Growing Pineapple
Wait! Instead of throwing out that pineapple top - recycle it.
A great way to continue to enjoy that delicious pineapple you just ate is to grow your own. It doesn’t take much- just time and patience. Pineapple plant is one of those “kitchen scrap plants” that can be started by simply rooting the crown (pineapple top) and planting it in soil. Not only will you have a decorative plant but you will also produce a sweet edible pineapple that will give you the satisfaction in knowing that you grew it yourself.
There are several ways to propagate a pineapple crowns.
Here is how to get started:
Use a pineapple top (crown) with healthy, unbruised leaves. If you haven’t already, cut off the spiky top of the pineapple. Peel off about a fourth of the lower leaves to expose the stem. You will see small brown bumps that will eventually become the roots (root primordia). Leave the pineapple top in a shaded area on the kitchen counter to dry for several days and then plant it in 6 inch pot with well-drained soil. You can brush rooting hormone on the bottom to speed up rooting (optinal). Firm the soil around the plant to secure it in place and water. If the environment is dry, enclose the potted plant inside a plastic bag to increase humidity and speed up rooting. If kept at 70F (21C) it should root within 2-4 weeks.
Another method is to let it root in water. It can take 2-4 weeks for roots to grow. After planting keep it moist but not wet and in a sunny, warm(75) and humid place with night temperatures above 65 degrees. It should start new growth in about 2 months. In dry conditions, mist and keep a bit of water in the center crown. Feed it with a half strength fertilizer twice a month during the summer months.
It can take several years for the plant to be ready to flower and bear fruit. The plant should have at least 25 normal sized leaves to be large enough to flower. If after 18 mos. you don’t see anything happening-place the plant in a plastic bag with two very ripe apples cut in half, this will release ethylene gas which will triggers their blooming stimuli. In 1-2 months you should see a red spiky bud followed by blue flowers in the center of the plant. This process can take 2-3 years but it’s worth a try just to have a novelty bromeliad to enjoy. When pineapple plants are forced to bloom too early the young plant will produce smaller fruit. For larger fruit it’s best to have a minimum of 40 mature leaves 18 inches long.
- Propagating pineapple plants How do you replant the shoots/suckers to make new pineapple plants? Pineapple...
- Coaxing your pineapple to bloom My mum has been growing a pineapple plant for about 2 yrs...
- Growing Avocado I have an avocado plant that we started from a seed (pit). ...
(6 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5)
Loading ...
I’ve neglected to fertilize during the spring this being my first time, do water about once a week. Does this have a bearing on the production of fruit?
don’t the pineapples need to be fertilized? it sounds like they just produce a fruit by themselves, if it is so do you know why?
Rooting pineapple plant
ive been growing a pineapple plant for two years in ohio comes inside for winter. if it doesnt fruit by itself this summer i will force it. its a neat looking plant and i disagree with letting the top of the pineapple after its removed to dry for two days. i have started a dozen plants and shipped them all over the country to my friends i removed the top and placed it in water immediately for 10 days changing water daily then placed them in a pot 90 % rooted with this method
Great forum. It’s answered all my questions. I just wanted to recommend the fertilizer I use. It’s called “Flower Magic”, it’s a concentrated liquid (9-18-9) that you add to tepid water. I water the crown and roots with it. It works equally well with Plumeria and Coconut Palm. Thanks again.
Sounds great!!
I have a pineapple plant that has a pineapple on it. In the last few days it has turned red. Why would this happen?
What is the appropriate water schedule, through the soil or in the spines
PICKING THE FRUIT
How do I remove the fruit when it is ready and not harm the entire plant?
Michael
I started rooting a crown about a year ago, then potted it a month later. Mid-summer, it sprouted a fruit. Now, the fruit is still smaller than an orange, but has turned yellow-orange. Should I pick the fruit? The plant is less than 24inches in diameter.
Carol Martin ( xworkers@bellsouth.net / ) (IP: 74.225.102.105 )
I have a pineapple plant with a pineapple on it. I live in S. Florida. How do I know when it is time to pick the pineapple? The last one, I waited too long and the squirrels beat me to it.
