How to Grow Pineapples

Pineapples are wonderful fruit. Not only are they delicious, but they are also very easy to grow. All you really need to start growing your own pineapple farm is a pineapple and some dirt (and a pot if you live in a colder climate).

Step 1: Obtain a Pineapple...

Go to wherever you like buying fruit from, whether it be a supermarket, farmers market, or from a guy selling fruit on the side of the road. Buy a nice looking pineapple. Make sure it's nice and ripe. Take the fruit home, and move on to the next step...

Comments

[hedgesci]

i usally wait until my second year of growth before i force my plant to produce fruit. to force it to produce fruit, you slice up an apple(red apples), then place the slices near the center where the fruit will bloom.the apples give off a gass when deteriating, that forces it to bloom and produce fruit.

[Erratic.Chromatic]

that is so cool to know!

[desertrock]

I'm from Dickinson, Texas and I have been growing a pineapple plant. It pretty neat idea this has been a successful story.

[CrayfishYAY]

I live in Alabama, a little north of Birmingham. Is it warm enough for pineapples? I really want to grow some!

[bg_askins]

I'm in the Huntsville area and i've grown them in pots before and my grandmother has grown them in a hot house but they wont survive over winter outside.

[CrayfishYAY]

I now live in south Mississippi, really close to the beach. I think I'll have some luck here.

[Bruce Voss]

I live in a gated comuniity in southwest florida, we have an enclosed lani 24 by 40ft. (sreened in patio )I put in a planting bed 2' wide and around the perimitor.We dont have space for a trditional garden. The produce ladies at our Publics supper market that cut-up and make fruit cups gave me a dosen tops to get me started with planting my pineapple?flower bed. each week I plant a new start.If things go as planed I'll plant around 60 tops .I cant think of a hedge that could be more satisfying.

[hankadopolis]

what month would be the best to plant it in?

[lumos2000]

i grew pineapples once in brazil, i rubbed some rooting hormone one the base befour planting. i havent had any luck in the uk yet though

[mrmerino]

Wow, neat! Is Arizona a nice place to grow those? I love the smell.

[sado196]

Winter Park Farmer's Market! Nice to see a neighbor on Instructables. I'm also looking to get into the Pineapple farming business on my townhouse's porch. How often do you get new pineapples each year?

[eternalwind]

I think pineapple plants grow one pineapple a year

[kaway27]

I eat a lot of pineapples and just threw away the top part. I never thought I can plant it that way. I going to try to plant them from now on. Nice instructable. Thanks.

[GregoriNiculitcheff]

Great Project :)

[The nerdling]

fresh pinapples look so good
are they better thann the baught ones?

[sokamiwohali]

sorry to be sarcastic but...
                                           

                                              |Store Bought Pineapple|
                                            /
                                           /
                                _VS._/
                               /
                              /
|Fresh Pineapple/


The healt benefits are clear. the only matter of concern really is time over convenience...Can you wait a year to eat the fruit of your labor (pardon the pun)?Would you rather eat a fruit that YOU grew thet YOU know what its been around? i would love to try this but i do not think my climate nor geo-location would be suitable...animals would eat my fruit and i think it might be a little too dry.

[monkeywidget]

you are so lucky; you live with tree frogs! Very cute.

[RSV26]

very cute!!!

[orangesrhyme]

Yeah, that thing is awesome. Are those legal to own as pets?

[phip]

I wanted to point out that pineapples are actually bromeliads, and so do not ever have seeds. The reproduce using "pups" from their base, exactly what you are doing here. Once a pineapple plant flowers and grows a fruit, that plant will never produce fruit again. The fruit sprout around them though. Much like bananas in this way.

[lisarudedog]

You are SO wrong!
Pineapples DO produce seeds, and the seeds from MOST are viable. Pineapples will usually produce fruit a second time but not usually a third.
The "pups" at the base of the fruit can be replanted, so it is common to get 2-3 new plants out of every old one.

[Minny1128]

One of my pineapple plants has bloomed again & has fruit on it. This is the 2nd pineapple I got from this same plant.

