FIVE TIPS ON HOW TO GROW PINEAPPLE IN A FLOWER POT
Pineapple is one of the world's most unique and exotic tropical fruits, yet it is possible to grow it in a temperate zone under controlled conditions; with the most difficult part of the process just getting it rooted. Although you may not be able to grow as large a plant as is grown on a plantation in Hawaii, the following information should enable you to grow a healthy, attractive pineapple for your home. And it makes a fun family project for the kids!
With some patience, you can even grow a new pineapple from this plant. It takes about two to three years, though, and even then some plants are difficult to get to produce new fruit. However, I've searched the web and have provided below the best techniques for improving your odds of harvesting a ripe & delicious pineapple that will fill your house with its aroma. To make full-sized pineapples, the plant will ultimately need to get about six feet across and six feet tall. But, you can grow it as an interesting indoor plant and even get it to produce fruit (albeit small fruit) without letting it take over the living room
Here is some interesting trivia about your pineapple. The pineapple is a member of the bromeliad family. As such it is related to Spanish moss and some interesting ornamental plants sold in many nurseries. These ornamentals are interesting in that they absorb water and nutrients from a water-tight reservoir formed where the leaves come together, or by interesting absorptive hairs which cover the Spanish moss and similar bromeliads, allowing them to draw water and nutrients from the fog and dust in the air. The pineapple, however, uses its roots like houseplants with which you are familiar and should be easy to grow if you treat it like a normal houseplant that needs bright light.
From the local grocery
store, choose a mature pineapple that has healthy, firm, green leaves (not
yellow or brown) and with a fruit skin that is golden brown (not too green).
Actually, I'd recommend growing two pineapples in the not unlikely event that
one of them dies. At the very least you can pick the healthiest of the two
plants to nurture to full growth. Also, if you find you have more pineapple
than you can eat, just chop it up and freeze it. It tastes great!
Inspect the base of the
leaves for small grayish spots which are scale insects. If these are found, the
crown should be discarded and one selected which is free of these insects. Try
to find one that is ripe but not overripe. Test for ripeness by gently pulling
on a leaf. If it pops out with ease, the fruit is overripe.
To make the most use of the pineapple, use the pineapple corer you see here. It's an inexpensive but ingenious little gadget that cores and slices all in one step
To make the most use of the pineapple, use the pineapple corer you see here. It's an inexpensive but ingenious little gadget that cores and slices all in one step
TIP TWO
Grab hold of the entire top set of leaves.
Twist hard and it will come out with a bit of stalk. (If you cut the top off
you will need to remove all of the excess fruit flesh, otherwise it will only
rot and may kill the whole plant). Any adhering flesh should be trimmed off its
base to prevent rotting after planting.
After trimming, carefully slice small, horizontal sections from the bottom of
the crown until you see root buds that appear as small dots or circles on the
flat, cut surface Remove as little tissue as possible to avoid cutting into
young stem tissue. Next, strip off some of the lower leaves, exposing up to
about an inch of the base
of the crown (the stalk will root but the leaves will rot - see photo). They
will come off in sort of a spiral fashion. The idea is to bare the stalk. The
small brown-colored bumps below the leaf scars are root primordia (baby roots
waiting to grow) and there may even be a few short roots at the base of the
crown (the picture at right shows a crown with a lot of roots). Though
these won't be the roots that will grow in the next step, try not to damage
these.After trimming and stripping, let the crown dry out for a couple days before going to the next step. This will permit the cut end and the leaf scars to heal and prevent rot.
TIP THREE
There are various ways to do this, but I have found after trying several methods, that the simplest is the most effective. Place the crown in a clear glass of water and change out the water every few days. Place the crown away from any temperature extremes (heating or cooling vents/hot south-facing windows). On top of the refrigerator will work. In three weeks you will see healthy root grow. You're now ready to plant the crown. As an aside, I've been told that if you use a dark colored glass, like a red plastic cup for example, you'll get better rooting. However I haven't tried this myself. You might want to try a clear glass as well as a dark glass, and let me know your results.
TIP FOUR
Once roots appear, plant
the pineapple in a fast draining potting soil such as a Bromeliad or Cactus
Potting Soil mixed with a third perlite. An eight-inch porous clay pot with
bottom drainage is ideal. Layer about two inches of stones in the bottom of the
pot prior to putting in the soil/perlite mix. The picture to the left
illustrates the materials needed (the two pottery shards in the front are to
put over the drainage holes; these came from an extra clay saucer that I broke
up).
The first step is to cover the drainage
hole with the pottery shard. Second put in a layer of stones followed by the
soil and perlite mix. Finally, plant the crown and water it thoroughly prior to
placing it in a window or some other sunny place. You can see the sequence in
the pictures to the right (the inner leaves of the pineapple on the left are
easily pulled out which doesn't bode well for the plant. Only time will tell
which is a good example of why it's good to root two plants in case one dies).In terms of watering, the soil should always be slightly moist; not wet (which will promote rot) and not dry. It will take six to eight weeks for the stalk to really start sending out strong roots. Do not rush this process or fertilize at this point.
After about two months, the pineapple should be supporting itself as a new plant. Gently tug on the plant to see if new roots have formed. If they are present, they will resist your tug. If absent, the top of the pineapple will pull from the soil revealing the absence of new roots. If there are no new roots, replace the pineapple top in the soil and wait longer. If the base looks like it is rotting, start again with a new pineapple top, root it again as above and then use fresh potting soil. Repeat the process, but be sure not to over water.
At this point you should notice that the original leaves of the pineapple will begin to die and turn brown, with new leaves beginning to grow at the center. Over the course of the following year, remove the original leaves as they die. During this time the pineapple should be watered no more than once a week.
