I love pineapple. My husband loves pineapple. He's always buying them. Last summer (or was it the summer before?) we were at one of my favorite nurseries (I love plants) and they had a pineapple plant. In a pot. With a pineapple growing on it. And it wasn't for sale. They did that with a giant jade tree as well....as if to make me feel bad for not being able to have it.
Fine. I'll grow my own pineapple. And as for your 100-year old jade tree? I'll live forever and grow one of those as well. But for now, I'll work on the pineapple.
I have to say first off, that I've tried this before. It isn't that I don't know how to do it. It's that I let things go or someone else ruins it. This time will be different. It has never been a matter of messing it up in the beginning. Tragedy struck much later. The first time I tried to grow a pineapple, I planted it in the garden outside in early spring. It was doing well all summer long. Then fall came. I knew I should move him, and I didn't, and then it was too late. The frost came, and he died.
The second summer I tried, he was planted in a pot with nice cactus soil. He was good and enjoyed the patio. Then, I entrusted his care under someone else for a brief period. I don't know if he was watered too much or too little during this point, but he died. He is currently in the garage, still in the old pot, nothing but a dried up shell of what he could have been. I don't know why he's still in the garage.
In any case, it is time for round three. I did this about 13 days ago. I've waited to post about it because I wanted to make sure he made it through the first week. So far so good.
I want to first mention that it takes about 2 years (at least) for your pineapple to produce any fruit (and small fruit, FYI - but nobody will judge).
The pineapple is a member of the Bromeliad family. As such it is related to Spanish moss and some interesting ornamental plants sold in many nurseries. These guys are absorb water and nutrients from a water-tight reservoir formed where the leaves come together. The pineapple should be easy to grow if you treat it like a normal houseplant that needs bright light.
Step 1: Get a pineapple.
Go to the grocery store...or the farmer's market (if you live in an area that actually has locally grown pineapples), or go to Sam's Club. Sometime they have them on sale for $2, which isn't bad considering where I live. They aren't exactly native to this area. Get one that has healthy and firm green leaves and golden brown skin. I'd get two pineapples. Why? So you can eat more pineapple. Also, you can root them both and if one of them dies, at least you'll still have one. And if they both pull through, then you have two plants. Fantastic! Not sure what to do with the pineapple? Cut it up and eat it. Or puree it and put it on angel food cake. Super good.
Look at the base of the leaves and make sure there are no small gray spots. Those are scale insects and that's nasty. If you see that, put it back and find one that doesn't have that on it. Get one that is ripe but not overly ripe. Test the fruit to check. If you gently tug on one of the inner leaves, if it pops out easily, the fruit is overly ripe. Don't pick that one either.
Step 2: Prepare the crown!
Grab hold of the entire top set of leaves. Twist twist a few times and pull. It will come out with stalk attached. Carefully cut small horizontal slices from the bottom of the crown until you see root buds that look like little dots or circles around the flat surface.
Next, strip off some of the lower leaves, exposing up
to about an inch of the base of the crown. The stalk will root, and the leaves will eventually rot. Fear not! This is normal. So the leaves will come off in a spiral type fashion. You want to have a couple of inches of stalk exposed so that the roots can work their way out as you root it. See those little small brown spots? Those are root primordia! Baby roots just waiting to grow. Aww. Sometimes you might see some mini-roots hanging out. Careful not to damage them.
So at this point, let the crown hang out and dry out for a day or two. This will keep it from rotting once you start the rooting process.
Step 3: Root & plant!
Take your crown and put it in a clear glass of water. I used a vase. Put it in a neutral location...not to
o hot, not too cold. I just had mine by the kitchen sink. Change the water every couple of days. If your pineapple gets moldy, rinse it off. I don't know why mine did, but it's ok. After a couple of weeks, you'll see roots growing. See pictures! Now you can plant him.
Plant him in there. Water him really well. Then put him in a sunny place. Don't leave him outside overnight if it's still cold out and he has the chance of freezing to death much like my first guy.
Check him every couple of days. Don't over-water him. The soil should always be moist, but not wet and not dry. Give him 6 to 8 weeks before the stalk will start pushing out strong roots. Don't fertilize him right now.
In a couple of months, he'll be an independent little plant. You can see how strong he is
by gently tugging on him to see if he's firmly rooted himself in the soil. If he comes out when you tug on him and you see he hasn't grown new roots, put him back in the dirt and wait longer. If he looks like he's rotting on the base, have a funeral for him and start anew. Use fresh potting soil.
You'll see that his original leaves are turning brown or drying up and dying. That's okay though, because there should be new leaves growing from the center. As the leaves die, just remove them. Once it gets to this point, you'll only have to water him once a week or so.
Good luck! :)