[multiple_reality]

pineapples do have seeds, i have seen them from time to time. i usually find them on larger pineapples about 1/4 to 1/2" in from the outside.

[hishealer]

But are they viable? Do they sprout?

[tilldawn]

I have always worked as a cook,& in the spring of the year,I have found many pineapples with seeds,as you said from 1/4 to 1/2' in from the outside.The seeds I found were much like apple seeds.

[bbaril]

How beautiful. I can't wait to see a fruit on mine. The plant itself is so pretty, even if it never fruited it would still be worth growing. I will never throw a pineapple top in the compost again.

[awoggirl]

Hi does anyone know if you can trim the dead a torn leaves off a pineapple plant, Thanks

[bbaril]

Sure you can. I think it is similar to a banana tree. I've noticed if I trim my banana tree before the leaf has completely dried out it can weep. I'm not sure if the pineapple plant would weep, but I wait until the leaf is dry before I trim it.

[bbaril]

It is soo true about the extra steps. I tried with no success to grow a pineapple that way. I just put the top in a pot this time and it got happy. I will try next time to leave a little of the meat on. I am so glad someone else has the same opinion

[tjesse]

Eat the squirrels.

[The nerdling]

heheheheheheh

[kdunn]

Leaving any fruit on the plant is a sure fire way of failure. Remove all fruit from the plant (ie cut exactly where the leaves begin) so that fungus will not kill or stunt the growth. Also, remove about a third of the leaves from the lower portion. Do this gently and one at a time so you will not disturb the roots that form between the lower leaves. Then stick in a bucket of dirt in a partially shaded area for the first week while watering regularly. Then transplant to full sun. If you do this you will have pineapples within 6-10 months in fertilized soil! Also, I have been told that if you can isolate the core from the fruit the time to fruit can be even further reduced. I am currently testing this, so I cannot give directions at this time.

[suayres]

Can you grow them this way in a pot or bucket? I live in Wisconsin, so growing them outdoors is out of the question (we had waist- high snowfalls this past winter--NOT unusual)!

[gia]

Yes, you can grow them in a plant pot. A mature pineapple needs 12" pot but you can start with a smaller one, and transplant it to a bigger one on the second or third year. Exposure to sun (South window, or even outdoors for summer) is awesome.
For outdoors growing, pineapples need at least US hardiness zone 9B or warmer (Corpus Christi TX, Florida, HI or PR). But you can keep the pineapple outdoors until it gets cold (low 50s/below 15c), and move it then indoors.
I managed to make my pineapples make fruit (more wiht kdunn's ideas than the original poster's) even in Ireland.
In Hawaii, a pineapple can mature in 18-20 months. Anywhere colder than that, it can take longer. But don't worry too much about when it might make fruit - pineapples look awesome as plants even before they make fruit.

[destructopop]

Great advice!
Great instructable!
I am so looking forward to the adventure of growing my own pineapples!

[joshirelan]

I agree with kdunn, when u leave the bottom on u ask for failure. removing the leaves from bottom exposes roots already grown. It makes it easier. plus why waste roots already grown

[Asmodeous]

Tree frogs go to Rollins College.

[pigpenguin]

 I just planted mine today. The only thing was the the leaves are slightly discolored ( grayer then normal) and was wondering if that will effect its growth.

[souderad]

I have been growing pineapples for 3 years now in northeast Indiana . they are in pot that go outside in the summer and into my sunroom in the winter . have picked 2 pineapples from my fist 2 plants I am now up too 10 plants .

[bwenda62]

Hi there!!!  I'm a newby but started my first pineapple by cutting off the top on one I purchased, so on and so forth.  It did root, finally in water, then I planted it in rich soil.  At first it was looking really good and had some new bright green growth coming from the center.  But then a few of the stem a little away from the center started turning brown and curling around the edges.  So today I gave those a little tug and they came right out and appear to be dying at the base.  The inner leaves are still intact.  Do you have any suggestions regarding where to put it indoors?  I live in Maine.  I TRULY don't want to lose my baby!!! :-)  How often do I water them indoors???