Releasing in May 2024 up to 50 Cuttings for the first time since our initial release of 14 cuttings in 2021. For up to date availability, please subscribe to the newsletter. Each cutting will come with a certificate of authenticity signed by Wallace Ranch.
The Wallace Ranch Graft Hybrid is a variety created under Mr. Wallace around 2016. It was done by grafting young vertical halves of Sugar Dragon and Vietnamese White together, removing new growths of Sugar Dragon and Vietnamese white branches. The hybrid is the only Dragon Fruit known to exist under this type of hybridizing. The first fruit was cut in 2019. This form of hybridization was used by Darwin in the late 1800s and is associated with Darwin's Pangenesis Theory. After almost 100 years, this form of hybridization has been more recently used in China, India, and Japan. Simplified, Darwin suggests that the new species takes on the dominant traits and eliminates weaker traits.
The plant is probably NOT self-fertile as originally thought, and it is NOT self-pollinating. We have set the fruit easily with any cross pollen of AB, PG, Robles, etc (The Thompson varieties mostly). We have seen 2-3 fruit sets a season for 4 seasons. First blooms in June and the last blooms in September. A mature plant averages 12 fruits. The fruit has a unique appearance, more sugar dragon than Vietnamese White but size is closer to Vietnamese White than Sugar Dragon. It has an interesting color transition during the ripening stage, it goes yellow to orange to pink and red. The flesh is dark magenta, medium to firm, and is very sweet, it brixes very high 19-22 consistently. Fruit averages close to 1 pound and once off the vine, the fruit skin holds up for several weeks.
Growth varies due to the environment. During the growth phase of the plant, in cooler temperatures the plant will get a "spotty-like" appearance- kind of 2 toned pocked- but left alone, it will fill out completely and the pocking disappears. The plant material also has an apparent coating when grown in green house conditions and will adapt to low water and hot arid temperatures with plenty of aerial roots. The plant likes a weekly water regiment.
Wallace Ranch has studied the plant in depth for 6 years and finds its a very predictable plant.
+++For 2024 season we saw our first buds in late May, followed by a solid budding June 6th. These buds are ahead of Physical Grafitti buds but a month after American Beauty buds. These buds have set on our outside in ground plants, average temperatures have been 74 days and 59 nights ++++++