dragon fruitDragon fruit, its scientific name is Hylocreus undatus (Haw.) Britt. et Rose), also known as Ba Wang Hua, Triangular Arrow, Triangular Pillar, Overlord Whip, etc. It was a perennially climbing fleshy shrub belonging to the cactus family.
It was distributed from Central America to the northern part of South America and was widely cultivated worldwide. It was introduced and planted in southern provinces such as Guangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, Yunnan, and Guizhou in China. The plant is 3 - 15 meters long, the fruit is a long spherical berry, the skin is red, and the seeds are small and black obovate.
The dragon fruit was rich in plant protein, cyanidins, minerals, and other nutrients. It could be eaten fresh, and it could also be used to make preserved fruits and jam. It also had the function of purifying the air. Its flowers are larger and can be used as ornamental plants and potted specimens. According to records, the stem and flower of the Sky-measuring Ruler could be used as medicine to treat mumps, cough, and other diseases. However, due to its climbing and epiphytic characteristics, it is easy to cause the climbing body to collapse or die. In 2005, the United States of America listed it as a Class II invasive species, and in 2013, China listed it as a Class 5 (to be observed) invasive plant.
In terms of dragon fruit varieties, there were red heart and white heart dragon fruits. The difference between the red and white heart dragon fruits was as follows:
1. Appearance:
- "Skin color: The color of the white heart dragon fruit's skin is light, basically light pink, while the color of the red heart dragon fruit's skin is very dark.
- Fruit shape: When buying, choose the round and plump ones first. The fatter the fruit, the higher the maturity, the more delicious it is. The slender ones are relatively less sweet.
- Fruit peel and leaves: The shorter the leaves on the fruit peel, the more delicious they are. The slender dragon fruit leaves are longer, and the round and fat leaves are shorter.
2. In terms of taste, the red-heart dragon fruit was sweet and fragrant, while the white-heart dragon fruit was sweet and fragrant. Generally speaking, the red-heart dragon fruit was sweeter than the white-heart dragon fruit, but it also varied from person to person.
3. In terms of price, the production of red-heart dragon fruit was relatively low, and the demand was high. The price was usually higher than white-heart dragon fruit. The production of white-heart dragon fruit was higher, and its price was usually two to three times lower than that of red-heart dragon fruit.
4. In terms of nutritional value, the red-heart dragon fruit had the effect of detoxification and beauty. It was rich in nutritional fiber and promoted the digestion of the stomach. It was beneficial for people who lost weight. It also contained more iron elements and was beneficial for people with iron-deficiency leukemia. The white-heart dragon fruit's main function was also detoxification and beauty, but its other nutritional value was less than that of the red-heart dragon fruit.
In terms of dragon fruit planting, the three main conditions were that the branches had to be old and fat, the light had to be sufficient, and the temperature had to be high. Most of the dragon fruits could bear fruit even if their tails were not cut off. Moreover, dragon fruits liked to bear fruit at the tail end. The location where they bore fruit was mostly the sunlit surface and the top where nutrients flowed back. It was more suitable for the dragon fruit branches to grow to about 80 centimeters, but trimming the top was not a necessary condition for fruit. Don't frequently trim the top for fruit. If you want the dragon fruit to bear more fruits, you should focus on nourishing the branches and placing them in a place with sufficient light. In addition, if the dragon fruit only bloomed but did not bear fruit, it could be smeared with pollen that had been prepared in advance on the night of flowering to help it bear fruit. This method was also applicable to other types of plants.
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