Propagating pineapple plants

34 Comments

1. Kitty - February 9, 2009 at 6:20 pm

   I read the very informative comments on how to grow pineapples. I have just harvested 2 very fine pineapples and wonder if it is better to remove all of the new shoots from the mother plant and plant them or to leave one on to get another fruit. Will this fruit (from left on shoot) develop sooner than the ones from the planted shoots? If not, it would seem that planting is the preferred method because I assume that the fruit will be larger. The two that I just harvested were just as large as the grocery store pineapples that they were grown from. Also very sweet. If I remove and plant all of the shoots from the mother plant, should I dig up and discard the mother plant? I live near Key West and plant my pineapples in the garden.

   Hi Kitty
   The mother plant will not produce any more pineapples so you can dig it up and discard when the shoots are removed. You can also wait for the shoots to get half the size of the mother plant and then transplant them individually. The only thing is that you will have to be sure the shoots you transplant have the start of some roots. Here’s what I found. I had a mother plant with 4 shoots on it. After they reached 1/3 to 1/2 size of the mother plant, I left 3 in the pot and removed one to another container. The one in the container grew faster and larger. It did not have competition from the other siblings. The intersting thing was that when I exposed the 3 shoots in the pot to ethylene to get them to bloom, all three developed flowers. The fruit will be tiny and not worth eating. I would think that it would work the same way in the garden. If you remove all but one shoot off the mother plant, you should get another pineapple that will be smaller but will take less time to develop (that’s what they do on pineapple farms to get a second crop). I’m assuming that the individual shoot will take longer but produce a larger pineapple. I would try it both ways to see what results you get. Look under Growing pineapple for additional info.

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2. admin - February 10, 2009 at 4:31 pm

   I live in Hawaii and have 4 pineapples (started from tops) bearing fruit. My question is will the plants bear again or should I dispose of them after picking the fruit?

   They can bear fruit again. Once the first and largest fruit has ripened, it may produce several shoots called suckers. Leave one or two suckers on the plant which should produce a second smaller fruit. After that they are discarded although if the plant remains healthy, you can try for a third fruit.
   Source:hawaii.edu/pineapple

   We purchased a well established pineapple plant from a nursery. It seems to be doing well as it has produced a new shoot at the base of the plant. My main concern is the bottom leaves of the plant are browning, mostly at the tips to half way down the leaves. Should these be cut off or just left alone and if they should be cut off, should I cut the whole leave or just the brown? Any help on this would be appreciated. Carrie

   The shoots are new baby plants called pups, eventually they can be separated from the mother plant. You can remove the unsightly brown leaves and trim the tips if they bother you. The green part of the leaf is still providing food and energy to the plant so you might as well as leave it until its completely brown. It sounds as if your plant has gone thru a blooming /fruit production cycle and is now producing new plants.

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3. Chad - February 10, 2009 at 4:42 pm

   Hello. I started a pineapple top in march in a glass of water. After a couple of weeks it got roots and I planted it. After a month or so a new shoot started off the side and a few weeks later another started off the opposite side. The top itself didn’t do anything, but it is still green (its lost a couple of leaves only). Now I have 2 shoots (suckers?) that are about 12-14 inches high and doing very well, but the plant is becoming pot bound. My question is when I repot (should I do this now?), should I separate one of the shoots and pot it separately? Also, I’ve never fertilized the plant. Should I start now or wait until spring? Thanks!!

   The best time to replant is in the spring, when the pineapple will be ready to start growing again. Then you can also separate the side shoots and repot them. Fertilize in the spring.

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4. admin - February 10, 2009 at 4:46 pm

   Ike Beal
   May 24th, 2008 at 9:33 am · Reply · Edit
   Fla Keys here. Been growing pineapples for about 6 yrs. Have 20/25 fruits each season. They bloom around Feb each year. Makes for great eating in July.They are in various settings as I learned that after 2 yrs they don’t have the same wonderful taste. I plant some pups, tops and leave some plants to grow on the mother plant from the pups. Even won best in show two years ago. This year I’ve had several die in the same pot as I have used in the past. Lately, half grown fruit have fallen off the mother plant. (Maybe due to the dry conditions) Is there any possibility to replant these half grown pups and fruit? No roots as they have been fed from a small stem from the mother plant.
   Great site and information!!!!

