From my experience, pineapple likes high humidity and heat (full sun). If these conditions can be fulfilled, it doesn't matter whether you water the soil or cup. My pineapples are simply grwon outdoor in full sun, one of them is now producing pineapple.

I'm all the way up in Norway. I don't think mine will do very well out side in the summer. Thanks for leting me know how you do it.

In Australia the best pineapples are grown in a relatively small area a few degrees either side of the tropic of Capricorn, i.e. warm subtropics to cool tropics. This area has high rainfall and high humidity in summer and low rainfall and low humidity in winter. They like direct watering in summer (the growing period)and you can keep the cup full of water then, but not during winter when the plant is fairly dormant.
Tony

I agree with wollemia TCs approach. Find out where pineapples are grown outside as an industrial crop and try to mimic that environment. It's been cool wet weather with poor drainage that has killed some of mine. It's been my experiece that they DON'T like to sit in water. Especially when it gets below 60F. Alot of pineapple farms in Hawaii. What's the humidity there? 70, 80%? Temperature there is what? 70s, 80s? I went there once and saw a farm. Full sun for the pineapple plants I saw. I just tried to grow some pineapples last year. Put two in pots and put a few in the backyard. Potted plants doing better because I can bring them in if it gets too cold and wet. I was surprised to learn how drought tolerant they are. I always thought...tropical plant, so water, water, water but no, no, no. I think the key is warmth and don't over water. Cool and wet....NO GOOD!!!!! When you water, why not water over the plant AND dirt. That's how nature does it..rain. I agree that there is alot of conflicting information you will read. But after you have read all you want, just have some faith in your own common sense. Good luck with it. I'm looking forward to seeing mine create a pineapple. I think that's going to be interesting. SEEYA!

Clean water in the cup does not hurt, anything OTHER than clean water can kill a Pineapple. Dirt, leaves or other plant debris in the cup can cause the bud to rot. Fertilizer can burn the tender new leaves.

Some of my plants are under a constantly shedding cedar tree so I make a point of flushing out the center of each plant with the hose when I water.

I learned that lesson the hard way after crown rot nearly killed a plant. Miraculously it recovered, but the bud split in two so I ended up with a two headed plant.

Both "heads" went on to produce fruit, albeit dwarfed little ones.

here's one that came from resturant in ca.
took 2 years to fruit from top..

i planted in 50% miracle grow soil 30% black cow and 20% sand. it's planted in a 5 gal bucket.. zone 7b so it goes to greenhouse for winter which falls no lower than 27-28F
full southern sun all winter. then out in spring for the winter in full sun 9+ hrs.

i left it out during our last frost and freeze, under a pine tree.. it came thru but was yellowed striped and yellowing on ends.. i cut yellow mush on tips off then cut water intake feed it and placed in shade for couple of weeks and did bounce back..

humidity in gh is app 80+ %..

only my 2cents

hg


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thats a beautiful plant hydro grower!

ty

first one so far

hg

Hydro,

That pineapple looks really nice! My oldest one is just over a year, so it doens't have fruit yet.

I have had great luck with mine outdoors year round in AZ. I keep them out slightly shaded on the south side of my house. The ones getting the least sunlight are the darkest in color.

I have really enjoyed these plants, considering I can't grow anything outdoors. One got mutilated by a hail storm and recuped and is better than ever.

Don't sign these plants off too early: the ones that look as tho they aren't going to make, I just give them more time. They catch on eventually. Some have taken a few months to get established in the dirt. As long as the leaves arent' loose, I leave them and trim off the brown or dried off ones.

April

Pineapples are commercially grown in Malaysia. The govt website says that they need 21C to 32C temperature, plenty of sunshine and 1000-1500mm of water per annum without any long periods of drought and must be well drained.

Sorry the website is in Malay.

Here is a link that might be useful: M'sian State Govt website

We just picked (cut) the fruit off our pinapple plant...it was absolutely delicious....dripping, sweet.
My question....will the plant continue to produce, or do we need to start over with another leafy top again ?
This fruit came from a pot-raised plant and was quite small. Would a garden plant produce larger fruit?...the down side of course not being able to winter indoors.
Thanks a million....
bob

We just picked (cut) the fruit off our pinapple plant...it was absolutely delicious....dripping, sweet.
My questions....

will the plant continue to produce, or do we need to start over with another leafy top again ?

This fruit came from a pot-raised plant and was quite small. Would a garden plant produce larger fruit?...the down side of course not being able to winter indoors.

And one last ??.....another member suggested stripping several leave from the top before planting. Is this a technique to decrease the size of the plant and send the nutrients into making a larger fruit ?
Thanks a million....
bob

BLITL, you can allow one sucker to stay on the old plant and it will continue to produce. You can plant the other suckers and ratoons you remove from the plant in separate pots. You can also plant the slips from the bottom of the fruit you picked and of course, the crown from that fruit.

