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Tropical Fruits

Dragon Fruit plant is getting thinner

8 years ago

Everything was fine with my young plants, but then I started noticing that they're getting thinner. As if the juices inside the branches are getting sucked out. Its almost skin thin. I can start to see the contours of the inner stem. Is that a sign of under watering?

Featured Answer

gnappi

8 years ago

I am a DF novice but I know that they need regular watering and good soil unlike a cactus which is just about the opposite in every respect.

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Comments (15)

Jason (Zone 10b, San Diego)
8 years ago
DF also need a lot of sunlight. If they do not have a lot of sunlight, all the new growth they put out will be skinny as they try to grow up to the light.

For your particular issue, it may need more watering. Depending on the temperature, I water mine 2-3 times a week.
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Karim Rayes
Original Author
8 years ago
I water it everyday because i have sandy soil, and the sun here is very hot. don't know what the problem is.
Tony Doe(Miami, Florida 10b)
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Have you been fertilizing it? A skinny plant will only produce a small fruit. The fruit will suck the life out of that branch and the branch will be near death.

My neighbor with 30,000 plants just cuts and throw them away. It takes too long for it to recover. A new branch sprouts up faster than that.

If the branch is skinny, then you are going to have to thin out the fruits to one or two per branch to get it to grow to a decent size.
Karim Rayes
Original Author
8 years ago
my plants are very young. they are around 12-15 inches long. I gave them root enhancers and some nutrients in the beginning. they were fine. I was watering them once or twice a week. then I took them out of the pots and planted them on a cement post. i started giving them water everyday and no nutrients in this period. for 3 weeks they were fine. new shoots came out quickly. but a week later the new shoots became skinny. what do I do??
Tony Doe(Miami, Florida 10b)
8 years ago
It would have been better to plant it in 50/50 soil mix. Really Sandy soil will not retain much fertilizer. Most of it will leech right through. It needs fertilizer to get bigger. 6-6-6 fertilizer is one of the cheaper fertilizer to use.

If the new shoots reached its full length, then it will not get much thicker after you fertilize it.
Tony Doe(Miami, Florida 10b)
8 years ago
The other thing you are going to run into by not giving the plant enough fertilizer nutrients is the new shoots at the top of the post will be short stubby. Then all you will get is the small deformed fruits with mostly seed and no flesh.
Karim Rayes
Original Author
8 years ago
so how many times should i fertilize per week? and won't it be harsh for young plants? also, should i cut the new shoots?what's the treatment for the plants in the current situation?
Tony Doe(Miami, Florida 10b)
8 years ago
I would use the water soluble fertilizer for very sandy soil. Follow the label on the bottle or bag. Mix it with the proper amount of water and pour it into the ground.

Stick your finger into the sand to make sure the water reached deep enough into the sand.

Sometimes people think they watered enough but the sand is dry an inch down.
Tony Doe(Miami, Florida 10b)
8 years ago
You can water in between your fertilizing but don't over water and leach all the fertilizer out of the sand.
Tony Doe(Miami, Florida 10b)
8 years ago
You can switch to the time release fertilizer after the plant has it's root established.
Tony Doe(Miami, Florida 10b)
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Just wait to see how the new shoots at the top of the post come out. If they are long, then you are OK.

The new shoots can grow thicker than the ones before it.
Karim Rayes
Original Author
8 years ago
Thank you Tony!
Susana Miranda
4 years ago
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><md>hi guys
Nevin İbik
9 months ago

merhaba bu şekilde bitkinin suyu çekiliyor gibi ve dalların rengide solmuş gibi . neden olabilir. ne yapabilirim nevinibik@hotmail.com.yardımcı olursanız sevinirim. 3 yaşında bitkim

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