Pitaya
7
5Will it grow where I live?
Pitaya is not winter-hardy in Central Europe (zone 10): outdoors from spring to autumn only, otherwise a container plant overwintered frost-free. The summer heat it needs to ripen is out of reach outdoors in Central Europe – greenhouse or conservatory.
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Profile
- Family
- Cactaceae
- Habit
- Climber
- Height
- 4.5 m
- Spread
- 4.5 m
- Growth
- fast
- Lifespan
- 20 years
- First yield
- after 3 years
- Hardiness
- zone 10–13
- Shade tolerance
- light shade
- Soil
- Sand, Silt, Loam
- Soil moisture
- semi-dry – very moist
- pH
- 6 – 7.5
Varieties (14)
14 varieties of Pitaya are listed in the Permaplans variety finder — each with its own page: taste, ripening time, disease resistance, parentage and use.
- American Beauty Self-fertile beginner variety with bright magenta, juicy-sweet flesh.
- Bloody Mary Small aromatic fruit with deep red flesh and decorative green-scaled skin.
- Condor Very large white-fleshed variety with mild, juicy taste.
- Cosmic Charlie Productive variety with large, deep-pink fruit and a herbal-sweet aroma.
- David Bowie Large, white-fleshed variety with a mild, refreshing taste.
- Delight Sweet, colour-intense variety with firm flesh and good production.
- Halley's Comet Large, self-fertile variety with sweet magenta flesh.
- Isis Gold Sweet, self-fertile white-fleshed variety with a golden-tinged skin.
- Makisupa Self-fertile red-fleshed variety with sweet, juicy flesh.
- Physical Graffiti Vivid fuchsia variety with rich flavour - needs a pollination partner.
- Purple Haze Self-fertile variety with large fruit and deep purple-red flesh.
- Sugar Dragon Small, extremely sweet fruit with rosewater-berry aroma - top beginner variety.
- Vietnamese White Highly productive white-fleshed standard - ideal for smoothies and as a universal pollinator.
- Yellow Dragon Small yellow pitahaya with white flesh - the sweetest dragon fruit of all.
Uses
Frequently asked questions
Pitaya: how big does it get?
Pitaya (Hylocereus undatus) grows as a Climber and reaches roughly 4.5 m in height when mature, with a spread of about 4.5 m. Growth is fast.
Pitaya: what site does it need?
Pitaya tolerates light shade. Suitable soils are Sand, Silt, Loam. Soil moisture should be in the range semi-dry – very moist. The pH may lie between 6 and 7.5.
Pitaya: is it hardy?
Pitaya is listed as hardy in zone 10–13 and survives normal winters outdoors there.
Pitaya: will it grow in Central Europe?
Pitaya is not winter-hardy in Central Europe (zone 10): outdoors from spring to autumn only, otherwise a container plant overwintered frost-free. The summer heat it needs to ripen is out of reach outdoors in Central Europe – greenhouse or conservatory.
Pitaya: is it poisonous?
No toxicity is recorded for Pitaya. With wild plants, never rely on a database alone — only on a confident identification.
Pitaya: what is it used for?
Rated on a scale up to 10: Edible 7/10, Other uses 5/10.
Which Pitaya varieties are there?
The Permaplans variety finder lists 14 varieties of Pitaya, including American Beauty, Bloody Mary, Condor, Cosmic Charlie, David Bowie, Delight, Halley's Comet, Isis Gold, Makisupa, Physical Graffiti, Purple Haze, Sugar Dragon and 2 more. Each variety has its own page with taste, ripening time, disease resistance and parentage.
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Community experience
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