Dragon fruit question

grouseguy · 04-05-2015, 10:44 AM

Hello everyone,

I have moved into my home in Leesburg, Florida. I have some Dragonfruit cuttings which I have started in small pots, and are ready for transplant. I am going to build a trellis support for it. Can I use pressure treated lumber for the support, or will that damage the plant, or worse, cause the fruit to absorb toxic chemicals?

Thanks in advance,

Tom

JP · 04-05-2015, 11:08 AM

Great question. Ask the manufacturer of the pressure treated wood and let us know!!!

mofire · 04-05-2015, 12:48 PM

I would seriously doubt that any chemicals from the wood could leach into or be absorbed by the fruit or vine. Pressure treated wood or plastic decking type material would be perfect. I have stained wood and have had no problems with chemicals contamination in my plants.

JP · 04-05-2015, 01:05 PM

Anyways, pretty much all soil is contaminated by something these days...

Hammocked Banana · 04-05-2015, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mofire

I have stained wood and have had no problems with chemicals contamination in my plants.

...that you know of. Do not use the green pressure treated lumber.

Richard · 04-06-2015, 01:04 AM

Pressure treated lumber has been infused with copper compounds. This is exactly what is needed to protect Hylocereus species from bacterial spot disease.

Quote:

Originally Posted by grouseguy

Hello everyone,

I have moved into my home in Leesburg, Florida. I have some Dragonfruit cuttings which I have started in small pots, and are ready for transplant. I am going to build a trellis support for it. Can I use pressure treated lumber for the support, or will that damage the plant, or worse, cause the fruit to absorb toxic chemicals?

Thanks in advance,

Tom

JP · 04-06-2015, 07:46 AM

And arsenic too...

Richard · 04-06-2015, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JP

And arsenic too...

Depends when and where it was manufactured. In the US, EPA regulations and some state regulations regarding pressure treated lumber have changed substantially in the last decade.

JP · 04-06-2015, 11:08 AM

Still, I don't trust the product, the companies or the governments in this case. I wouldn't use it to support plants. I'd rather use bamboo.

Richard · 04-06-2015, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JP

Still, I don't trust the product, the companies or the governments in this case. I wouldn't use it to support plants. I'd rather use bamboo.

Dragon fruit are tree climbing cacti with long and heavy vine-like pods. Bamboo would fail to support dragon fruit plants unless you made a very large and sturdy lattice.

JP · 04-06-2015, 03:35 PM

Trust me, it would be sturdy! And it will as I have a few DG of my own... I'll try to post pics when I make it.

harveyc · 04-08-2015, 05:24 PM

In Asia, the use of concrete posts is fairly popular.

Richard · 04-08-2015, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JP

Trust me, it would be sturdy! And it will as I have a few DG of my own... I'll try to post pics when I make it.

The poster of this question is growing outdoors, and I assume that in Quebec you are growing indoors. The nature of the plant in the two environments is quite different.

Here is a picture of one plant growing outdoors in a 15-gallon pot. The pods you see are 3-4 inches across, over a foot long, and the buds are 4-6 inches across. As you can see, the redwood lattice support is buckling under the weight.

JP · 04-08-2015, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard

The poster of this question is growing outdoors, and I assume that in Quebec you are growing indoors. The nature of the plant in the two environments is quite different.

Here is a picture of one plant growing outdoors in a 15-gallon pot. The pods you see are 3-4 inches across, over a foot long, and the buds are 4-6 inches across. As you can see, the redwood lattice support is buckling under the weight.

Wouldn't you agree that bamboo is sturdier than redwood? I do agree that it is a heavy plant, even if grown inside. I wasn't talking about the little bamboo sticks but the larger ones and these are pretty tough and weather resistant. By the way, nice pics. Are they yours?

Richard · 04-09-2015, 01:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JP

... I wasn't talking about the little bamboo sticks but the larger ones ...

