Growing a pineapple plant from a store-bought fruit in 4 simple steps
The long-held dream of rooting pineapples at home can come true, especially with the help of this article! How nice it is to enjoy the delicious pineapple fruit and then plant its top in a pot. In a year, that will ultimately result in an exotic plant on your windowsill. As people say, both the top and the roots of the plant are useful. What’s more, rooting a pineapple is surprisingly simple. It’s better to do it in the warmer months, so now is the perfect time to grow your own pineapple plant from store-bought fruit. All it takes is these 4 easy steps:
Let’s see how we can turn a delicious pineapple into a houseplant!
Step 1: Choose a pineapple
You can pick a ripe pineapple from any grocery store, the main requirement is that its leaves must be firm, healthy, and green (not yellow or brown). The skin of the fruit should be golden yellow, not green. We recommend that you buy at least 2 pineapples – for a better chance of success. Check closely at the base and on the leaves for any gray patches that indicate insect damage. Do not buy such a fruit. Also, do not buy overripe fruits. A simple test for the ripening of a pineapple is to gently pull the leaves off the pineapple. If they easily return to the starting position, then the fruit is overripe. While you are there, you can also get some avocados to grow your own avocado plant from seed!
All you need is a ripe pineapple and lots of patience and love
Step 2: Prepare the top of the pineapple
Take the bunch of pineapple leaves in your hand. Twist the top hard and pull. The leaves will come out with a small part of the stem. You can also just cut it out of the fruit itself, but in this case, you have to make sure that everything has been properly separated. Otherwise, the plant will rot. All particles adhering to the pulp trunk must be kept clean to prevent rotting after planting. After clearing the pulp (fruit), you should carefully cut off the lower part of the leaves along with a small portion of the fruit (the small dots or circles on the surface of the stem). Be careful not to damage the roots. Next, you should remove a few leaves from the bottom of the pineapple, along with 2-3 cm of the fruit. This may cause small brown roots to appear on the stem. After cleaning, let the top dry for a few days before the next step. This will heal the scars on the root tips and leaves and prevent rotting. Use the rest of the fruit for some delicious pineapple recipes!
Just twist and turn the leaves and the stem to take the top off the pineapple
Now let’s see how you can grow a plant from the top by cutting it
Start with a sharp knife
Now you have to make sure that everything has been properly separated
After clearing the pulp (fruit), you should carefully cut off the lower part of the leaves
Next, you should remove a few leaves from the bottom of the pineapple
Step 3: Sprouting
There are various ways to make the tip create roots, but the simplest and most reliable is to sprout the roots in water. You need to submerge the pineapple top in 3-4 cm of water. Use a glass jar, keep away from air conditioners, and places with a sharp temperature difference. The water should be changed every 2-3 days.
Tip: It is believed that in a container with dark glass or plastic, the roots sprout more effectively. The same goes for sprouting a mango or avocado seed as well. You can then use this mango seed to grow a mango plant for your home.
The simplest and most reliable is to sprout the roots of the pineapple in water
Keep the sprouting roots away from air conditioners and sharp temperature difference
Step 4: Rooting the top
Once roots appear, you need to quickly plant the pineapple in the soil. Use a ready-made ‘Cactus’ or ‘Bromeliad’ mix.
You need to plant the pineapple
The diameter of the pot at the top should be about 10-15 cm (as big as the crown). Be sure to make holes to drain excess water. Then backfill with the soil mixture. After that, put the pineapple top in the soil and leave it in a bright place. Watering should be moderate, the soil should always be moist but not wet. Full rooting takes 6 to 8 weeks. During this period, you can speed up the process in some way, for example by applying fertilizer. After about 2 months, the pineapple should be rooted and consuming water from the soil on its own.
Do a little test: gently tilt the plant, if it resists, then new roots have formed and are holding it in the ground, if it is not resistant, the roots are not formed. In the latter case, you need to check that the plant has not started to rot. If you see mold, unfortunately, you have to start the process all over again with a new pineapple. At this point, the old leaves will wither and die, and new ones will appear in the middle of the nest. Next year, you should remove the old and dried leaves and water only once a week. One year later, the plant should be repotted into a larger pot.
