The pineapple is a popular exotic fruit. Growing your own can be tempting, but it’s not that easy, because pineapple seeds don’t exist. It is therefore easiest to use the tuft of a fruit for this. We tell you how a pineapple grows.
Table of Contents
This is how the pineapple grows in its homeland
The pineapple (Ananas comosus) belongs to the bromeliad family and grows similar to them. Her homeland is in South America. However, it is now grown commercially in various places around the world.
- no epiphyte, roots in the ground
- perennial
- forms a rosette of hard, pointed leaves
- tolerates drought well
- Flowers and fruit form on a stem
Pineapple cultivation with us
It is not possible to buy pineapple seeds and cultivate them in the garden. The plant is not hardy. In rare cases there are young pineapple plants for the balcony or terrace to buy, but these must also be allowed in the cold season. A better way to grow pineapples is to grow them from the top of a pineapple fruit.
Pick the right pineapple
The fruit should be ripe but not overripe.
- golden color of the fruit
- Cucumber green, firm leaves
- Fruit firm, not soft or crushable
- smells like pineapple
Preparing the tuft of leaves: instructions
- Separate the tuft of leaves from the fruit. Use a knife for this or carefully twist off the tuft of leaves.
- Then process the fruit as usual.
- Remove the pulp from the tuft of leaves, which would rot and disrupt growth.
- Expose a few centimeters of the stalk by pulling off the outer leaves downwards.
- Then let the tuft of leaves dry for a few days.
cultivation
All you need is a glass of water.
- make sure that the tuft of leaves can be stuck into the glass and still find support
- place in a warm, not too sunny place
- Cover the tuft and jar with foil to increase humidity
- Change the water from time to time
- wait for roots to form
planting
As soon as strong roots form, prepare the pot for the pineapple plant. It must not be left in the water for too long, otherwise it could start to rot.
- Normal garden or plant soil is suitable as a substrate
- not too loamy, but permeable, sandy to gravelly
- possibly mix in some sand, clay granules or similar to increase the permeability
- Provide pot with drainage layer of small stones
- fill in soil
- Insert the plant in the middle, being careful with the roots
- Fill in the soil and press down a bit
care instructions
- The pineapple plant tolerates drought better than too much water, so water regularly, but remove too much water from the planter.
- To increase the humidity, spray the plant regularly with water, making sure that no water remains in the leaf axils.
- A little fertilizer every week or two during the veg period will provide the plant with the nutrients it needs.
- Repot into a larger pot the following spring.
harvest and breeding
Years can pass before a pineapple plant finally bears fruit. The fact that a fruit forms can be recognized by the fact that the plant pushes a stem out of its middle. The flower appears on this, which in turn becomes the pineapple fruit. The flower is pink to purple in colour. Once the mother plant has borne fruit, it slowly dies. By then, however, she has usually already formed a few children. These can be separated and planted individually. And with a bit of luck, the next generation of pineapples will grow up.
frequently asked Questions
It is difficult to predict how well a pineapple plant will grow from a fruit. The tuft of leaves should be healthy and have strong, green leaves. Nevertheless, sometimes no roots form or the stalk rots despite all care. Then try again with a new pineapple fruit.
The fruit does not keep for long. It is better to eat or process them as fresh as possible. It stays fresh at room temperature for about a week.
In summer, you can actually grow her outdoors. It then prefers a sheltered location that is as bright and dry as possible. She has to go back into the house before the first cold nights.
