to make more rigid and brace perhaps.

Problem I find with timber is Termites are prolific in the gold coast so the timber will get hammered and the treated pine will be too toxic with the dragon fruit sending roots into it. Maybe a certain hardwood less likely to be attacked by termites. sounds like not a bad idea.

Hi Amanda, couldn't get that link to work for the trellis design. Work ok for you?

Time: 11th March 2011 11:19am

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Elke says...
The link worked for me... Also, I have read a lot about the air roots that they through out on a yahoo group, I think personally that you can use treated pine. The air roots are not feeding the plant. Good luck, I used PVC for my plants in pots and so far so good, but they are very young and I probably have to change this as soon as I transfer them to the ground. I saw a terrific DF plant at Port Macquary the other day, in full fruit (20+).

Time: 11th March 2011 12:22pm

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About the Author Elke
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amanda says...
Can u lightly cement the posts in? Maybe then the termites can't get to them....? Wayne was a builder - he might know :)
They would then have to come to/up the post via their tunnel things - u would see them then..

I just googled "dragon fruit trellis" ... and chose that link - there were a few.

Time: 11th March 2011 5:32pm

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About the Author amanda19
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BJ says...
How about recyled plastic poles? They will never be eaten. Dont use treated pine, the aerial roots break open the cracks in the pine and destroy them quite quickly.

Time: 11th March 2011 8:24pm

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About the Author Theposterformerlyknownas
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John Mc says...
The main concern here is getting the hole deep enough so it won't fall over.
Even larger posts will fall over if they're not in the ground far enough.
As long as the material you are using is very strong, similar to hardwood spec's.
A commercial plantation about an hours drive north from my place uses s/h 100 x 50mm hardwood joists only.
Bigger is always better of course, if you can get larger spec easily then it's definately the way to go, it will take longer to rot out as well, but 100 x 50 hardwood is very easily obtainable and cheap. I wouldn't clamp two pieces together to get a bigger spec because it gives the termites an easy path up the middle.
Wayne recommends 600mm deep, no less.


Time: 12th March 2011 12:01am

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Original Post was last edited: 12th March 2011 12:03am

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Wayne says...
Richard
Termites will not touch iron bark/stringy bark/rosewood, all local hardwoods in your area. 600mm is deep enough, you could pour a bag of quickset concrete around the post if you wish.

Time: 12th March 2011 2:13am

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About the Author Wayne
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Brendan says...
Hi Richard,
You could concrete in a piece of 4" (100mm) PVC,(say 2400 to 2700mm long), 600mm deep, then fill the PVC with concrete, then drop/force a 12 or 19mm piece of galv. threaded rod down inside the concrete filled PVC, leaving it ~ 150 above the top.
When it's set, say 48hours, bolt some timber on top to make a T shape.
That won't rot, fall over etc.
Or put two PVC posts in as above, then join them together with a piece of solid timber.

Time: 12th March 2011 9:42am

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Richard says...
Cheers will look into the stringy bark or iron bark poles.

Time: 14th March 2011 8:55am

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John says...
Has anyone had much luck or problems growing the Dragon fruit up living trees.

Time: 22nd January 2012 5:00pm

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BJ says...
It depends on your tree. if its a big tree it will put all its energy into growth and not fruit well, and will bring down the tree before you get a good crop. If its a smaller tree, it may work, if you cut it back as it will be vigorous if shaded by the host tree. they get fruit fly, so best to keep them within the range of control. a rogue df plant in my fathers rainforest patch has covered a huge old fig tree and regularly brings down large limbs. they often bring down big gums when drought or water stressed.

Time: 22nd January 2012 8:27pm

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John says...
thanks for that BJ, just thinking of ways that I can support it with out worrying about termites too much or using a treated pole.

Time: 22nd January 2012 10:55pm

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PaulGC says...
Ancient forum thread I know, but my two cents - I see some say you should not use treated pine. I used a 100mm treated pine post with black builders plastic from bunnings wrapped around it followed by old shade cloth wrapped around it (for the roots to grab). I used a staple gun to attach that and made a simple frame on top. I used a bag of quick set bag of concrete in the hole with about 1800 of the post above ground. Got a couple of delicious fruit in the first season just about to put a couple more posts in. This time I will just put a another round post on top between the two poles for them to grow over.

Time: 22nd May 2019 12:36pm

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davewastech1 says...
I read that a dragonfruit can live for 20 to 30 years - so you may want your support to be durable.
Regarding treated pine - if it's CCA (copper chrome arsenic) I'm not too sure I'd want to plant edible foods too close to suck up arsenic that leaches into soil)
In Vietnam (world's biggest producer) the farmers use a square section concrete post. I presume it has steel reinforcing.

Time: 19th June 2020 9:53am

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