   You should be able to root the half grown pups in water and then pot them up or try potting them directly in well drained soil. I would think the Fla Keys humidity will help them root easily. The only part of the fruit I would try to grow is the top leaves. Good luck

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5. admin - February 27, 2009 at 11:56 am

   Hi Kris,
   I have a question about Bromeliads but could not find a page to post it, so am using this page!
   I have 2 Bromeliads; one is the mother plant with an additional baby that is barely 2″ in growth. The other is a pup I separated & repotted, which has grown to almost 4″ in height. It shows no signs of blooming & I was hoping you could advise on how to speed things up. It has a tank which I make sure always has water. Plus I moisten the soil every week or so depending on how dry it looks. I have used Miracle Gro once a month on the soil & was wondering what else I could do to get some beautiful blooms.
   Also, the mother plant seems to be slowly “dying”, with leaves every so often turning yellow & limp. Is there anyway it will re-bloom? Or should I discard it once the pup is large enough to be re-potted.
   Thanks!

   Hi Ray
   Once the mother plant is done bloooming it will not bloom again. Instead it will produce “pups”, baby plants that can be separated when they are about 1/3 the size of the mother plant. The “pups” take out nourishment from the mother plant which will gradually die. You will have better success with transplanting if the pup is 1/3 size and has some roots on it. If not be sure to firmly prop up the plant in soil so it doesn’t fall over and provide humidity to speed root development. You can improve humidity enclosing the potted pup in a plastic bag for a few weeks. Plant your bromeliad in well drained soil consisting of one part each;peat, bark, coarse sand or perlite.
   Several factors such as maturity, light, temperature can affect bromeliad blooming. Like pineapple plants, they can also be coaxed into bloom by exposing the plant to ethylene gas. Before you proceed pour out any liquid from the cup.

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6. Wanda Dean - February 28, 2009 at 10:21 am

   Thank you for all your information on growing pineapples. We live in the tropics and have had a delicious fruit from one of our potted pineapples. I did not separate the suckers soon enough and now the mother plant is producing another pineapple. Will it hurt the mother plant to remove the suckers now? My concern is that there will not be enough nutrition in the pot for the mother plant and the 3 suckers.

   Hi Wanda
   I’m assuming that the 2nd pineapple is being produced from the slips produced on the main stem? If you remove the suckers carefully without disturbing the roots you should be ok. Be sure that they are large enough to separate from the mother plant (1/3).

   One way to separate the suckers is to cut or twist them off with a sharp knife, dip the cut surface in fungicide and let it dry for a few days. When dried, trim the lower leaves and plant in sandy soil mix.Keep the newly planted sucker at 70F (21C) until rooted.

   The other safe option is to remove 1 sucker and leave the rest on the mother plant. Your second fruit will be smaller than the first one. If you decide to leave them all, they will continue to grow at a slower rate. Feed the plant with a balanced fertlizer every 2 months to suppliment the nutrients.

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7. linda kozak - May 1, 2009 at 6:05 am

   i have a pineapple plant that has produced one fruit it is in a small pot is it safe to repot it ,it also has a sucker

   If the fruit is on the plant, on would leave it alone until it ripens and then repot the sucker. If you really want to put it in a larger pot, do so carefully as not to disturb the roots. You might want to separate the sucker at the same time.

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8. jeremy - May 12, 2009 at 1:53 pm

   I have 2 pineapple plant that i have had for about 2 years and i have not gotten any fruit yet. But I have had (3 on one) and (4 on the other) shoots coming out of both of them. but the shoots are not coming from the bottom, they are coming out of the top. My question is can i transplant them. I have other plants that do have shoots that are coming from the bottom,but the ones from the top will not have roots. Thank you

   Hi Jeremy
   You can still transplant the shoots from the top. Plant them in well drained soil and keep them moist so that they can grow some roots.

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9. Dr. Mohammed Selamat Bin Madom - August 24, 2009 at 2:07 pm

   Hi there, I wonder how did you all manage to get the pineapple plants flowered?. Were they all flowered naturally or induced by ethephon, carbide etc?.

   The apple (ethylene exposure) trick works for me. http://hortchat.com/info/coaxing-your-pineapple-to-bloom

   Reply
10. laura - August 31, 2009 at 6:41 pm

    hello i put a pineapple top in water and it began to grow some roots. but then the leaves started turning grayish and wrinkly and dry-like and stiff. what is the cause of this and please , how can i save my plant? i live in zone 6a but keep my plant indoors by a windowsill with plenty of light

    Hi Laura
    Sometimes the pineapple top will turn gray and dry-up. I think it has to do with how old it was and if it was exposed to ethylene. Lack of humidity can also be a problem. Since it has roots, plant it in some well-drained soil and put the pot in a clear plastic bag to increase humidity. Place it in bright indirect light. If it doesn’t improve in a few weeks, then I would start over. I had the same problem and tried again.

