Pineapples are an amazing fruit to grow in your own backyard or patio. Native to South and Central America, this drought-tolerant plant, with its distinctive spikey-leaf crown, is also well suited to the warm, urban gardens of the sunshine state. Once planted, pineapples can take up to eighteen months to fully mature; however, the resulting juicy, sweet, golden fruit is worth the wait.
The crown of a pineapple refers to the green, leafy top of the fruit. Growing a pineapple from this top instead of directly from a seed makes for faster and just as tasty results. To grow a pineapple at home, there are a few items you will need. These include a ripe pineapple, a cup or jar containing room temperature water, a three to seven-gallon pot, a small bag of cactus potting soil and a bag of potting soil containing fertilizer. Try your hand at growing a pineapple by following the steps listed below.
Step 1: The green crown of the pineapple needs to be removed from the ripe fruit. Wearing gloves can help with this part of the process as pineapple leaves can be sharp. Hold the base in one hand and place the other hand on the green leaves where they meet the fruit. While holding the base tight, twist and pull the crown off. The pineapple crown should come off of the ripe fruit easily and in one piece.
Step 2: Once removed from the fruit, cut small slices from the bottom of the crown until you see a ring of brown dots on the bottom. Once this is accomplished, stop cutting and peel away four rings of leaves from the bottom.
Step 3: Place the pineapple crown on a paper towel uncovered on your kitchen counter for two to three days in order to allow its end to harden and dry.
Step 4: After the crown has hardened, submerge the bottom of the stem in a cup of room temperature water to promote root growth. Be sure to keep the plant leaves out of the water as water exposure may cause the crown to rot.
Step 5: Change the water in the cup every few days or when you notice it becoming murky. Roots may begin to appear in three to four days . However, they should be two to three inches in length before moving to the next step. This root growth should take approximately seven to fourteen days.
Step 6: Mix the two types of soil together and fill the pot. Create a hole approximately two inches wide and three inches deep in the center of the soil. Carefully place the crown with its new roots into the hole. Cover the roots and the bottom of the crown with soil, leaving the green leaves sticking up from the surface. The plant should be able to sit upright in the pot without support. When caring for this new plant, place it in indirect sun for the first few weeks and water the soil when it begins to feel dry.
Step 7: Once the plant has shown new leaf growth and is fully rooted in the soil, transfer to direct sunlight.
Step 8: After several months, a central flower will appear and mature. In approximately eighteen months, a new pineapple will appear in the center of the old crown, ready for harvest. When the new pineapple turns yellow, cut the stem that connects it to the main plant. The main plant will not flower again. Around this base plant’s stem, new shoots called suckers will be visible. These shoots can be removed by either twisting or cutting and then can be directly planted into soil to produce their own fruits in the future.
Although growing pineapples takes time and patience, the end product is a delicious, tangy fruit. The satisfaction of growing your own fruit is quite different from that of purchasing it off a shelf in your local grocery store.
After planting the pineapple crown, new growth and fruit will appear from the center of the leaves. (Photo/Olivia Chung)
