Or you can induce blooming chemically by using two small pellets of calcium carbide mixed in a cup of iced water. The pineapple won't like a heavy, wet compost. They have small, red or pink fruits that are attractive but not flavorful. Follow this step-by-step guide and enjoy the sweetness. Answer: A bigger pot is okay but if you transfer it to the ground, the plant grows better and from my own experience, you get bigger fruits. Remove any scraggy, half-dead leaves from the base (just pull them off), then leave the head in a warm, airy place for 2-3 days, to allow the wound to callous over. The plant fruit stem may not be strong enough to hold the heavy pineapple fruit so that's why you have the pineapple leaning to one side Question: Before I read your article, I had twisted the top off my pineapple. Good luck and yes, please keep us posted on your progress. Do you have any successes, failures, or tips to share about pineapple planting? Question: I planted a pineapple top about eight months ago in an average sized pot. I live in Cooktown which is 15 degrees south of the equator. How to Plant a Fresh Pineapple Top. Pineapples grow in the ground but will also flourish in a pot. I have 7 plants in different stages growing. The choice is yours. The next step in learning how to grow a pineapple is to know how to plant it. I have a small garden and don't have the 3 ft luxury so I plant them about 2 ft apart. These are referred to as suckers. Let the pineapple top grow for about a month before moving to area with direct sunlight. According to Tropical Permaculture it's simple. Hope this helps. Should I transplant it into a bigger pot or the ground? Yup. This will allow the wound or the cut end to dry and heal. Plant the cured pineapple top in a 8 or 10" pot filled with a coarse potting mix, and fertilize it with a balanced liquid fertilizer (shower the liquid right over the top). The experts at Dole also suggest that even if the leaves can be removed easily by hand, the f… I'm in the south but our temperatures do get below 65. Step 3 Remove all the bottom leaves and any dead leaves. This top is now ready for peeling, drying, and planting. Once your pineapple begins to mature, make sure you know when a pineapple is ripe and ready to pick from the plant to ensure the sweetest pineapple. The plants are generally propagated from the offset produced at the top of the fruit, or from a side shoot, and typically mature within a year. Some varieties are ripe even if it is green in color on the outside, however. Can i grow a pineapple in that kind of heat? A native of southern Brazil, this juicy fruit traveled with Indians up … To grow a pineapple plant, all you need is a fresh pineapple. Do you bring the pot in the house in the winter, I assume? It is ripe when the color is yellow, which forms from the base up. I don't agree, however, as I had no problem with my method of removing only the lowest leaves without having to expose an inch from the base. So, yes, you have to bring the plant indoors during winter. Once a plant begins to lean, it can lead to more damage or prevent the plant from growing properly. This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional. Thank you. Do you still have the problem of not knowing how to tell if a pineapple is ripe? Select a tall pot as you will need to insert the pineapple top in quite deeply. This method gives you less excess flesh to remove. Happy gardening. I look forward to hearing back. If it is too small to plant I wouldn't bother; … When choosing a pineapple to start the new plant, an organic fruit with bright, strong and vibrant leaves is best. I am aware that you can fertilise the plant during the summer periods. I love pineapples! If you do this, the additional exposed area has a better chance for the root buds to sprout through. The stem that is left needs to be bare, dry and clean. Thanks for dropping by and have a great day. Both indoor and outdoor plants can suffer from leaning caused by being top heavy or damage sustained from wind. How to Grow a Pineapple. Once you bring the pineapple home, cut off the leafy top part (about an inch below the leaves). If you love Pavlova or Pineapple Cake you'll need some fruit. Use sandy soil mixed with organic matter. ... To make a pineapple cutting just remove the top from the fruit and peel away the outer leaves to expose a cutting. Let us know in the comments below. See my photo below of my one-year-old plants. Answer: Yes, it is better to plant it in a pot and move it indoors when the temperature drops. I prefer the "cut the top" method, as it is a lot easier, even if the fruit is not that ripe. How to Grow a Pineapple Plant Outdoors. You can eat them fresh, juiced, cooked, or preserved. "The