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11. Fred Kwandras - September 25, 2009 at 4:38 am

    Forcing to bloom
    Hello, My Pineapple plant is now going on 4 years old with no baby yet. Two weeks ago the first sucker has come up, and is growing quickly. We live in the midwest Chicago area, and follow the general watering and
    nutritional needs for the plant. My question is; When should I bag the plant to make it flower and produce a
    baby? It is now the end of sept. here and it will be coming in for the winter. Thanks; Fred

    Hi Fred
    Winter is a great time to force bloom. In nature, pineapple usually develop flowers in late Dec./Jan when days are short and temperatures are cooler (55-65F). I force mine in Jan/Feb and it worked. You can try forcing earlier and if you don’t see any results, try again later.

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12. Ruth - April 20, 2010 at 6:18 pm

    Hi again,
    I now have 2 in dirt, Thanks so much for your help, I have started a few more and i have one that is dark brown with no life of green showing anywhere but the roots are starting to come in, lots of root buds. but not a drop of green anywhere, should i continue to see where this goes or is it trash?
    and the second one is brown in the center but the outer leaves are green, not sure whats happening here.
    Thanks Ruth

    Hi Ruth
    I don’t think the one with roots and no green will survive. If you had some green in the center then maybe. I would start over. The second one-if it has roots may still grow. If no roots forget it and start again. Check your pineapple tops carefully, avoid smashed and bruised tops.

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    1. Marina - January 20, 2011 at 1:33 pm

       how many plant you have to produce 20/25 fruits a season?it is sounds great!

       You will need 20/25 plants.

       Reply
13. Sandy - July 20, 2012 at 1:04 pm

    Hi I live on Cudjoe Key in the Florida Keys. in the past month we have had 4 of the biggest pineapples I have seen! I grow them on the porch in containers. I am so happy I found this site. I have several plants growing from the mother and now I know I will leave 1 on and transplant the others. I also have them growing in half barrels in the back yard. They all have pineapples on them. Thank you for all the great information!

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14. Sandy - July 21, 2012 at 2:21 pm

    Hi I have a question. If you are planting in a raised bed, how many inches of soil do I need to plant pineapples? Thank you.

    Hi Sandy
    You should have a raised be that is at least 6 inches deep.

    Reply
15. Tammie - August 25, 2012 at 10:19 am

    Suckers
    I have a a pineapple plant that I started from a crown about 2-3 yrs ago. I didn’t know about drying it but it grew anyw ay. This year it flowered and I have a baby pineapple. It is still green right now. I was researching trying to find out when it will be ready to pick. We live in Central Alabama, at first I wasn’t even sure that it would grow at all but to have a baby pineapple has impressed me. I noticed the other day that there was what looked like another baby pineapple (just the green leafy part) growing about middle ways of the plant between the leaves. After reading several internet chats I think this is a sucker. My question is how long will the mother plant produce fruit? Should I dispose of it after I harvest the fruit? I kinda hate to, it is a very healthy plant right now.

    Hi Tammie
    You can leave the sucker on the mother plant until it is about 1/3 to 1/2 the size. Then it can be separated. The mother plant can also produce more suckers depending on growing conditions so I would wait after picking the pineapple, it may send out another sucker. see above article.

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16. jujo - September 13, 2012 at 1:58 pm

    Hi I have two pineapples that are in small pots and now need to be re-potted as they are root bound. I live in Florida where nothing ever seems to stop growing ! is it safe to repot now in September as I fear loosing them if not..they have really outgrown the pot and cant seem to get enough water because of it..
    thanks!!

    Hi Jujo
    It’s better to repot than to starve them. Repot in 1-2 inch larger container. Because there is less sun and cooler temperature, Water less in winter.

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17. Andrew - November 9, 2012 at 7:36 am

    Hi, I live in the UK I had started growing a couple of crowns from two pineapples. They both suffered from heart rot during the summer, but then produced new shoots from the centre instead of the side of the mother crown. The new leaves are quite big on both of them and the mothers leaves have died over time. The shoots have grown directly on top of the original stump, but towards the bottom of the crown it is very narrow. They are becoming quite loose… What should I do? Should I break them off and plant them into other pots? At the moment I have held them up using sticks

    Thanks

    Hi Andrew
    Your pineapple produces shoots at the base of the plant. These can be separated and grown as individual plants when they are 1/3-1/2 the size of the Mother pineapple plant or when they have developed a small rosette of leaves. Shoots grow fastest when attached to the Mother plant. see above article for more info.