If roots have developed with the new leaf growth, it is a sign that things are going well.
TIP FIVE
Repot the pineapple in a
twelve-inch porous clay pot with a well-draining potting soil such as a cactus
potting soil. See the photos below of my 2 pineapple plants after their 2nd
repotting. Be sure there is good drainage since pineapples do not like 'wet
feet'. Provide drainage by placing a curved piece of broken pot over the hole
in the bottom of the pot. Over this, add about a half an inch of coarse gravel
or small stones, and then add your soil up to an inch from the top, patting
down the soil gently to firm it up.
Tamp the soil firmly around the base of
the crown at planting. Avoid getting soil into the central leaves of the crown.Rot is commonly caused by over watering or the soil not draining properly. The plant should only stop growing during the winter months. It will put out new growth all during the early spring and summer well into fall. If the plant stops growing during its growing season, take the plant out of the pot and examine the root structure carefully. They should be firm and solid. If necessary, wash off the old potting mix and repot into fresh mix.
As the pineapple continues to grow, you may need to repot it into an even larger pot if it gets root-bound.
LIGHT AND TEMPERATURE
A pineapple is a tropical
plant and frost or freezing temperatures will kill it. If you live in a
temperate climate, your pineapple must divide its time between your house and
your porch or garden.
Pineapples like to get at least 6 hours of
bright light each day. During summer, set your plant on a sunny porch or bury
the pot in your garden. Do not take your plant out of the house until all
danger of frost is past. When you first remove your plant from your house, keep
it in a semi-shaded spot for several days to prevent sunburn.During cold months, keep your plant in the house. Bring it in early in the fall, by mid-September. Place it near a window or sliding-glass door for maximum sunlight. At night, move it away from the window to prevent freezing. The pineapple prefers a temperature of 65 - 75 degrees F (minimum of 60 degrees). If the room is warm enough for you to be comfortable, the pineapple will be at the right temperature.
You can also grow your plant indoors, for example in a basement, by using "Plant-Gro" fluorescent light tubes. This light can also be helpful if your windows do not let enough sunshine into the room where you are keeping your plant. You should keep the light on for between 12 and 14 hours per day. When the plant gets large enough to bear a fruit you should reduce the day length to 10 to 11 hours until the inflorescence appears in the center of the plant. You can then return to longer days.
WATERING AND FERTILIZING
The pineapple plant is
miserly with water, requiring only about 20 inches of natural rainfall per
year, if well distributed. You need only wet the soil once a week, and when the
plant is indoors, it is best to apply all the water to the soil. When outside,
spray the leaves in addition to wetting the soil so that the cups at the bottom
of the plant are filled. It is also important that it never completely dries
out. Then again, it must never sit in soggy soil. During its growing season, it
will appreciate more water than in the winter months.
Fertilize carefully and only about once
every month or so during the growing season. If using a solid plant food,
scatter it on the surface of the soil and wash it in by watering.A liquid (foliar spray) fertilizer can also be used. Pour the solution into the base of the leaves and on the surface of the soil. Take special care not to pour the solution into the center of the plant as the young leaves may be injured. Follow directions under "small shrubs" given on the label of the products you use.
PESTS AND DISEASES
As house plants, your
pineapple will be subject to a minimum of pests and diseases if given proper
care. The pests most likely to attack your plant are mealy bugs, scale and
mites. All can be removed by washing the leaves with soapy water, rinsing after
with clear water. Or, spray with an insecticide. Be sure to follow the
directions on the label when using insecticides.
The only disease you would likely
encounter would be heart rot caused by fungi. In heart rot, the central leaves
turn black and are easily pulled out of the plant. When heart rot occurs, the
plant can sometimes be saved by pouring a fungicide into the heart (center) of
the plant. If this stops the infection, a side shoot will start growing. This
shoot will then become your plant and will eventually flower and form a fruit.
Or you can remove it and begin a new plant.FLOWERING AND FRUITING
Although the pineapple
plant is attractive in and of itself, most growers want their plants to flower
and fruit. In Hawaii,
a crown takes about twenty to twenty-six months to produce a ripe fruit.
However, it may only take twenty months, and you will see some surprises along
the way. When your plant is at least 24 inches tall and twelve to fourteen
months old, an inflorescence bud will begin to form in the center of the
leaves. You will not be able to see the developing fruit until about two months
later when it will surprise you with a bright red cone emerges from its center.
After twenty months come the flowers.
Bright blue flowers open row by row, starting at the bottom, over about two
weeks (flower development in Hawaii typically occurs in late December or
January when the days are short (about 10.5 hours) and the nights are cool (55
to 65 F; about 13 to 18 C)). Each flower only lasts one day, but there are many
to enjoy.When the petals of the last flower have dried, the fruit begins to develop. After three to six months from this period, your fruit will begin to ripen. When the fruit is golden halfway up, your pineapple is ready. Surprisingly enough it will be just about the size of a can of pineapple, or a bit larger.
If your pineapple plant is at least 24 inches tall and has not flowered by the time it is twenty to twenty-four months old, you can "force" it with a few different techniques that trick the plant into putting its energy into flowering instead of making new leaves.
HARVESTING
When your fruit
is about six months old, about four months after flowering has occurred,
changes begin to occur. The color of the shell changes from green to rich gold.
The color change of the shell occurs first at the bottom of the fruit and moves
upwards. During this change, the fruit becomes sweeter and the color of the
flesh changes from white to yellow. The fruit will weigh from two to four
pounds. When the fruit is golden half way up it can be picked and eaten, though
if you wait until it's fully ripe it will be worth the wait! Once the fruit
develops, it should last on the plant for several months.