optimum air temperature is 32°C during the day and 20°C at night." Plant shot this flower about eighteen months after planting the top of very tasty pineapple and left to itself in the backyard. It is still very green and not ready for picking. The pineapple (Ananas comosus) found its way to America long before Columbus did. You can induce pineapple plants to bloom by exposing them to ethylene gas using over-ripe apples. An over-ripe pineapple is also not recommended. Secondly, it looks great as part of an indoor plant decor! Question: If I plant pineapples in the garden how far from each other should I place them ? PRODUCTION GUIDE FOR PINEAPPLE Mercedes M. Arcelo Pineapple (Ananas comosus), a tropical plant with edible multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries, named for resemblance to the pine cone, is the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae family. But I usually cut it off. Pineapples grow slowly and only need watering about once a week. Use it just before cooking. Besides planting from a top, you can use suckers that come out in the axil of the leaves for growing new plants. If your soil condition is good and you have applied a good amount of fertilizer during the growth stage, then you can skip it during the fruiting stage ( cost of fertilizer is not cheap any more). :-). I'd like to try this, but I'm not sure it would work in our climate, as it can get quite cold in the winter. The impressive, sword-like leaves reach lengths of 72 inches. Is it that easy? Mazlan (author) from Malaysia on June 07, 2018: sqhetti girl, I did not notice these insects at the pineapple plant that I grew. Surprisingly, it has taken off and is outgrowing it. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuries.The introduction of the pineapple to Europe in the 17th century made it a significant cultural icon of luxury. You can try planting the pineapple indoor, it might work. Do not leave strong fertilizers in the leaf pockets, this may burn the plant. Maybe you should give yourself a try and then write a hub on your experience! Mazlan (author) from Malaysia on June 15, 2019: Good to know that the article had inspired you to plant the pineapple top. But I'm going to try doing it in a very large planter that I have and keep it indoors where I have a very very sunny side of the house and it's sunny all year around. The pineapple is one of the most popular fruits all of the world, because of it’s pleasant taste and flavor. Get your mag delivered!-Save 29% off the cover price! Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Pineapple Plants: How to Grow a Pineapple. Answer: Yes, you can do that. But water might collect and stays at the leaves/stalk section and this might attract mosquitoes. Question: What does a pineapple blossom look like? There should be no soft spots or bruises (signs of damaged fruit). The fruit on my pineapple plant has gotten very top heavy and the stalk is leaning to one side. Not too many, though, as you do not want to expose too much of the root buds. Mazlan (author) from Malaysia on June 27, 2018: Andrew, Not sure of your climate condition but in our hot tropical country, I still fertilize with potassium (K) for fruit development and ripening. Did it bear any fruit? If it smells sweet, then it is ripe. Mazlan (author) from Malaysia on September 10, 2017: Hi Bob, thanks for dropping by and thanks for the compliment. Hold it firmly and with a hard twist pull off the top (like unscrewing a lid from a jar). I knocked the pineapple off before it was ripe will it ripen off the plant? Step 7 Once you plant your pineapple it will take some time to grow so patience is in order. These can be separated from the larger plant and planted as new plants. Question: If I plant the pineapple now in August what will happen when it gets cold? It is mainly grown for its fruits, either fresh or in processed forms. If you want to grow this plant indoors then you want to keep it near a window because the plant should absorb natural sunlight then artificial lighting. Question: Should I bring my pineapple plant indoors for the winter? I would love to try this. It usually ripens off the plant. Bronwen Scott-Branagan from Victoria, Australia on August 21, 2016: When we were children sometimes our mother would give us the pineapple top to grow on some cotton-wool. You will learn in this movie How to Grow Pineapples at Home step by step easy way - DIY to grow a Pineapple plant from the Top. The original plant will not produce another pineapple but the top of the immature pineapple, if mature enough, can be planted as well. Answer: Suckers are actually a 'baby pineapple plant' that grow between the leaves. 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