Pineapples are a versatile fruit and there are a couple different ways you can grow them. Growing pineapple from seed is easy, but growing them from a store-bought pineapple is much more fun! The following steps show you how to do it…
Rooting a Pineapple
- Buy a fresh, evenly ripe pineapple, with healthy green leaves at the top.
- Cut the top off the pineapple. Be sure to leave 1-2 inches of fruit attached.
- Remove the excess fruit inside the skin so it forms a small cap and exposes the bottom of the leaves. Make very thin slices in the stalk, until brown spots appear.
- Peel away one or two layers of the bottom leaves, exposing about an inch of bare stalk.
- Let the pineapple crown dry for about a week. Pineapples are susceptible to rot, so its important to let it dry well.
- When the crown is dry out, it can be stuck in the dirt directly or put in a cup of water for about a week until little roots coming out.
- Plant the cap in a 6″ to 8″ flower pot, big enough to accommodate it, with well-draining soil. Plant at a depth of where you removed the leaves in the earlier step, about an inch deep. If you like, you can dip the end in a rooting hormone powder before planting, to stimulate root growth.
- Choose a shady spot in your home for your pineapple plant until it takes root. Water the pineapple stalk lightly, don’t use fertilizer yet. Once roots beginning to grow, that will take about 1-3 months, move the plant to a sunny location.
- Once the pineapple has rooted, repot to a 10″ to 12″ pot, using well-draining potting mix.
- Fertilize your pineapple plant lightly and sparingly.
- Fruit should begin appearing on your plant in about 12 to 14 months. In about 18 to 24 months, your pineapple should be ready to harvest!
Growing Tips
- Pineapples are a tropical fruit and relatively drought-tolerant. Water only once a week directly into the soil.
- Pineapples grow well in pots or directly in the ground.
- If planting in the ground, protect from frost and freezing.
- Harvest pineapples when they turn from green to golden in color and have a sweet smell.
- Pineapple plants produce off-shoots (baby pineapple plants) that can be replanted the same way, producing more pineapples.
Photo by Pineapple Supply Co. on Unsplash
