Earlier this year when I just *needed* something interesting/different to do, I decided to try to get Pitaya seeds from a Red Dragon Fruit to germinate in my cold house. That adventure is talked about here:
https://permies.com/t/365724/seeds-warm-permie-ideas
They took a *long* time to germinate, and an equally long time to put out their first true "leaves" (not sure you call them that in cacti?).
I also found that while some were slow, some were glacially slow. I abandoned some when space became a premium.
In the meantime, my research told me that the Red Dragon Fruit quench your thirst well, but they're on the boring side, and that Yellow Dragon Fruit taste better. My Daughter-in-law bought me a yellow one to try. It's seeds are larger, but were equally slow to germinate and I ran out of time as the gardening season picked up and the outdoor weather improved. As often occurs when I give up on something, it surprises me.
Again, if my research is accurate, the Red ones are tougher plants and since I may need more cold tolerance, having it as root stock would be good. However, at least one Y--tuber is grafting other varieties onto the red ones. I didn't pay that enough attention at the time, but after I gave up hope, I left the dirt on the window ledge and as of this morning I have 3 Yellow babies, one of which is looking quite happy.
https://permies.com/t/102665/a/289491/thumb-Young-Pitaya.jpg
So the bottom left baby is a Yellow. The other 6 are all Reds. The seeds were all planted at once, and the tiny specks of green have looked like tiny specks of green for at least 2 months. If they were in the way, they'd likely be gone, but this *is* an experiment, and having some idea how these things grow indoor could be useful information.
The other two Yellow babies aren't in the picture. I suspect one is going to be "slow developing" but the second just germinated, so it's too soon to tell.
The adventure will continue... If they all start growing, I'm betting I will be able to find homes as I won't be able to keep them all!
PS - I see advantages to having both varieties. I, and people I know, don't tolerate a lot of sugar, so I have to limit my fruit intake. However, fruit is a useful source of calories. I haven't figured out yet for sure if the Yellow version just has more sugar, or if it actually has more flavor as well, so that will be part of the experiment also.
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