The size of the fruit is determined by two factors - the particular cultivar you have growing and the size of the plant. Many nursery bought plants are the Pernambuco cultivar - a delicious fruit but it does not get very large. If you started the plant from a crown yourself, it is undoubtedly one of the "gold" smooth cayenne cultivars. Here the main determinant of fruit size is plant size. The bigger the plant, the bigger the fruit.

I have been growing pineapples for a little over 5 years here in sw Florida. I have 5 different cultivars and nearly 100 plants at present. (I suffered a lot of pineapple mortality during Hurricane Charley last year. Many of my plants were blown right out of the ground! - another good reason to go to containers!)

I have found that container growing enables me to produce larger plants and fruit than does planting them in the ground (it's a function of soil quality, placement in the sunshine, and good drainage). I use a mixture of 1 part peat, 1 part composted cow manure (Black Cow), one part leveling sand and one part perlite for my potting mix. I plant my plants in 3 or 5 gallon plastic containers and place the containers in full sun. I use a slow release fertilizer with micronutrients during the summertime growing season. I also foliar feed very frequently (often daily) with a very very weak mix of Peters 20-20-20 (1 teaspoon per 2 gallons) and 1 teaspoon of Epsom Salys per 2 gallons. Frequent foliar feeding with a weak solution yields much better results for me than less frequent feeding with stronger solutions. I either use a spray bottle or just dampen the leaves with a watering can. We get enough summertime rain that I don't ever water them. My plants get huge root systems and they grow explosively. You don't want to water them much at all during winter time. They do continue growing here, but very slowly during December and January. I have not yet tried inducing flowering, but I have noticed that flowers tend to appear on my plants in February and fruit usually ripens by July.

I have plants grown from crowns, slips, suckers, ratoons, tissue cultured plants, and even from seed (just started experimenting with sprouting them from seed and have 6 plants started this summer). Would be happy to provide info to anybody just starting with pineapples.

By the way, here's a good source of tissue cultured plants:
http://stores.ebay.com/Wellspring-Gardens_W0QQssPageNameZviQ3asibQ3astoreviewQQtZkm
I have purchased plants from them several times with good satisfaction (no affiliation and all that stuff).

The one cultivar I have not been successful in finding is Spanish Red. Anybody got a source for them? I did have one Phillipine Red but it got blown away by Hurricane Charley, so I have no red cultivars other than the ornamental dwarf reds.

I've been growing pineapples for 20 years, grown at least a hundred plants. I live in South Florida where it's HOT. PAs love lots of sunshine, you can't kill them with sunshine. They don't care for frost, but are a pretty hardy plant. And the sharp leaves make good barriers for wildlife or other pests like your neighbor's cat or dog who likes to come over and poo in your yard. We would plant them around the vegetable garden to keep the raccoons and such out.

PAs MUST be well drained. If grown in the ground, build a small mound or burm to plant them on. I have even grown them in pots with excellent results.

NEVER water the center of the plant - it WILL rot. I rarely ever water the plants unless we've had a bad dry spell. The leaves will turn a reddish hue begining in the center line of the leaf when under stress, like if you water it too much.

PAs must be at least 2 years old before they are mature enough to produce fruit. Once you remove the fruit, the PA will continue to grow and produce fruit more frequently. It may even produce several offspring which you can remove and grow new plants.

Also, we always bedded the PAs with pine needles - it's a family not-so-secret that the pine needles make the fruit sweeter. Who knows... but our fruit will melt in your mouth, it's so good. Even if you begin with a store-bought PA (which our 1st generations were), bed it with acidic pine needles and your fruit will show the reward for the special treatment.

And it takes effort to kill a PA. Really, they're so easy... and so worth it!

I live in Queensland Australia in an area which was until recently full of Pineapple farms and I would totally agree with The realw.w. too much water will kill them and not enough water wont so err on the side of too dry. When the plant is growing - during the hot weather it will take up all the water it is given but wont die if it is forgotten. In the cold/cooler weather if it is not growing it cannot take up water and will simply rot away. Good luck with your pineapple growing.

Hi everyone!

I've had a Pineapple Plant growing for 3 or 4 years now that I had planted from a Dole Pineapple top from the store. I had just about given up on it ever flowering (had thought about selling it at our garage sale last weekend) when I by chance peeked in the center and, lo and behold there was a red flower! I did a major happy dance! I live in Oklahoma, and I can testify to the fact that this plant doesn't mind the heat, sun or lack of water. Not to mention our humidity! It is one of the easiest plants to grow! I would have never thought that. The only issue I have is the size! They get so big! But - I am so excited that I am actually going to get a pineapple! This might have been answered already, but does the care change once it's in flower? I really just leave this baby alone most of the time - it just does it's thing. It's not been through hurricanes, but we've had some pretty good storms and some high winds that have knocked it about and it's still going strong! They are tough plants! So - do I continue with it's care as I have, or what? I'm going to have to take it in pretty soon because it's getting colder. I just place it in a sunny window and water it every now and then.