Julie ( jdanam@yahoo.com / )
My little pineapple is ripe and ready to eat. Where do I remove it from the plant? Do I cut off the stock it grew on? The rest of the plant is really healthy…I don’t see any new shoots. Do I leave the plant, without the stock or with the stock? I plan on using the new crown for a new plant. Not bad for growing a plant inside, in Seattle area. I was really surprised I got a fruit…just planted the top for fun! Thank you for your help.
I would like to find out a little more info about growing a pineapple indoors, I live in Northern Idaho. I need to know what the best sized pot to put it in for the best results. I have never done this before & so I am a little lost, I have a small pineapple already & it is about the size of my pinky finger not including the top & it has 2 small plants growing next to the base of the plant. Any suggestions would be great! Thank You.
My plant is about a year old, and some of the leaves are very long. I’ve heard that trimming the leaves promotes growth. is this true and how short can the leaves be safly trimmed?
Thanks MC
Fertilizing pineapple plant
What fertilizer are you talking about when used on the pineapple plant?
subtroppo ( millima2001@yahoo.com.au / ) (IP: 203.213.7.131 )
I too have just picked my first 2 fruit– small but good, but took 3 years. Want to know what fertiliser is best,as i wish to produce more and better; do they need phosphorus..thks for the good advice i’ve read re using the pups.
I live in S. Florida - very hot and humid. For fun, stuck a couple of tops into 5 gallon black plastic pots no more than 2 1/2 years ago. Good dirt, 1/3 home-made compost. Have 13 PINEAPPLES NOW of various ages. Some huge! Basically I have just let them alone. Very rare watering or fertilizing. They get water from heavy humidity dew. I’m strictly an amateur, but from one plant (pot) alone 2 very large and 2 developing fruits. Suspect it’s the compost. Try it! My “rookie” opinion: let ‘em alone! Don’t kill them with kindness.
Live in central Indiana. Bought a plant from Meijer’s. The plant is about 13 inches tall, and had a small fruit. Noticed after putting it outside the fruit was hanging over. Put a support for it. One week later the fruit was laying over. Picked the fruit and am rooting it in water. The whole center was rotten. The leaves just fell out. What happened? Never watered it from above. Will the plant put up another plant? Please give me some advice on taking care of these plants. Thanks.
I’m a novice grower in Massachusetts who has never had much luck with plants. I have a cursed brown thumb, or perhaps I’m just suffering from “curiosity killed the cat” syndrome. I bought a pineapple today and popped the top into a glass of water. After searching for info, I came across this site and tore some of the leaves off to expose the stem. I’m still concerned though, as my experience is telling me to put the poor thing out of the eventual misery I’m apt to put it in. Any advice for a novice who just wants the darn thing to stay alive? Thanks!
I have 12 pineapple plants that I’ve started outside in Central Indiana. When it rains, water collects in the center and in the leaves. Will this cause the center of the plant to rot? After the rain, put plant upside down to drain excess water. I know in the tropics the plants receive water daily, and it is impossible to drain out their water. Second question: Planted some of the plants in a cactus mix, and some in regular potting soil. Do I water weekly? If the soil is really dry due to high heat, should I water more frequently? Thanks for your answers.
Here in Indiana it has been 50 degrees at night. What is the lowest temp the plants can take?
Brown & yellow leaves
I have a pineapple plant that is nearly 3 yrs. old it hasn’t beared any fruit yet. The bottom leaves are turning brown and yellow as if it is dying. What can I do to keep the other leaves from turning colors. The plant is being keep inside since the temps. have gotten colder. The top of the plant looks healthy right now.
I live in the UK and have managed to buy a young pineapple plant by the name of Ananas nanus, Its comeing from malaysia and the leaves look spikey and quite leathery! would you be so kind as to tell me a little about what you know of the plant
Brown leaf tips
Hi. I’ve had my pineapple planted for about 16 months and it’s really small (about 1.5 feet tall and 1.5 feet wide). Also the leaves have been turning more and more brown over the past few months and even completely dying from the tips and moving down- there’s dead brown area on as much as 6 inches on the bigger leaves. Any advice?
