Is this the best Dragon Fruit? Columbian Red Supreme. 18 February 2023

Hi folks. I had some very good luck here. For some time now I'd decided that the only Dragon Fruit I wanted to propagate was the Columbian Red Supreme, and recently I met a Lady in the Oz Rare Fruit FaceBook group who just gave me some cuttings, no charge. A number of times people have offered to sell them to me and I was very tempted, and planned to buy some one day. But these just came to me for free, I only had to pay for postage. So how lucky is that? I see some hobbie growers and even commercial farms have a range of different varieties. But in my view a lot of them, especially the whites, don't make the grade so why bother?
Dragon Fruit flowers are mostly only open at night and some commercial growers spend many a long night cross pollinating their Dragon Fruit flowers by hand, so they will bare fruits. You see unless the varieties are self-fertile, or self pollinating, they need to be pollinated by human hands and that's very labour intensive.
Other Dragon fruit farms grow only the white fleshed fruits. The whites are usually self pollinating and very vigorous heavy bearing cactus and the fruit are big and heavy too. Overall they are some of the most easy Dragon Fruit to grow, and they deliver big heavy yields. BUT in my view the white Dragon Fruit are a waist of space need to be ploughed back into the ground. They taste like water for God's sake, why pay $5 or $6 for a fruit that tastes like water? hahaha. I really feel the oversupply, saturation of white Dragon Fruits on the market is giving Dragon Fruit a bad name. Apparently some home grown white Dragon Fruits can be a little better, but still I cannot understand why people bother with them and I cringe every time I see them.
I raised some Columbian Reds from seed and have been growing them for 20 years. The flavour of my reds is absolutely superb, extremely good. I've never tasted a better Dragon Fruit. But mine are not "Columbian Red Supremes", so my cacti don't bear a lot of fruit. Mine are not self pollinating and I've found over the years it can be quite difficult to fertilise those flowers and get a good crop, particularly if there's heavy rain around.
That's why as soon as I found out everything about these "Columbian Red Supremes" I knew they were the plants for me. I've been told they taste exactly like my reds AND they are self pollinating, so they taste great and bear huge crops with very little effort, in any weather, rain hail or shine. Time will tell when I test this variety out thoroughly, but in my view this is the ideal Dragon Fruit. I toy with the idea of growing quite a few one day and again this is the variety I want to grow... I feel there is no need to grow other varieties, unless they 1. Taste really good and 2. Self pollinating
Thanks so much for watching and don't forget to subscribe.

[@localtime824]

WARNING! Apparently this variety doesn't like cold rain. I've learnt something new from the feedback from the good people of Oz Rare Fruit FaceBook group and also a Dragon Fruit FaceBook group. It may not be a good idea to plant this in temperate areas. Many, not all, but quite a few people have got back to me and told me they had ROOT ROT problems with this variety in TEMPERATE AREAS, although some Sydney growers say they've had no problems. ...... In the Sub-Tropical Brisbane area they absolutely THRIVE, a very good choice, even in extreme rain events like last year in February 2022. I can only assume they also thrive further north in the Tropics as well? I got my cuttings from down in Yamba, slightly cooler than Brisbane, in coastal Northern NSW, the supreme was thriving there too. But a number of people have got back to me in Temperate Sydney and further south and they say this variety is hopeless in the cold rain and very difficult for them to grow. Dang! Ok we live and learn.

[@4d_tawasleaa.916]

💞💞

[@localtime824]

Thanks very much Lea ❤🙂

[@user-tg2tr4pn9e]

This is my favorite fruit❤my friend

[@maryannnebres8850]

My friend 👍🥰🥰🥰 delicious 😋😋😋 dragon fruit.

[@localtime824]

Hi Mary Ann. Thanks so much for watching. Oh yes this is very delicious. Hope to grow this variety in the Philippines one day. Even in heavy rain this Dragon will still produce big crops of yummy fruits. ❤🙂

[@ehlanepruitt7136]

I love all your plants dear

[@localtime824]

Thanks so much dear. You and your family have a very nice plant collection too. ❤🙂

[@MarjEbrado-xf7mc]

I love that myfriend❤❤❤

[@tulipalforque]

i like it my friend 🤗🤗

[@localtime824]

Thank you so much my friend. Its great fruit. Very sweet and juicy. ❤🙂

[@elonuchinenye3711]

Nice👍

[@localtime824]

Thank you so much Elonu. Best regards. ❤🙂

[@MarjEbrado-xf7mc]

Wow

[@mayeoracoy8327]

🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤

[@keishy1vlogs]

Yummy dragon fruit, keep it up my friend. Love all the fruits♥️

[@localtime824]

Thanks very much my friend. This Columbian Red Supreme is a very nice strain. It gives lots of yummy fruits even if there is too much heavy rain. I'd love to grow a lot of these in the Philippines. ❤🙂

[@user-ue4ob3qb9t]

I love dragon fruit 😋❤

[@ariannebres3704]

My friend..it is a very nice planting❤❤

[@localtime824]

Hi Arian. Thanks very much my friend. I never give much care to that big clump growing on the patio, I only water it every 2 or 3 days, and give it a little bit of fertiliser in Spring. It's grown really well for many years. I think its nearly 20 years old now. I grew it from the tiny seeds in the fruit. Yea its been really great. I'm just about to pick 10 big yummy fruits off it in the next day or two. Can't wait. Also those small cuttings will be even better when they grow bigger. Thanks for watching my friend 👍❤🙂