Jill

I've been growing a pineapple plant for about 5 years now and it hasn't flowered. I've been a bad plant-mommy and didn't do any research on care until I began wondering if it was ever going to give me a pineapple. It seems to be doing great (below is a pic of it this evening). But it's in regular potting soil, and has been watered the same (abt once a week) year round. I was wondering if the watering and soil could delay fruiting? Do I need to make the soil more acidic? How would I do that? Also, how can I tell if it needs to be repotted? I don't want to try to induce fruiting until I know I'm taking good care of it. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks,
Cathy

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:446510}}

Cathy, are you groing that pineapple as a houseplant? My guess is that it's just turning out more and more leaves and not maturing because of a lack of light. Give it a summer in the sun outdoors.

D.

When grown out of doors in the tropics it thrives under any conditions . On the north coast of Honduras ( often my winter home ) , were we get 100 inches of rain in October and then no rain for 11 months and the Pine is content to grow in sun or shade without any assistance ,what so ever .A little hole dug with a macheete is the only nuturing he'll ever recieve, till harvest .
I grow orchids there with a similar technique but on trees ..
Indoors is another matter . I grow orchids here (near Seattle) as well , lots of them and they require bright, bright artifical light ( just inches above the plant for 20 hours a day and a well drained growing medium is essental.I suspect the Pine will require this as well . I just bought 10 nice pineapples from QFC ( on sale )and will practice what I preach .. lots of artifical light , well drained (2 bark 1 peat 1 rock )and a once a week soaking in a tub for winter than outside up against a south facing wall for Summer

Cathy,

My pineapple is 2 years old and bloomed on it's own just 1 week ago. I keep it outside 24-7 and I think the heat snap we had 2 weeks ago triggered it. If you slice an apple, place it with your plant, cover the pot with a non-colored plastic bag for a few days. Remove the bag and discard the apple. Gases released from the apple stimulate fertilization. Water the "crown" of your pineapple too, not just the roots. Good luck.

This is all new to me, but it's very cool.

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~ SCalDude

I have a pineapple plant that I obtained from a small nursery owner who was moving. It is not your typical "amateur plant" since it was not started from a top, but rather from shoots. Most of the leaves are around 12inches long, but I have had it 8 months and it has really not grown much or produced flowers or fruit. I keep it on a screened porch that gets quite a bit of sun and is warm and humid (Tampa) and I fertilize and water as directed by the nursery owner. Could I be dwarfing it by keeping it in too small of a pot? It doesn't seem too big for the pot I have it in (8in), but it has much fewer leaves then SCalDude's picture. Any advice for getting it to grow?

Sorry heathjez, it's been almost a month since your question. Yes, I would transplant. Mine was rooted in an 8" pot until the new growth was wider than the pot. The pic above is an 18" terra cotta pot and is growing sprouts in addition to fruiting.

Pineapples are fun to grow. Here is mine a few years ago. We ate the fruit once it got a little bigger. This was a store bought pineapple. Easy to grow, takes almost 2 years.

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Wow, that's awesome. Grown in a greenhouse? Outdoors? Do I see red leafs? Interesting...

The plant was in both outside during the summer and greenhouse during the winter. It had a pretty red color on the bottom leaves. At that time, I didn't realize that these plants make new plants from the base, I tossed the plant after I pulled the fruit. I have 2 plants now waiting to see what happens.

Yeah, I have 2 sprouts from the soil and 1 sprout between 2 leafs half-way up. I'm guessing it's a second fruit??? Are you currently growing a pineapple?

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I have 2 plants that I have abused for over 3 years. I am going to repot them soon and see what happens. They will probably grow like weeds if I give them a little water and care. LOL. They will probably make me wait 2 more years for fruit since I have been kinda mean to them. :-) I kinda put them in the greenhouse and forgot about them. Other plants with that type of abuse would be dead by now, these are strong plants.

Pineapples are $4.00 around here. I am thinking of getting some tops at the store. They cut them off and throw them away.

Yeah, I would test those plants for "performance-enhancing" soil. You don't know Barry Bonds do you? LOL Some plants are fighters...I hope my Coconut Palm is.

Smart idea about the tops, I would never have thought of that.

I was looking at my pineapples today in the greenhouse. They are looking great, real green and about the same size as they were 3 years ago. I am going to give them some new soil with a little root hormone and lots of water and see what happens.