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18. Roz Browne - January 24, 2013 at 1:23 pm

    I live in Florida for the winter months. About 3 1/2 years ago planted 2 pineapple tops. Grow into huge plants. Over 3feet tall 3 feet wide. No sign of a blooming fruit. In Nov. put a cut up apple in the cores and covered them.. Now both are staring to bloom . Do not know if it was the apples or if just finally started on their own.
    Question : I am hoping they will be ready to eat in June before we leave to go up north .. While we are gone the plant may produce “shoots” can the survive on the mother plant if not separated and planted indiviually since it will be months before I return to my plant.

    Hi Roz
    Yes, the “shoots” will survive if not separated. The mother plant will eventually die off and the shoot will take over. It takes 5-7 mo. from bloom to fruit.
    The reason apples works is they release ethylene gas which will stimulate the plant into fruiting. see http://hortchat.com/info/coaxing-your-pineapple-to-bloom

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    1. Roz Browne - January 25, 2013 at 2:01 pm

       Just noticed today that there is the start of a second plant in my huge pot. The bigger plant is starting a fruit the second plant is skinny but about a foot long.. At first I thought it was just some new leaves but I followed it down to the base and it is a separate plant.. I did not think they had shoots until after the first fruit.. This plant has me confused.. Do I need to pull the second plant out . It is in a huge pot?

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       1. Unknown - January 27, 2013 at 9:19 am

          Hi Roz
          Once the pineapple plant set fruit, its job is done. It can either die or produce more plants. A healthy plant will send out sucker/off shoots to reproduce. see the above article for more info.
          Kris

          Reply
19. Pat Miller - April 10, 2013 at 1:02 pm

    We live in Iowa and winter if Florida for 4 months. I have a fruit growing on my pineapple that will not be ready till about August. Can I transplant the plant to a pot and take it with me back to Iowa? We will not be here when it is readyt o eat.

    Hi Pat
    It’s not the best time to transplant but since you won’t be around to enjoy the fruits of your labor, I would carefully transplant it in a pot and bring it with me. Let me know how it works out.

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20. Dale - July 5, 2013 at 6:43 am

    Hi,
    I live in Central Florida and have a pineapple top in a plastic cup partially submerged in water. The top is still green with browning on the tips of the leaves. There are two shoots about an inch and a half tall growing out of the side of the base of the top, but only with a couple of roots. The shoots look really healthy. Should I plant in a pot now or wait longer for more roots. Your help is much appreciated.

    Hi Dale
    Yes, you can plant it in well-drained soil. Keep the soil moist (not wet). Pineapple crowns can also be rooted in soil.

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21. Wanita - November 25, 2014 at 11:53 am

    All 8 of my potted pineapple got crown rot, I am assuming, in them while outside this summer. I pulled out all of the loose leaves about a month ago and the rest of the plants look great, with large green leaves with no browning on the ends. The centers all look dry down inside now, but no sign of any new growth. All plants are either shoots or slips from plants that have produced pineapple within the last two years, some are very large. My question is “will they grow new leaves from the crowns or do I need to toss them all? I am getting ready to go to Florida for the winter and usually take a couple of the larger/older plants with me.

    Hi Wanita
    If the center leaves rotted and that’s what you pulled out, then the plant will not send out new leaves from the center. Last time that happened to me, I discarded the plant because the center did not continue to grow. So I guess my answer is toss them. If may, however produce a side shoot or slip if the plant is healthy enough.

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22. Donovan - December 2, 2014 at 12:36 pm

    Hi my pineapple plant is about 3 years old now and while there is absolutely no sign of it fruiting anytime soon it shoot out a sucker from the side and from all the research I’ve done they usually only do this after or durring it’s fruting and when it’s about to die so I don’t know what to do with this sucker it’s gotten to be a little more than half the size of the mother plant and I want the mother plant focusing its resources on its self to start its mature stages of its life like fruiting because while it might be a mature pineapple plant it’s not as big as one usually is and no where close to fruiting so would it be bad to remove the sucker and if I do will the mother plant start focusing on growing its self rather than growing another sucker because the mother plant hasent grown a cm since this sucker came along and it’s had that sucker on him for almost half a year now

    Now that I told you everything there is to know about my plant I just want to know what would be best

    To remove the sucker in hopes that the mother plants starts to grow again and hopefully fruit soon
    Or
    If I remove the sucker will the mother plant focus on producing another rather than growing itself
    Thanks for the help looking forward to your responses

    Hi Donovan
    Yes, by removing the sucker the mother plant will continue to utilize all its energy toward fruiting.Cut if off and plant it. Since the plant is 3 yrs. old I would try to encourage it to fruit or you may not get any.