Being specific is very helpful to readers here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JP

.By the way, nice pics. Are they yours?

Yes, originally posted here in 2010.

SlipperySlope · 04-11-2015, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JP

Wouldn't you agree that bamboo is sturdier than redwood? I do agree that it is a heavy plant, even if grown inside. I wasn't talking about the little bamboo sticks but the larger ones and these are pretty tough and weather resistant.

When I was in SE Asia last month, I saw a number of dragon fruit trellises made out of bamboo. If I had to guess, I'd say the vertical pillars were in the 2-4 inch range. The typical set up was four posts and then a lattice (also of bamboo) on top with the plant sprawled across.

Richard · 04-12-2015, 10:44 PM

When I was at Lowe's last week, I examined many packages of bamboo stakes from 0.375 inch to 1.5 inch diameters. All had been heavily treated with copper hydroxide as evident in both the surface coloring (green) and the manufacturer's online MSDS.

I think we can all agree that dragon fruit (Hylocereus species and hybrids) need sturdy supports when grown with a serious approach for fruit production. Certainly 0.25 inch bamboo stakes will not do this. I think we'd also all agree we'd like support materials that won't impact the health of those eating the fruit. How you choose to meet the latter requirement is going to depend a lot on local availability of materials.

harveyc · 04-12-2015, 11:34 PM

In Nicaragua and many areas of Central America, they are grown using living support plants which are frequently pruned. I took a private tour of a farm in Nicaragua in July 2013. Our guide did not know the species name of the plant used for the trellis, but it worked very well.

gnappi · 04-14-2015, 04:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JP

And arsenic too...

No worries there, Arsenic is gone from PT lumber, the new stuff is not as good.

The Tropical Fruit Forum has a number of threads on trellis making for dragonfruit

JP · 04-14-2015, 08:01 PM

When I was living in Mauritius, another type, similar to df but fruitless, was used as a fence. It leaned on a metal wire treillis supported by metal posts. It was effective.

04-05-2015, 10:44 AM	#1 (permalink)
grouseguy Location: Leesburg,Fl Find me on the map! Zone: 9 Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 3 BananaBucks : 8,422 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 22 Times Was Thanked 5 Times in 2 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 2 Times	Dragon fruit question Hello everyone, I have moved into my home in Leesburg, Florida. I have some Dragonfruit cuttings which I have started in small pots, and are ready for transplant. I am going to build a trellis support for it. Can I use pressure treated lumber for the support, or will that damage the plant, or worse, cause the fruit to absorb toxic chemicals? Thanks in advance, Tom

04-05-2015, 11:08 AM	#2 (permalink)
JP Location: Trois-Rivières, Québec Find me on the map! Zone: 4 Name: JP Join Date: Nov 2014 Posts: 1,225 BananaBucks : 147,575 Feedback: 3 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,953 Times Was Thanked 1,690 Times in 815 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 304 Times	Re: Dragon fruit question Great question. Ask the manufacturer of the pressure treated wood and let us know!!!

04-05-2015, 12:48 PM	#3 (permalink)
mofire Location: Riverside,ca Zone: 9 Join Date: Mar 2015 Posts: 11 BananaBucks : 4,699 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 15 Times Was Thanked 18 Times in 8 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1 Times	Re: Dragon fruit question I would seriously doubt that any chemicals from the wood could leach into or be absorbed by the fruit or vine. Pressure treated wood or plastic decking type material would be perfect. I have stained wood and have had no problems with chemicals contamination in my plants.

04-05-2015, 01:05 PM	#4 (permalink)
JP Location: Trois-Rivières, Québec Find me on the map! Zone: 4 Name: JP Join Date: Nov 2014 Posts: 1,225 BananaBucks : 147,575 Feedback: 3 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,953 Times Was Thanked 1,690 Times in 815 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 304 Times	Re: Dragon fruit question Anyways, pretty much all soil is contaminated by something these days...