[@ariannebres3704]

wow....my friend that's is your backyard in your home?very nice

[@localtime824]

Yes Arian, thats my place. I've lived here for 23 years now. I'm on a very busy road, I think maybe you can hear the traffic in the video. It gets very polluted here sometimes, but I've made it quite nice with the fruits and vegetables, and it's close to the beach too and thats very nice. But I need to move somewhere with cleaner air, 23 years of breathing that car pollution has caught up on me.... at first no problem, but now its not good. Thanks again my friend. 👍🙂

[@ariannebres3704]

i love dragon fruit ♥️♥️♥️ someday i eat this fruit my friend

[@localtime824]

Oh yes Arian they're so nice, especially when you grow your own, because you can let them get fully ripe before picking. They are easy to grow too. Hope someday you can grow all you can eat on your farm. I'm wishing that one day I can grow a lot of these in the Philippines. Thanks for dropping by my friend.👍❤🙂

[@sallylin5716]

Hey,your yard is full!Full of good stuff!😍

[@localtime824]

Hiii Sally. Thanks so much for dropping by. Yes the front yard is almost full already, hehe. I need to clear out some more of the Jungle out the back. Thanks again for those cuttings. Thanks soo soo very much. That was sooo good of you. 👍❤🙂 I'm over the moon about them I really am. And I just realised, I can graft some of your Supremes onto my standard Columbian Reds and they should bare lots more fruits. I need to clean up my clumps, remove the old growth, graft some of your cuttings on to them and all the remaining shoots should bare lots more. My Dragon Fruit productivity will go up 500% in a very short time. 👍😁

[@njts85]

✨ LOVE YOUR WORK MATE 💝💫

[@localtime824]

@@njts85 Hiii Mate. Thank you very much. That means a lot to me. I'm trying hehe. Hopefully getting better 👍🙂

[@Shargaa]

I love dragon fruit 😍❤️🌈👍

[@localtime824]

Hii Zyrahx, Oh yes me too.. I'd love to grow a lot of them one day. Thanks very much for watching 😍🙂

[@localtime824]

It's been awhile. Great to see you again my friend 👍🙂

[@carminanebrescanumay2649]

I like to taste that dragon fruits my friend hope someday i eat that❤️❤️❤️

[@localtime824]

Hi ya Mina. Ok, hope I can give you a taste of these Columbian Red Supremes one day my friend. I want to grow some of these in the Philippines. These are the best tasting Dragon Fruits I've even eaten and also these supremes produce HUGE crops of fruit, and they even grow big crops in the heavy rain. Thanks so much for droping by ❤🙂

[@hazelenolpe-bd2rs]

Dale 😊☺️

[@localtime824]

Hi ya Hazel. Great to see you here. Thanks for dropping by. 😍🙂

[@localtime824]

Hey Hazel I think you're going to be a KZbin SENSATION!!!!!! 🤩 Cos I see you only just made a KZbin account today and you already have one subscriber..... Me... hehehe 😏😃🥰

[@ehlanepruitt7136]

Rose water that sounds fantastic and excited to taste hahahah

[@localtime824]

Yes oh yes its a great flavour.. Mine are the best hehehe 😏😁.. Well there is still many kinds of Dragon Fruits I havn't tried, but out of all the ones I have tried, I find mine are the best tasting. And now these new cuttings should have the same great taste but these cuttings will give a lot more fruits. ❤🙂

[@scoobydogie4300]

DELICIOUS DRAGON FRUIT 😋

[@localtime824]

Hi ya my friend. Good to see you again. Thanks for watching. 👍❤🙂

[@lynsyoutube]

Yeah i watching your vedio

[@ehlanepruitt7136]

I haven't taste dragon fruit dear hope I can eat hehehe😘😁

[@localtime824]

Hii Ehlane. Really? You never try them?😯 They're starting to get popular in the Philippines. I see in your beautiful country more and more Dragon Fruit farms are starting up. All of the darker reds are the best tasting I feel. The whites tend to be the most common cos they're more easy to grow. I find the taste of the whites is very average, nothing special about the whites.. But the Reds and Pinks can be really delicious ❤🙂

[@thepeopleplaceandnaturepod8344]

nice dragon fruit you have there!

[@localtime824]

Hi. Thanks very much.That big clump on the patio at the beginning of the video are Columbian Reds that I raised from seed around 20 years ago. Very delicious, sweet and juicy fruit. And now I have some "Columbian Red Supreme" Cuttings, they are even better! I plan on grafting a few Supremes onto those older branches and plant a few in the ground too. The Supreme is a very heavy cropper in rain, hail or shine. Can't wait to get it all happening. Thanks again for dropping by. 👍🙂

[@vieljakeroseguarte-gz7ec]

Dragon fruits are very sensitive fruit

[@localtime824]

Hello there, thanks so much for visiting. Sensitive you say? I guess there's some things they don't like. They tend to do very well in dry areas. Being a cactus they don't like too much water and they especially don't like wet feet. If they're growing in a high rainfall area they really like to have good drainage, good well drained soil, not boggy over wet soil, and planting them on a mound really helps. Good luck my friend. Best regards 👍🙂