Garden for Free Part III – Pineapple
I am so excited to finally show you all my pineapple plant! I might be a plant nerd, but a pineapple plant grown from scraps that would normally be thrown away or composted is seriously cool! Like my other “garden for free” blogs, this process just takes a little research and patience. First start with a healthy pineapple that is not overripe.
Step 1 – Prep your pineapple
(option 1) Remove the top of the pineapple with one 1-inch cut, leaving roughly 1 inch of pineapple “flesh”, along with the green top portion of the fruit. You are only using the top nonedible portion of the fruit, so cut the rest of the pineapple and enjoy. I love grilled pineapple.
(option 2) You can also twist off the green portion of the pineapple and let “cure” for a few days or up to two weeks. To cure a pineapple, just store it in a dry place without direct sunlight. If you go this route you do not need to soak in water, just plant directly in direct after you remove the lower leaves.
Step 2 – Sprout the pineapple
Place the pineapple in 1/2 inch of water for 3 to 4 days. I like to keep mine on my kitchen window bench which gets the afternoon sun. After 3 or 4 days, check the bottom of the pineapple, you should be able to see tiny white sprouts.. At this point you can remove all the flesh and some of the lower leaves, leaving a sprouted cone on the bottom of the plant. Once your pineapple top has sprouted, plant directly in dirt in a mid-size pot with good drainage.
Step 3 – Let it grow
Make sure to plant your pineapple in a well-drained pot. These plants do not like to be water logged, and will not survive overwatering in general. Here you can see how far I cover the starter plant with dirt. Pineapple plants are pretty plants that have a tropical vibe, that would be great on a patio regardless if they grow fruit or not. But of course, fruit is my goal, which can be expected 24 to 36 months from planting depending when / what season you plant.
Here you can see an example of one planted in May of this year. Really impressive growth! I plan to bring my plant indoors before the first freeze and return to the patio next spring.
6 Comments
Dee
I have done this in Florida and it works beautifully. One thing I would have added is that you will know when the pineapple is ready for picking because you’ll see it!
My question for you, is can you use your “new homegrown pineapple to grow another? Is it better to start with a purchased pineapple ? I’d hate to wait 3-3 years.
Bonnie C. Fritz
I compost, about 20 years ago, I put a pineapple top on my conpost heap and it grew a plant. We are a hot dry climate here in Texas. But my piles have relinquished many plants. Onions, garlic, peppers, and tomatoes on a fairly regular basis.
Pamela Fowler
I love this! I am in Calif and will give it a try this spring. Thank you ?
Shirley Myers
I like this idea. Looking forward to recipes.
Toni
I cut the top off and plant it in a pot of soil. I got my first pineapple 10 months later. It put out a pup and got my second one a year later! I have 4 tops planted and finally got the first fruit from one of them.
Runaway Ruth
I just Love this idea my front porch bird houses and feeders and oh my kitchen and lots of my clothes are pineapple ? l can’t wait to grow my own pineapple plants ? thank you for the great idea