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23. Wendy - February 6, 2015 at 1:55 am

    I live in Oxford, UK. I successfully started off a pineapple crown July 2012. Last year (2014) it grew a sucker at the base. I carefully removed when it was 1/3 size of main plant. It has grown on well. However my husband dropped the main plant when he moved it three months ago to friends conservatory. He’s just told me as the plant has become detached from roots and fallen over in pot. I’ve taken plant and stripped off bottom leaves and will try and root again like crown. but will roots in pot,which are a good size, send up another sucker or shall I throw away?

    Hi Wendy
    That’s a good question. I have never experienced that. If you had some of the base of the plant (above the soil) It might send out a shoot. I don’t think the roots alone will produce a shoot.

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24. Jack - February 8, 2015 at 12:04 pm

    Hello! I have five 20-month old plants that used to be abou 4 feet across and two feet tall. Unfortunately, we had some 6 degree temps that my heat lamps couldn’t keep up with. So, most of the leaves except those in the center froze. The crown is fine and still growing. I pruned all the dead leaves and repotted. They are now in my recently finished greenhouse (day late and a dollar short) at 60% humidity and warm. Here’s the question: Do you think they will fruit?

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25. Lisa - April 26, 2016 at 9:02 am

    Hi. ? I accidentally knocked a 2″ pineapple with 3 babies off the mother plant’s stem. Can I repot the 4 mini pineapples? & should I prune tge stem of the mother plant or is it going to die?

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26. ScottC - February 18, 2017 at 4:20 pm

    I grew a pineapple plant (from a top) for about 14 years and it did nothing. In the process of moving/re-planting/fertilizing I must have done something right and it flowered and produced a pineapple last year.

    It also produced a sucker and a slip that are both now way bigger than the original mother. Is it too late to separate one of them so that they are not competing in the same pot? (the pot is huge) Its been about 9 months since they started growing.

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27. Donny - April 16, 2017 at 10:16 am

    I have a pineapple plant I planted about 5 and a half years ago, It has been killed by freezing weather twice. Since then it has another plant grown with two shoots , both the shoots are producing fruit at this time.
    My honest to god question is how is this possible, It has frozen twice and died off. now I have two shoots that come up from a dead plant. They are both Producing Fruit! how..??

    Hi Donny
    It’s possible that the plant wasn’t totally dead producing new shoots was its way to survive. Pineapple will fruit once and then produce new offsets that will also produce usually smaller fruit.

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28. Ember - June 21, 2018 at 1:04 pm

    Hi. I purchased a pineapple plant from my local nursery, and I’ve had it about 3 months so far. I’m in Texas and I’ve put it in a pretty big pot. It’s grown a pineapple maybe about 4 inches big but the leaves on top of the actual pineapple are maybe double that size if not more. It appears that only those leaves are growing and not the actual pineapple itself. It gets at least 5 hours of sunlight a day and I’m very cautious when watering. Is there something I’m doing wrong or is there any tips that could help my situation? Thanks!

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29. Kevin - July 10, 2018 at 9:15 am

    Hi! I have a pineapple plant that flowered but a chipmunk broke the flower off will it still fruit our will it die it has been a mouth but nothing has happened with the plant.
    Kevin

    Reply
30. James Gabaza - July 20, 2018 at 12:54 pm

    I grow pineapples in eastern Zimbabwe where we have very good soils and perennial rainfall. My problem is that each batch of cropping takes too long to fruit. What are the best fertilizers for this wonderful plant to enable quick fruit production ?We have access to chemical, organic,compounds, singles, etc etc but need to know which ones excel.

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31. Phil - April 13, 2021 at 10:46 pm

    I’ve had a pineapple growing in a raised bed for the past 3.5 years. It finally bloomed a few weeks ago and the fruit has been growing nicely. Unfortunately, I need to move to a new apartment in a couple weeks. I would like to repot the plant and take it with me but I’m afraid doing so might kill it. Has anyone repotted a plant before while it was fruiting? Did it survive?

    Reply