04-06-2015, 07:46 AM	#7 (permalink)
JP Location: Trois-Rivières, Québec Find me on the map! Zone: 4 Name: JP Join Date: Nov 2014 Posts: 1,225 BananaBucks : 147,575 Feedback: 3 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,953 Times Was Thanked 1,690 Times in 815 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 304 Times	Re: Dragon fruit question And arsenic too...

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04-06-2015, 11:08 AM	#9 (permalink)
JP Location: Trois-Rivières, Québec Find me on the map! Zone: 4 Name: JP Join Date: Nov 2014 Posts: 1,225 BananaBucks : 147,575 Feedback: 3 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,953 Times Was Thanked 1,690 Times in 815 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 304 Times	Re: Dragon fruit question Still, I don't trust the product, the companies or the governments in this case. I wouldn't use it to support plants. I'd rather use bamboo.

04-06-2015, 03:35 PM	#11 (permalink)
JP Location: Trois-Rivières, Québec Find me on the map! Zone: 4 Name: JP Join Date: Nov 2014 Posts: 1,225 BananaBucks : 147,575 Feedback: 3 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,953 Times Was Thanked 1,690 Times in 815 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 304 Times	Re: Dragon fruit question Trust me, it would be sturdy! And it will as I have a few DG of my own... I'll try to post pics when I make it.

04-08-2015, 05:24 PM	#12 (permalink)
harveyc Been nuts, gone bananas harveyc's Photo Gallery Location: Isleton, Calif Find me on the map! Zone: 9b Name: Harvey Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 5,117 BananaBucks : 261,384 Feedback: 5 / 100% Said "Thanks" 6,024 Times Was Thanked 4,453 Times in 1,894 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1,785 Times	Re: Dragon fruit question In Asia, the use of concrete posts is fairly popular. __________________

04-12-2015, 10:44 PM	#17 (permalink)
Richard un-Retired Richard's Photo Gallery Location: Vista, CA Find me on the map! Zone: USDA 10b Name: Richard Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 9,674 BananaBucks : 509,621 Feedback: 9 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,636 Times Was Thanked 12,543 Times in 4,721 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1,685 Times	Re: Dragon fruit question When I was at Lowe's last week, I examined many packages of bamboo stakes from 0.375 inch to 1.5 inch diameters. All had been heavily treated with copper hydroxide as evident in both the surface coloring (green) and the manufacturer's online MSDS. I think we can all agree that dragon fruit (Hylocereus species and hybrids) need sturdy supports when grown with a serious approach for fruit production. Certainly 0.25 inch bamboo stakes will not do this. I think we'd also all agree we'd like support materials that won't impact the health of those eating the fruit. How you choose to meet the latter requirement is going to depend a lot on local availability of materials. __________________ Back in business at plantsthatproduce.com

04-12-2015, 11:34 PM	#18 (permalink)
harveyc Been nuts, gone bananas harveyc's Photo Gallery Location: Isleton, Calif Find me on the map! Zone: 9b Name: Harvey Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 5,117 BananaBucks : 261,384 Feedback: 5 / 100% Said "Thanks" 6,024 Times Was Thanked 4,453 Times in 1,894 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1,785 Times	Re: Dragon fruit question In Nicaragua and many areas of Central America, they are grown using living support plants which are frequently pruned. I took a private tour of a farm in Nicaragua in July 2013. Our guide did not know the species name of the plant used for the trellis, but it worked very well. __________________

04-14-2015, 08:01 PM	#20 (permalink)
JP Location: Trois-Rivières, Québec Find me on the map! Zone: 4 Name: JP Join Date: Nov 2014 Posts: 1,225 BananaBucks : 147,575 Feedback: 3 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,953 Times Was Thanked 1,690 Times in 815 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 304 Times	Re: Dragon fruit question When I was living in Mauritius, another type, similar to df but fruitless, was used as a fence. It leaned on a metal wire treillis supported by metal posts. It was effective.

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