Hi from just South of Atlanta. New to pineapple plants. I would like to permanently plant mine outside, next to my brick house. They would have a Southern exposure and would benefit from the passive solar heat from the sun on the brick in the winter. Has anyone done that? What is the coldest temp. that pineapples can tolerate and survive? Also, I live on an old poultry farm that has chicken litter in old barns that is very aged - about 10 years. Can I use that in the form of a “tea” to fertilize my plants? I’m excited to get going at this!
I live in Hawaii and growing pineapples is no problem. They’re big and sweet. In fact, too sweet and mild. Is there something I could add to the soil to give them a little more bite?
I too live in Hawai’i, and it sounds like the pineapple that you have if you have not found out already is of the sweet variety also known as “Gold.” Tropical Gold, Sweet Gold, and Maui Gold are the common pineapples out here. If you want a more bitter pineapple, find a mainland grown pineapple for those do tend to have more acid.
The Maui Gold Pineapple as I’ve learned and experienced are sweet like candy, and very delicious.
Leaf tips turning brown
I planted 50 pineapples a year ago. A little crazy yes. I’m down to 7 plants. They are difficult to keep alive. Some die for no apparent reason. My question. They have been grown under lights all winter, and a few weeks ago, put them outside. The leaves are turning brown from the outside in. I live in zone 5, and the temps have been in the low 40s and 50s for the past month of may. Finally, the past few days the temps have returned to normal. Do you have a place I can send a picture, so you can determine what is wrong? Thanks.
I’m in S. Florida, zone 10A. My plant has produce a huge pineaple (just picked yesterday) that is as large as the largest pineapple I have ever seen in the grocery store. It flowered in January after being planted from the crown of a “Dole Extra Sweet” (grocery store bought) 14 months earlier. Fruit took 5 1/2 months from flower to ripe. Plant is almost 6′ in diameter and 2 suckers developed while the fruit grew. It was in semi shade (40% direct sun) under a Papaya Tree and near a Mango tree. It was fertilized mostly with wood ash, but may have also benefitted from the runoff from a nearby home made composter (during heavy rains). The soil was never dry as it was mulched and even in the winter, watered weekly. I am no expert, I had no expectations whatsoever when planting crown, but this certainly worked well for me. Plant is still vigorous and healthy. Will replant one sucker and let the other produce a second fruit. Have not eaten the pineapple yet, but will post as to it’s taste/quality when I do.
Are my results unusually good considerring the 40% shade, relatively moist soil and short time from crown to fruit?
My fruit bearing pineapple plant received too much water. All of the leaves wilted and so far have not perked back up. What should I do?
How do I know whether I have an ornamental pineapple growing or one I can eat? I have two plants that both produced a pineapple- one the fruit has a very large crown relative to the size of the fruit. The other has a little larger fruit, that I need to pick. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a ornamental pineapple!
Grow in water
I started a pineapple plant last August in water. I still haven’t put it into soil yet, it has many roots and looks to be healthy still. Will it affect the plant and its fruit(if it ever produces any) in a negative way by not having put it in soil yet?
I have a Bromeliad in a pot, which I bought over a year ago. It has grown a “sucker” which is now the same size as the mother plant. Should I leave it as is with the mother? Or should it be separated into another pot? What steps can I take for it to bloom like the orig? Any special instrns to grow these plants, would be helpful. Your site is a godsend for someone like I who knew nothing about plants, & turn to your site for info- great advice, very simple & concise instrns, have made me enjoy my houseplants!
Thanks!
I live in Ghana and an a chartered accountant, I want to go into pineapple farming.
I need advice on How to start. I need information on the soil type, the kind of fertilizer to use, the common pest that affect pineapple and how to combat it.
