Pineapple Facts and Nutrition

Indigenous to South America, the pineapple is a tropical fruit that was cultivated by the Mayas and Aztecs. People eat pineapples raw, cooked, canned and juiced on their own or as part of fruit salads, desserts, and main meals in a variety of cultures and cuisines.

Many Asian dishes use pineapples as part of stir fries and pineapple juice is the main ingredient of sweet and sour sauce. Pineapples give Hawaiian pizzas a nice sweet and tart taste. In addition, many tropical drinks include pineapple juice. In fact, the main ingredient in the pina colada cocktail is pineapple.

In addition to tasting great, pineapples have health benefits as well. According to LiveScience pineapples are rich in vitamins, enzymes, and antioxidants and may help with indigestion, building strong bones, and boosting the immune system. Pineapples are a good source of fiber and vitamin C, but they are also low in calories. For example, one cup of pineapple chunks has only 82 calories.

With all of these great health benefits, wouldn’t it be great if you could eat fresh pineapple year round? Unfortunately, in the United States, pineapple’s peak season is only from March through July. In some areas and grocery stores, you may be able to find pineapple year-round, but it is not guaranteed.

Would you like to know how to grow a pineapple at home so that you can enjoy pineapple year-round?

How to Grow a Pineapple at Home

Did you know you can easily grow a pineapple at home? All you need is a grocery store pineapple and a lot of sunlight. If you get enough indoor sunlight, you could actually grow pineapples indoors as well. 

Steps to Grow a Pineapple from a Grocery Store Pineapple Top

This Hometalker in Ohio, made a fruit salad one winter day to ease her wintertime blues. Afterward, she decided to try to figure out how to grow a pineapple top at home from a pineapple top. Here is how she did it.

Step 1: Cut off the Top of Pineapple

Using a grocery store pineapple, she cut the top off the pineapple. Next, she pulled the leaves off the bottom of the cut top in order to expose the roots. 

See post: Eleni|Grow Your Own Pineapple Plant

Step 2: Put the Pineapple Top in Water

Then, she placed the top in a glass of water, making sure that the roots were in the water. Every few days she changed the water.

See post: Cindy|Grow Your Own Pineapple at Home!

Step 3: Plant in Potting Soil

When there were finally new roots on the bottom of the pineapple top, she planted the top in potting soil in a large pot. Then, she made sure the plant was in a spot with plenty of sun exposure.

See post: Dee Dee|Planting a Pineapple Top

See post: Dee Dee|Planting a Pineapple Top

After a few months, the noticed a large stalk in the center of the plant. She then continued to keep the plant moist while the pineapple developed and formed.

Step 4: Harvest the Pineapple

Once the pineapple is fully developed and ripe, you can pick it.

See post: Cindy|Grow Your Own Pineapple at Home!

See all of the step-by-step instructions in action in this video on How To Grow A Pineapple Plant From a Store Bought Pineapple.

How to Grow a Pineapple from Seeds

As another option, you can grow a pineapple from seeds. Watch the following video to get the instructions for growing pineapples from seeds using the water method.

Where Do You Get Pineapple Seeds?

Pineapple seeds are black or dark brown and located underneath the skin of the fruit. Unfortunately, most commercial pineapple varieties do not have seeds since the seeds diminish the quality of the pineapple fruit.

How to Remove Pineapple Seeds from the Pineapple

If you do have a variety of pineapple that has seeds, here are Hunker’s steps to remove the pineapple seeds from the pineapple. After cutting a ripe pineapple into ½ inch slices, separate the seeds from the flesh. Then, wash the pineapple seeds with water and let them dry on a towel or baking sheet.

Purchase Pineapple Seeds

If you do not have access to a seeded a pineapple, you can purchase pineapple seeds. There are various online stores that sell pineapple seeds, including Amazon.

How to Grow a Pineapple FAQs

How Long Does it Take to Grow a Pineapple?

If you are growing a pineapple from a pineapple top, Tropical Permaculture says pineapple tops take about 24 months to fruit and even a longer amount of time in cold climates.

How Do You Take Care of a Pineapple Plant?

This Hometalker says that growing pineapples indoors and outdoors is very easy. The plants need a pot in full sun or partial shade and not too much water. Although you will want to take care to protect your pineapple plants from the frost. You can protect your plants from frost by bringing your plants indoors if possible. For outdoor plants, place an inverted bucket or flower pot over them with a layer of mulch. You can also cover plants with fabric or old sheet, but avoid using plastic.

When is a Pineapple Ready to be Picked?

According to Tropical Permaculture, you have to wait for six months after the pineapple flowers for the fruit to mature.

Then, the pineapple is ready to be picked when it starts to turn yellow.

Fun Pineapple Crafts and Decorative Uses

Once you have learned how to grow a pineapple, you can use it as part of this fun pineapple craft. This Hometalker created these adorable pineapple flower pots using clay flower pots, acrylic paints, acrylic glitter paint, paint brushes, and potted plants.

The first step is to paint the clay flower pots yellow with two to three coats of acrylic paint. As a tip, she suggests allowing the pots to dry in between coats to check for paint coverage. Then, the applied two coats of glossy glitter paint for some added shine and sparkle.

When the paint completely dried she decorated them with little “v” shaped marks to represent the little spikes around pineapples.

After she completed the pot, she carefully placed a potted plant into the pot. Then, using the remaining soil, she filled the rest of the pot to secure the plant.

These pineapple flower pots would be great yard art or homemade gifts for Mother’s Day or other special occasions.

See post: Jessica|Pineapple Flower Pots

As a decorative piece, a pineapple top can double as a faux succulent for your home. This Hometalker had some beautiful faux succulents while she waiting for the fruit to grow. Since pineapples are a slow-growing fruit and it takes about 12 months for the first fruit to flower, your pineapple tops can double as a faux succulent until the fruit arrives.

See post: Sherry Napa|How to Grow Pineapples

Have you tried regrowing a pineapple from a pineapple? Have you used this method on any other fruits or vegetables? This Hometalker shared how to re-grow celery from celery and re-grow green onions from green onions. Let us know what you have been able to re-grow and how the final product tasted. 

Written for the Hometalk community by: Rachel Belkin | Cha Ching Queen