I have a variety of pineapple cultivars growing in pots in my yard here in SW Florida. My collection includes Natal Queen, Dwarf Red, Phillipine Red, Elite Gold (Del Monte Gold variety), Pernambuco, and Sugarloaf. I guess I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 150 pineapples plants growing in pots - primarily in the southern exposure of the yard.

Typically I see a two or three year growth period before blooming. I don't "force" blooming, but rely on the plants to decide when they want to bloom. Down here, I usually see inflorescence develop in late February or early March if the plant is going to bloom.

Last August I ordered several dozen tissue cultured pineapple plants which included twelve each Pernambuco, Dwarf Red (Ananus Lucidus), and Sugarloaf varieties. Eight months later, two out of twelve of my Sugarloaf plants are blooming! None of the other varieties ordered at the same time have yet to bloom. My Phillipine red is like 4 years old and barely 6 inches tall. The natal queen plants aren't much bigger. Neither of them shows any desire to bloom. I have a number of the Gold variety fruiting, but many of them are 2, 3 or 4 years old. I planted the Sugarloaf tissue cultured plants last august in the exact same potting medium as the rest of my plants. They recieve the same care, watering, and feeding as all the others. Makes me wonder if this particular cultivar is a more rapid bloomer in general or if it's just an abberation. I have several Sugarloaf plants that are three years old and have yet to bloom.

Anybody had similar experience with the Sugarloaf variety?