I LIVE IN QUEENSLAND AUSTRALIA AND AFTER A VISIT TO THE DOLE PLANTATION IN HAWAII A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, I STARTED TO GROW PINEAPPLES. I HAVE ABOUT 10 AT VARIOUS STAGES OF GROWTH AND 1 WITH A FRUIT. I SEEMED TO HAVE MISSED THE FLOWER AS THE FRUIT JUST POPPED OUT OF THE CENTRE. I AM ENJOYING GROWING MY PINEAPPLES AND IT HAS BEEN AN EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE, I AM NOT A GOOD GARDNER AND MOST THINGS I PLANT USUALLY DIE. PINEAPPLE GROWING IS THE MOST SUCCESS I HAVE HAD.
I am just going out to try the rum on one of my pineapple plants, hope that it works.
my pineapple plants leaves are coming off as if not attached to the plant. any ideas on what might be the cause or what i should do?
great site. I have 3 pineapple plants growing, one is 2 years old and is bearing fruit, the other 2 are younger but they are all turning yellow what could be causing that. they are all outside and I live in north west Florida
I love your web site. I am growing my 2nd pineapple plant. It is about 3 1/2 ft tall and about the same wide. It also has a pup about 1ft tall. The leaves started to turn yellow, after reading thru your site I have decided that the nights have been to cold and maybe that’s why the leaves are turning. I have brought it inside to a south window. As big as it is do you think it will bloom this year?
I have a pineapple growing since about June and is growing good, but is still green, do I need to give it exta light ( a grow light). I live in Minnesota. The pineapple has tipped over, and I have staked it up. Your response would be appreciated.
Growing Pineapple
everyone keeps telling to water weekly. summers in hawaii are stronger. water how much weekly. my plant i think has been watered too much because it’s turned yellow but show some light green.
so, water a cupful? what? how much water ?
I started growing a pineapple plants about 2 years ago in a hanging basket pot. I got my first fruit this year, which was normal size and quite tasty. I have about 12 plants, all in large pots now, my questions is will it take the pups 2 to 3 years to produce fruit also. Last year I put about 4 tops in soil and they just reproduced a lot of pups this is how I got so many plants.
Separate pups from mother plant
My first pineapple plant i have gotten 8 pineapples, not bad for someone who kills artiffictial flowers. It is nothing for me to have 4 and 5 pups on a plant with a fruit. I have read to cut off pups and replant, but where do i cut, how far up or down close to the mother, do i cut straight or a an angle? any an all info whould be loved. Also they are in pots, never in the ground because where i live is rented and what goes in the ground stays.fruit really sweet, some large some small,{eat your heart out Dole} thanks again. oh 1 more thing, watered once a week ,sat on edge of carport and turned 1/4 every week to make sure os even sun. yes going to extreme.
I wrote you back in November 0f 08′. This is January and I am just so excited. My Pineapple plant has a flower down in the cup. It isn’t very big yet but you can tell it’s the start of a flower. How long will it take before it will appear ?
I have 4 pineapple plants. I live in Illinois and I have found it quite easy to grow them. I leave them out in the summer and bring them in and keep them under grow lights in the winter. My oldest plant is 6 years and has yet to produce a pineapple plant. I have tried the apple in a bag trick and it didn’t work I was going to try the calcium carbide trick next unless anyone has a better suggestion.
To grow my plants I just cut off the top of the pineapple leaving a little bit of fruit attatched. Then I just lay the top on a paper plate and let them sit for a few to several days depending on when I get them planted in dirt.
I have 4 potted plants that froze about 1 1/2 months ago. All the leaves have turned yellow and the tips are brown and willting. I am considering planting them in the flower bed with the mother plant. It is currently looking very healthy and has 4 runners growing out of it. The 4 potted plants were also runners that I cut off this past summer. Should I trim the leaves off and try to transplant them or am I wasting my time? Thanks! BTW I live 30 miles north of Tampa, Florida.
A friend of mine who lives in flordia gave me a very sweet pineapple about 2 yrs ago.I planted the top, and to my surprise its doing very well. As a matter of fact its still growing new leaves although its wint