Grow Your Own Pineapple Plant
by
Eleni
3 Materials
$20
6 Weeks
Easy
I love growing my own plants from seeds or cuttings. Besides being much cheaper than buying a plant from a nursery, I consider it to be a very interesting challenge to my growing gardening skills!
It is not always easy to grow a plant from a seed or cutting, especially in the case of tropical plants. Some kinds never seem to make it and some never grow to produce fruit. Pineapple plants are quite exceptional, in the sense that it is really quite simple to grow a new plant from a pineapple top and that they are one out of very few tropical plants that may actually produce fruit if you grow them that way.
Growing a pineapple plant from a top is a fun and interesting gardening project and if you have never done it, I strongly urge you to try it. Even more, I would strongly advice you to involve your kids in this, as it can also be a very educational activity.
So how do you do it?
The first step is to buy a nice, healthy, not too ripe pineapple with a nice bunch of healthy green leaves on top. Take it home and cut the top off with a very sharp knife, just under the leaves. Make sure that there is no fruit pulp left under the top you have sliced off, as it may rot and ruin the whole plant. Pull off a row of the small, dry leaves around the base. For best results, you may leave the pineapple top to dry for a day or two before planting.
Enjoy eating the rest of the pineapple!
Take a small to medium flower pot and put a layer of perlite on the bottom. This is to ensure good drainage.
Add some good potting soil and place your pineapple top on top of it.
Add some more potting soil around the pineapple top, patting it snug around the base. Water lightly so that the soil is moist but not soggy. Keep watering it regularly, but not too enthusiastically and your plant will soon start growing.
Caring for your pineapple plant
Pineapple plants are quite easy to care for, as they are among the few tropical plants that can grow happily in pots and can therefore thrive almost anywhere in the world, inside or outside, in full sun or partial shade, depending on the climate.
Don't water too much and don't fertilize too much or you can burn the plant. Be careful to protect your pineapple plant from frost.
It may take your plant up to three or four years before it produces fruit! Once it flowers, it takes about six months for the fruit to ripen. You will know it is ready for you to pick once the fruit starts turning yellow.
GOOD LUCK!!!
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2 comments
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I have yet to try this- way too cool!
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