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Planting the Top of a Pineapple |
| By Ellen Brown |
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Q: I am interested in taking a pineapple and cutting off the top to plant. Can anyone give me some good suggestions on how to do this?
Hardiness Zone: 6a
Linda
A: Linda,
It takes some patience to grow a pineapple this way, but it's worth the effort. Start with an organic pineapple. They are less likely to contain pesticide residues that can inhibit growth. Grab the pineapple by the leafy crown and twist off the top (a little of the stalk will remain attached). Let this crown piece cure (dry) for 5 days. This will help seal off openings and prevent rotting and decay. After curing, bare the stalk by removing the lower 15 leaves from the crown, pulling them in a downward fashion. If you notice tiny roots forming at the base of the leaves, try not to damage them.
Fill a 6-inch pot with 2 parts potting mix and 1 part perlite (or peat moss). Place the crown piece on top of the soil mix and place it in a location with bright (not direct) sunlight (at least 5-6 hours per day). Keep the soil moist (not wet).
It may take as long as 2-3 months, but eventually you should see new growth. Repot the rooted crown to a gallon-size container using a mixture with slightly less perlite or peat moss) and start fertilizing the crown once a month during the active growing season. Keep the pot outdoors during the summer and bring it inside for the winter. The crown should stay in this gallon-size pot for at least 1 year.
After 1 year, move the plant to a 5-gallon planter filled with well-drained soil amended with a little manure or compost. The soil should be kept moist (not wet). After another season, the plant will experience a surge in growth. Watch for short-lived, delicate blue flowers, followed by fruit in 3-4 months.
Ellen
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About The Author:
Ellen Brown is our Green Living and Gardening Expert. Click here to ask Ellen a question! Ellen Brown is an environmental writer and photographer and the owner of Sustainable Media, an environmental media company that specializes in helping businesses and organizations promote eco-friendly products and services. Contact her on the web at http://www.sustainable-media.com |
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RE: Planting the Top of a Pineapple
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Post By learner (Guest Post)
(05/18/2006)
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Will try yet again to do this but this time with your tips.......
RE: Planting the Top of a Pineapple
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Post By Sandy (Guest Post)
(02/24/2006)
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Can I grow a pineapple outdoors in Pennsylvania? I would love to try this.
Sandy
RE: Planting the Top of a Pineapple
I agree with Carolb. Twist the topoff the pineapple, do not cut it. Put on a pair of gardening gbves to protect your hands and grab the top of the pineapple around the leaves and twist. The top will come off. I then pulled off several layers of the lower leaves to expose the white root nodes and put the top in a few inches of water. It should start rooting within a few days. Once it roots, pot it up in rich potting soil in a pot. As it grows larger, keep putting it in larger pots. Do not overwater or it will rot. It does take a long time to get a pineapple, but it is well worth the wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RE: Planting the Top of a Pineapple
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Post By Sandra (Guest Post)
(02/07/2006)
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All I have ever done is cut the top quarter to one half off the top of the pineapple and plant in potting soil. I leave about half of the green top (I will call then the leaves) out. Water well the first time and then weekly after that. I have found it works best to not really saturate the soil every time.
RE: Planting the Top of a Pineapple
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Post By brenda (Guest Post)
(02/06/2006)
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http://www.floridagardener.com/misc/hgpa.htm
the above link tells how to do it.
hth
brenda-ohio
RE: Planting the Top of a Pineapple
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Post By Karri R, santa maria, ca. (Guest Post)
(02/06/2006)
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Hi, What I did was slice the pineapple top off
along with approximately 2 inches of the fruit. Let
this dry out for approximately a week and then
plant like you would a flower, with the soil covering
all but the leaves. This plant will be grow to be
the size of a small bush if given enough room and
then the pineapples will grow right from bush
itself.
RE: Planting the Top of a Pineapple
Hi,
When I bought my house almost two years ago there was a pinapple plant in the yard with a green pinapple on it. When it turned yellow I cut it off from the plant, sliced it up and ate it. I saved the top of the pinapple leaving about a half inch of pinapple and let it sit in a shallow container of water until it sprouted a couple of little shoots then planted it in the ground. It grew tall and produced a very tasty pinapple for me. I have the top of that one in a shallow container waiting for the shoots to sprout so I can plant it.
A pinapple plant will only produce one pinapple and it takes about a year or more for the pinapple to turn yellow. When it does, you can chop it off and eat it.
If you don't like the old pinapple plants just dig them out of the yard but I leave mine because they get pretty large and I live in Florida so the plants look natural in my yard.
Growing pinapples seems to be quite easy and I never knew about it until I did it myself!!
I don't use fertilizer or anything. Just stick them in the dirt. I don't know where you live so it may be different there for you but here in Florida, pinapples grow great!
RE: Planting the Top of a Pineapple
We went to the Dole Plantation in Hawaii, and they say not to cut off the top, but to twist it off. Grab a firm hold on the top, and on the bottom, and twist the top. It will actually come right off. This, then can be planted.
I belive it takes 3 years before you actually get pineapple to grow.
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