Can Dragon Fruit Plants Survive in Saline Water: Answered

Growing & harvesting dragon fruits in saline water and even salty soil has been experimented and implemented successfully in places around the world.

This is one farmer (Mr. Phuong) who has switched from brine shrimp farming to growing dragon fruits on his land:

Ever tried harvesting dragon fruits on a kayak?

We're getting there:

The water condition around here is super salty. It's around 50‰ or 50 parts of salt per 1000 parts of seawater. As the shrimp population decreased over the years due to water contamination (with increased concentration of toxic gases like H2S, NO2 in the water), Phuong was forced to find some other ways to make a living.

And by a touch of lady serendipity:

By a Stroke of Luck, He Went with Dragon Fruit

He experimented with different dragon fruit varieties from Binh Thuan (central Vietnam) & Tien Giang (south Vietnam). But they could not withstand the harsh salty condition in the land. And with a stroke of good luck, he found the local variety (Camau dragon fruit). It has worked wonders on his land.

But in saline waters like these, people often ask:

In Saline Water, What Dragon Fruit Posts Do You Use?

The dragon fruit posts that we have seen earlier are actually living mangrove trees (Avicennia marina). So, the posts are actually the live living trees. These are highly adapted to saline environments & can provide the nutrients for the dragon fruit vines as they're being the sort of like host trees for the dragon vines.

As the cactus grow, they develop air roots that latch on to the mangrove. Even with the tides falling & rising and the roots being completely soaked in water, the dragon fruit plants will still survive.

How Is the Taste of the Fruits In Such Environment?

Surprisingly, dragon fruits grown in salty environments are pleasantly sweet. There is no chemical fertilizer or boosters because there's practically no place to apply them. If we pour the fertilizer in, it will get carried or flushed away with the moving water before the plants have time to uptake them.

The prices for these saline-water-grown dragon fruits, according to the growers, are triple that of the normal ones. Growing dragon fruits this way, you get fresh, nature-grown sweet treats. If you're looking to grow dragon fruits in saline water in your environment, it is totally possible.

>> Link YouTube:

Besides growing dragons in salty water, people have had good results growing them on salty soil, let's check it out:

Results of Growing Dragon Fruits in Salty Soil

Dragon fruits grown in salty soil give a unique blend of sweet & saltiness. When a pioneer (Mr. Ra) wanted to try out with this idea of planting dragon fruits in his local area, fellow farmers actually laughed and questioned his wild decision. Now, they are all following him to make 10x income for their families.

The place is in sea-bordered saline Tien Giang, which used to be a mass producer of wheat & rice. As rice production became stagnant in the area due to the high levels of salt in the soil, the locals needed to switch to some other ways of farming to sustain their living.

And they went with the dragon fruits, which seemed like an insane choice at the time in this area. When growing dragon fruit this way, the growers usually raise the dragon fruit posts high up & build good ditches for the seawater to escape out.

They utilize local organic materials as fertilizers:

• Straw or hay
• Goat manure
• Cow manure

Dried dragon fruit flowers & dragon fruit skin are also a great source for soil enrichment. The results are nothing short of amazing. People's hard work have paid off and even in the very first year of their planting. The dragons develop big, strong & disease-free fruits. Nothing is more satisfying for the farmers on their returns. And for the consumers to taste truly good dragon fruits.

>> Link YouTube:

Growing Mighty Dragon Fruits

So, if you're wondering whether it is okay for dragon fruits to survive in saline water, the response chord from nature has struck back to our quest with a big powerful Yes. Dragon fruits are warriors on land & even in seawater. This is truly remarkable and with no more doubt let's grow some dragons.

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