Description
Purple Haze Dragon Fruits are so unusual looking that many people think they look like alien eggs, or some fruit from another planet. The 3 to 4-inch fruits are oval and their skins produce alternating petals called fins. They may look otherworldly, but really they are an exotic fruit that grows on a climbing cactus. The Purple Haze Dragon Fruit variety has bright pink skin, green fins, and fluorescent purple or deep pink flesh that tastes like a kiwi mixed with a grape. The fruits can be grown in the ground in USDA Zones 9 to 11, or in pots in Zones 4 to 11.
Purple Haze Dragon Fruit Trees are easy to grow and thrive in hot, dry climates. They like full sun and fast-draining soil. They are resistant to pests, disease, and foragers. All you need is a sunny spot and a pole for the succulent vine to crawl upon and you will soon be harvesting the most delicious conversation piece in your edible landscape garden.
Purple Haze Dragon Fruit Care
Within USDA Zones 9 to 11, plant your Purple Haze Dragon Fruit Plant in the ground. Select a location that gets at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. Dragon Fruit Cactus Plants need a supporting structure to climb. You can plant the plants at the base of a tree, or along a fence. You can also grow a Purple Haze Dragon Fruit Tree at the base of a four-by-four-inch post burried in the ground vertically.
One the Purple Haze Dragon Fruit Plant grows to the top of the post or fence, prune it so it branches out. The fruits grow on the resulting branched stems. Commercial growers will prune their Purple Haze Dragon Fruit Plants in this way until the tops form an umbrella of Dragon Fruit branches to produce many blooms and fruits each year. This same method can be employed for potted Purple Haze Dragon Fruit Trees, growing on a central post secured in the pot. Use fast draining cactus potting soil.
Fruit & Harvesting
Purple Haze Dragon Fruit Plants bloom in early spring and the fruit is usually ripe from May through July. Some Dragon Fruit Trees will bloom at other times of year depending on location, soil, and fertilizer. All Dragon Fruit varieties are fast growing, and you can expect a newly planted Purple Haze to make fruit within its first year. Harvest the pink or red fruits using hand clippers and gloves. While the Purple Haze Dragon Fruit Plants are cacti, they only have small thorns and are not considered terribly thorny.
Cut harvested Purple Haze Dragon Fruits in half lengthwise, and scoop out the vibrant purple pulp. The inside of the fruit has many small, black, crunchy seeds that can be eaten. Purple Haze Dragon Fruits are chilled then eaten fresh, used in salads, and made into smoothies. The ripe, unpeeled fruits can be refrigerated for up to a week. Peeled Purple Haze Dragon Fruits can also be frozen for longer storage. Frozen Purple Haze Dragon Fruit is great for blended drinks or for use in making tropical fruit juice.
Advice
Since Purple Haze Dragon Fruit Trees need to be cut back in order to branch out and grow the most fruit, you will find yourself with many Purple Haze Dragon Fruit branch cuttings. The good news is that Purple Haze Dragon Fruit plants will grow from cuttings so you can grow new plants to cultivate more fruit, or to share the plants. Select 10 to 12-inch cut sections that have undamaged growing ends.
For each cutting, fill a 1-gallon nursery pot about halfway with a coarse mixture of half orchid mix, and half cactus potting soil. Position the Purple Haze Dragon Fruit cutting upright in the pot so that the growing end is facing upward. Continue filling the pot with the same orchid mix/soil blend and fill all the way to the pot’s rim. Place the potted cuttings in full sun to partial shade, and water once per week. Repot when you see roots at the drainage holes.
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