Dragon Fruit

Water

Too dry to grow on rain alone. It would need irrigation.

Needs about 640 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 260 mm it can use in a normal year, and 220 mm in a dry year.

Temperature

Grows best at 18–28 °C on average, and survives 12–34 °C.

Here, in its growing months (day / night):

• Jun 40 °C / 28 °C (outside its best range)
• Jul 36 °C / 27 °C (outside its best range)
• Aug 34 °C / 26 °C (outside its best range)
• Sep 35 °C / 25 °C (outside its best range)
• Oct 35 °C / 19 °C
• Nov 29 °C / 13 °C
• Dec 24 °C / 8 °C (outside its best range)
• Jan 21 °C / 7 °C (outside its best range)
• Feb 25 °C / 10 °C (outside its best range)
• Mar 31 °C / 15 °C
• Apr 38 °C / 21 °C (outside its best range)
• May 42 °C / 26 °C (outside its best range)
• Jun 40 °C / 28 °C (outside its best range)

Months in orange are outside its best range.

Days in June get hotter than it likes. Young plants need shade and water then.

Soil

Soil for Dragon Fruit: 7 out of 10 (okay).

Not in the score: nitrogen and boron.

• The pH here suits it.
• Salt in the soil here can harm it.
• Many fields here are short of potassium, which it needs a lot.
• Many fields here are short of zinc, which it needs a lot.
• Most fields here are short of organic carbon.

Likes pH 5.3–6.7.

Money

Yield: about 23 quintals an acre, the typical figure across India (no figures for your state).

A new planting gives its first real harvest after about 2 years. The money here is for plants already bearing.

Rain gives it too little of the water it needs, so there's no income figure on rain alone: grow it only with irrigation.

No mandi or support price for this crop yet.