After the roots have sprouted, it is time to plant the pineapple
You can use cactus soil mix or make your own mix at home
Flowering
Pineapples flower in the 3-4th year (when the leaves reach a length of about 60 cm and the base is about 10 cm across). Sometimes, however, the pineapple flowers later, and there are cases when it does not flower at all. The inflorescence of the fruit consists of more than 100 sturdy, connate flowers, which, after flowering, begin to become more closely packed together to form a stem. The flowers of the pineapple become dull, but depending on the light, can change from light blue to dark red. Flowering lasts from 7-8 to 10-15 days, depending on the variety and growing conditions. The smell of the flower is delicate, not strong, with a typical pineapple aroma. Then a complex of fruits begins to form, collected from multiple hexagons. After some time, the fruit becomes amber-yellow in color with a typical pineapple aroma and taste. From flowering to full maturity will take 4 to 7 months, depending on the varietal characteristics.
The smell of the flower is delicate with a typical sweet pineapple aroma
Often the crown prevents the stem from fully expanding, gathering strength for its development. Removing it is difficult because you can miss the pinch point. It is better to wait for the end of flowering. But almost complete removal of the growing crown is not possible, since it is part of the plant and comes out from the root. So the concept of “removing the growing point” is conditional. It may be added that growth also depends on the varieties of pineapple.
Tip: Using tea bags for your plants is very beneficial! See how you can reuse old teabags for your plants at home.
With lots of patience and care, your pineapple plant can flower in the 3rd-4th year
Repotting
Pineapples do not flower every year. After flowering comes the time for repotting. The soil mixture should be grass, leaves, humus soil, sand, and peat. Before the pineapple reaches maturity, it must be repotted twice: the first time three months after the shoots have been removed, the second time one year later. Be careful not to get pricked by the pineapple leaves, always wear gloves! Again, take care of drainage. When you put the roots in the new soil, don’t press too hard. Water the plant before repotting, and two days afterward transplant it into the pot with drainage holes, giving it a chance to root properly.
The more your plant grows, the larger the pot should be
Watch this YouTube video to see the process of growing a plant:
Frequently Asked Questions
Now that you have seen how to plant and grow the pineapple itself, let’s take a look at some of the most frequently asked questions:
When is the best time to plant the pineapple?
The best time to plant a pineapple is from late summer to late autumn. This is when we should buy the fruit, which should be of good quality. Pineapples do not tolerate cold, so choose a suitable fruit whose top and leaves are in good condition. This is where our home-grown pineapple will start to grow in the future.
How to treat the cut spot on the top?
Once you have removed the pulp from around the leaf stump, you can rinse the cut area with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. It is then a good idea to sprinkle the cut with crushed charcoal or activated charcoal tablets. You can also use wood ash if we have some on hand. This will largely prevent the incision from rotting.
What soil should we put in the pot of our home-grown pineapple?
Choose a pot that is not too large for planting – no more than 0.5-0.6 liters. At the bottom, first, pour drainage or pebbles and a little expanded clay, and then the soil. This soil should be loose and consist of ordinary soil, peat, humus, and sand (preferably river sand), in approximately equal parts. You can make this mixture ourselves, or you can buy a ready-made one in a store (look for bromeliad substrates). We then treat the soil with a hot solution of potassium permanganate to disinfect it thoroughly. And in just a few days we can plant the pineapple in it.
Tip: You can actually reuse coffee grounds for your plants! See how you can fertilize your plants with coffee grounds and even keep pests away.
How to take good care of our home-grown pineapple?
You should water the pineapple rarely, but very abundantly and only with warm water, slightly warmed, up to about 30 degrees. The pineapple needs just this kind of moistening, as in its native tropics it is used to living for long periods in the midst of drought, and then accumulating water during heavy tropical rainfall. So wait until the potting soil is completely dry. Remember to keep the pineapple in a warm place. If the temperature drops to + 18–20 degrees, then the plant will die.
Now plant your own exotic pineapple
