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nighthawk0911

Pineapple - Will pineapples fruit more than once?

10 years ago

1. Will pineapples fruit more than once? I know commercially they are replanted? Should I leave my pineapple plants in the ground or replant?

2. Is it better to plant crowns or slips?

3. Has anyone planted any highly regarded local Hawaiian varieties and if so they taste better than than the store bought varieties?


Thanks

Comments (11)

  • 10 years ago

    Mine did. They're from crowns & did have small-ish fruit, but crowns are free.

  • 10 years ago

    You misunderstood the question.....will MY pineapple plants that I grew from crowns fruit more than once. I have already harvested them.

  • 10 years ago

    Yes it will produce again but not till next year,and some types every other year.leave it in the ground

    nighthawk0911 thanked Glenn Jones(9b)
  • 10 years ago

    Just found this: 3x & done at the max

    Fruit Per Plant

    Pineapple plants can fruit a total of three times during their lifetime before you must replace the plant, although not all plants are capable of producing multiple fruit and some plants may fruit more. Indoor potted plants are more likely to produce only one or two fruits in their lifetime because they do not always receive the optimum conditions necessary for thorough fruiting. Each flower stalk produced by a plant has the capability of setting fruit. The first fruit typically grows largest, with subsequent smaller fruits produced later.

  • 10 years ago

    I did not misunderstand the questions. On the contrary; I think you misunderstood my reply. I can only report my own experience.

  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    Tks Mangroot........your info is inline with other things I have heard. My 10 year old pineapple plants haven't died, but they after fruiting once they have rarely if ever put out any more fruit. But they are in shade and very neglected. Even just the tops from the store (about 18-24 months for fruit) produce an incredibly delicious and fragrant pineapple when home grown and the possums didn't beat me to them.

    Sugarloaf was one of the varieties I was actually looking to try & acquire how to did you get your tops or plants?

    I think I have heard it's better to replant with crowns rather than pups for quality fruit in the shortest time.

  • 10 years ago

    I have had a small pineapple grove for several years with around 25 plants, some from tops others from tissue cultures. Along with store tops which are different in size and thorn / thornless I have three named varieties.

    One store bought plant top sent up another stalk after removing the fruit but the plant died soon after. So I would say if it is possible don't plan on it, plant new tops or pups.

    So far tops take about 2 years to fruit here in So. Fla. and none of my pups or tissue cultures are old enough to fruit so I have no experience with a timeline to fruit.

    I was told that the tissue cultures at the size I bought them at will fruit soner than cut tops, but that remains to be seen.




    nighthawk0911 thanked gnappi
  • 10 years ago

    Pineapples don't really seem to need much attention. I weed, occasionally, and I do give them a time realease fertilizer once or twice a year. I do grow them in full sun, and with about six to ten plants I usually get four to six fruits a year.

    I bought the sugarloaf from a nursery in n. Florida that tissue cultures them. They pup more than the store variety, so my three plants have about ten pups between them. If you'd like a couple PM and we can set up a trade.

    nighthawk0911 thanked oldmangroot
  • 10 years ago

    I tried growing them in our sand dune 6 years ago but they didn't do too well. I got 2 plants in large pots about 5 years ago. I believe they were sugarloaf and they were over wintered plants that were being cleared. I left the 2 Sugarloaf in pots, divided and re-potted them until I had a dozen over grown 10gal. pots. This spring I divided them and tossed about half. I currently have 7 pots with 8 fruits.

    For this variety, and maybe others - a stalk will produce 1 fruit. It also can produce side shoots. Up to 3. The usual recommendation is to remove all but 1 of the side shoots, let it fruit the next year, then pull the plant. This works well for the commercial growers because the plant increases in size, but produces the same amount of fruit. Not economical for them. For us, when the pot gets crowded and the fruit size suffers, we can just divy them up into more pots and go on enjoying even more fruits. The plants are also send up new shoots from the base. I think most of my expansion is from base growth.

    Plants from culture or tops take longer to fruit, usually 2 years. A divided plant will fruit the first year since it starts out with a decent root system. I would buy the largest plant I could find if I was to start over. Store fruit tops are too iffy and slow. Pineapples seem to be mostly pest free. Vermin eating the fruit happens, but bugs don't like them.They are thrifty with water, and tolerate neglect and being root bound.

    As for flavor, I harvest my fruits when they are yellow and fragrant. They are sweet and heavenly. I will never buy a store pineapple again.

    nighthawk0911 thanked inulover (9A Inverness, Florida)
  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    Inulover - Not sure how "fast" they are in comparison to pups or nursery plants, but the freebie pineapple crowns/tops from the grocery stores (they will give you all you want) do "reliably" produce and produce vastly better tasting fruit than the ones from the store when allowed to fully ripen in your home garden. I never timed mine, but it seemed like it was about 1-2 years before I was harvesting fruit. The pineapples I have grown from tops were probably only 2/3's the size of the ones in the store, but I also never fertilized or watered them. You can't kill them, they are incredibly hardy like most bromeliads.

    FYI: I used to have hundreds of mosquito infested related red bromeliads that came with my property when I bought it. They didn't die and & sent up an attractive red flower stalk around Thanksgiving every year and had a spreading habit. I finally pulled them all out as bromeliads are discouraged by mosquito control because they are a breeding ground for "daytime" skeeters which are unaffected by night time spraying practices.

    Anyone who has never grown their own pineapple or tasted one owes it to themselves to do so. The difference in flavor is as dramatic as that of a store bought mater & a home grown one.

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