Another idea to get tops would be a place that makes juice. I dont live around any but you might could find a juice factory. You never know. LOL

You're on a role...yeah, I have a Robeks & a Jamba Juice near me. Too bad I live in a condo...my balcony has limited gardening room.

Hey, I guess I could double the space be using hanging-pots! LOL

Actually, I've grown strawberries in a hanging pot brfore, but hanging pineapples?

OK, hanging pineapple...

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Oh, thats cool. Nice, I like that. Wait until she fruits. LOL

Not...ya' think I'll need to replant this? LOL

Well, this will keep it out-of-the-way until the plant that's fruiting is done. Although with all it's new sprouts, who knows when that older plant will die?

The plant looks beat-up, but the bloom (fruit) looks great. LOL

My pineapple plant is 2 yrs old, I put it out in the sun and water it and it does its thing, now it has a baby. I put water in the "cup" as bromelaids like that. Mine is planted in a cactus sooil mix, i've never had one rot because water was in the cup. Pineapples are as easy to grow as weeds are to cut, but they do need to be fed during the summer months.

This is an interesting thread and answered my questions, so I'll post a picture of my pineapple. The plant comes from a store bought pineapple. I read a web page on how to get a crown to grow, but didn't know what to do with it during the winter. Based on the comments here, it will do fine in my greenhouse as long as I don't water too much.

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Yep, that's a good plan...it'll be ready for a larger pot next spring too. Whatever you're doing, keep it up.

What fun these pineapples are! OK--here's mine. It's 16 months old. I'm thinking it should be potted up a bit, but I don't want to disturb any blooming that might be in the works. Any opinions from you pineapple people?

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One thing said here-full sun - might not work in low humidity areas like mine. Here, I have had Pineapples in full summer sun burn badly...even die.In part sun i have a pineapple that has made it through our cold wet winter with just a little over head protection from rain. Not alot of cover,but enough. A second, in the open ground rotted. In a greenhouse they are as easy as 1,2,3. In California, outdoors filtered sun as warm as you can make it is best.

Pineapples are weeds! Here in Florida, they grow under most any condition but they take up valuable space that could be occupied by more colorful bromeliads. Sure every August they produce wonderful fruit that is a delight to eat, but is that enough?

I decided to removed all of my Pineapples this year when I started to use Merit.

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just wondering my pinaple plant is around 30-40 cm tall if i was to cut it in half and plant the top half in soil again would it reroot and would the base send out new pups. just wondering this as i have herd that the pups grow quicker

Howdy, Ive read thru this whole thread...with a few interuptions of children of course so i dont know if i missed something that i feel i need to ask.
Fairly simple question and No ive not googled for the answer...but when you cut the top of a pineapple to grow it, how much flesh should you leave under the top for planting (if any at all)...AND...should i wait for that yellow flesh to dry up a bit before planting or can i plant straight away?

Oh and Also. My husband brought home an old plant that had fruited...(he works at the tip)im pretty sure its a pineapple, he just brought it home because he knows i love bromeliads. It had 2 off shoots..pups growing from it and still growing strong even tho its roots have died and its still not even planted. I will give it a tad of soil one day soon and let those pups grow up a bit bigger so i can then plant them. Just thought i would share that info...LOL

No flesh from the fruit is really needed , I have just twisted the top off , and grown it after it has dried out .
The tops can be left lying around for ages without any ill effects . More fertilizer used the bigger the fruit , I was told by a commercial grower .

what i mean is a achal pinapple plant

I used to have problems with wild animals digging up my freshly planted pineapple tops to get at the bit of fruit left on them.

i've got a pineapple in my garden but it doesnt look like the pictures posted here...
it has got red stripped leaves ... and alot of thorn outter.

I have a question about rooting pineapple tops in doors.
I tried doing this a while back, placing the top in soil and covering it with a plastic bag to boost humidity - but alas I was too impatient, and overwatered it, resulting in its death!

Does anyone recommend placing the top in a jar of water on top the fridge first, to allow the roots to grow out a bit?

I realize now my soil was much too water retaining (closer to peat moss than a mix with sand or perlite) and that's probably a large part of my failure.

Is cactus mix the best medium to go with planting the top into? Thanks!

I just add some sand to regular potting soil. Make sure you remove all the fruit from the bottom also the first few rows of leaves to expose the baby roots. A smaller pot seems to be better also.

Thanks rednofl, I will try that next time I get excited for trying out a pineapple plant again!

Eirinn

Eirinn-

I've had good/bad luck rooting pineapples. I'll just say its WAY easier to root them in summer here in WI. I have one plant that is 3 years old and one that just rooted earlier this fall. I have a small plastic greenhouse that really helps on these cool fall days (as long as its sunny out). All i do is twist off the tops and plop them in one gallon pots filled with compost... Then i leave them for the most part. I rarely water them over winter.