So, you love pineapples and want to have a plant in your garden. Well, it is not an impossible task to pull off! You can sprout a pineapple plant efficiently with a proper guide and caring tips.
Pineapples are a kind of bromeliad that also makes them a cousin to the Spanish moss, grown as houseplants. The top cultivar of pineapples is Smooth Cayenne produced through selective breeding.
When you plant to have the fruit in your garden, you should understand how to grow pineapples in detail. Here we are, with everything significant about planting pineapples and taking care of the plant.
How to grow pineapples
Start with picking attractive or variegated foliage to have a unique rooting top of the pineapple plant to enjoy throughout the year.
Let’s get started with the process of growing pineapples!
Purchase fresh pineapple
- Choose evenly ripe pineapples with healthy green leaves. Do not pick one with dead leaves.
Cut off the pineapple crown
- Take a sharp knife to slice the pineapple top from close to the crown
- Slice away the rind and fruit.
- Make sure to remove any part of the fruit flesh that may rot later
- Cut thin slices in the stalk to see a ring (of brownish dots).
- It is the unformed roots that you will grow, called ‘root primordia’.
Remove leaves from the stalk
- You must pull off the lower leaves from the stalk of pineapple.
- Ensure at least an inch of the stalk is exposed bare.
Leave the stalk to dry
- Allow the wound on the pineapple crown to dry for a few days.
- The fruits are prone to rot, so the cut end must dry completely before planting.
Plant the pineapple stalk
- Once you see the cut end dries well, start preparing the potting mix and pot for growing pineapples.
- Fill a clay pot with 6-8 inches of potting mix.
- Your potting mix should be light and well-draining.
- A cactus potting mix works fine – a proper mixture of sand, peat and perlite.
- Before planting, you can even try dipping the cut end in the rooting hormone.
- Plant the pineapple crown one inch deep in the soil while firming it gently.
Water the pineapple stalk
- You should water the pineapple stalk very lightly.
- A spray bottle works fine to keep the soil moistened.
- Place your pineapple pot by a bright window.
- Keep watering as you notice the soil is dry.
- You must not use any fertilizer at this point.
- To ensure your pineapple plant doesn’t rot by overwatering, place the pot in a lightly-sealed plastic bag to allow it to recycle the water.
Wait until the pineapple roots
- It takes 1-3 months for the pineapple to start rooting.
- To monitor the process, you can tug on the crown to see if it holds well in the soil.
Note: Do not pull hard or the roots would break.
Repot your pineapple plant
- As soon as you notice the pineapple is well-rooted, there will be new leaves emerging from the center.
- You can now repot the plant in another pot of 10-12 inch height; in a rich and quick-draining potting mix as before.
- After a year of growing pineapple, you can safely move the plant to a large 5-gallon planter.
How to take care of pineapple plant?
When growing pineapples, it is essential to learn about how to take proper care of the plants for fruitful results. The main parameters to consider include light, temperature, water, and fertilizers.
Light
Being a tropical fruit, pineapple requires bright sun that doesn’t burn or dry out the soil. You can keep it close to a wall for warmth in the summer seasons outdoors.
If there’s no availability of natural sunlight, you can also use grow lights to satisfy the light requirements of pineapple plants.
Temperature
The growth of pineapples is seen best between a temperature range of 60-90°F. The fruit dies out in freezing temperatures.
So, keep it indoors during winters.
Water
To ensure proper and regular watering, you should use a simple moisture meter for pineapple plants. The tool helps in keeping a track of soil moisture and knowing when exactly to water a plant (both outdoor plants and houseplants).
Coming back to pineapples, these are drought-tolerant plants but infrequent watering can also affect its growth indoors. So, it is advised to keep the soil moderately moist always.
Under the conditions of drought, the growth stops or slows down, making leaves light green to yellow/red to curled gradually (if not taken proper care of).
Overwatering is equally harmful while growing pineapples.
When you see the leaves becoming brown, know something is wrong with your pineapple plant. It can be a result of underwatering or overwatering.
You should trim off the brown leaves using clean and sharp scissors.
In case the middle of the plant becomes brown or yellow, your pineapple is dying!
Fertilizer
As a plant grows, it will require balanced and slow-release organic fertilizer (5-5-5) N-P-K macro-nutrients.
You can also reach out to the nearest nursery to know about the best micro-nutrients for your pineapple plant. Use micro-nutrients a few times throughout a year.
In a nutshell
Pineapple is a tropical plant that thrives well, given the right growing conditions and care throughout the growth stage. Now that you are well aware of how to grow pineapples, why not try growing your favourite fruit in the garden.
Pineapples take around two to three years to mature (before fruiting and flowering). During this time, you may need to repot the plant to larger containers as they will keep outgrowing the pots.
Keep cutting the old or dead leaves from time to time and make sure to keep the plant healthy and fresh. You need to have patience and willingness to see the flowering and fruiting of the plant.
For any queries about growing pineapples, you can get in touch with us. Tell us your experience of planting the delicious fruit on your own.
Happy Gardening!
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