Know how to grow and germinate pineapple plant from top in water first and then grow in in soil at home and how to care for a pineapple plant. Growing a pineapple plant from a grocery store bought pineapple top is quite easily. The new pineapple plant grown from top will take about 2 to 3 years to produce fruit, under ideal growing conditions. If the growing conditions are not optimum, then it will take many more years to flower or may not flower at all.
Pineapple plants are herbaceous perennials that grow as shrubs, not as trees. The pineapple crown has been a symbol of royalty, luxury and status since the 17th century.
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| Pineapple Growing on Pineapple Plant |
Growing Pineapples From Tops
Growing pineapple plant from top and cutting is quite easy. You can start to grow roots on the pineapple top in water before you plant the top in soil. This will be the easiest way of growing a pineapple tree from pineapple top.
Following is a simple way to plant and grow a new pineapple plant from a pineapple crown with 100% success rate. The pineapple crown is the top leafy part above the actual pineapple fruit you eat.
Growing Pineapple from Top
Step 1. Selecting Pineapple
Buy a ripe pineapple from your grocery store. The pineapple should have crown attached to it. The leaves should be healthy and green. A ripe pineapple is softer and has the golden colour, the more gold, the sweeter riper the pineapple. But don't select a pineapple with orange colour, which is overripe and will have fermented fruit odour. Also don't select an under ripe pineapple which is hard and very green, and has no fruity smell.
Check the pineapple leaves, they should not have insects or diseased.
Step 2. Separate Top/Crown
Remove the Crown/Top: Remove the top leafy part with a sharp knife or you can just twist the crown with your one hand while holding the fruit in other hand. You can eat the fruit.
Step 3. Prepare the Pineapple Top For Propagation
Expose 1-2 inch of the stem at the base of the crown by removing several layers of leaves one-by-one. When you remove the leaves, you will see tiny brown nubs on the stem, where roots will grow.
Place the prepared crown on a paper in shade at a warm place for 5-7 days to dry it out. This step is essential because the inside of the pineapple crown is wet, otherwise, the moist stem can rot in the rooting process. Just place the stem upside down in your kitchen to fully dry out for about 1 week. You can plant the dried crown in the soil. You can also root the top in water before planting in soil.
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| Growing Pineapple From Top |
The picture shows the a pineapple fruit and its crown removed. To strike roots on the crown, remove lower leaves to expose 1 to 2 inch of stem and put in shade to dry.
Step 4: Grow Pineapple Top in Water
- Take a jar or bottle having its mouth wide enough to fit the pineapple crown inside.
- Fill the bottle with clean water and place the stem of pineapple top inside it. Use soft water, bottled water or rain water. If the tap water of your house is hard, then boil the water, leave it overnight and use this water after filtering.
- If the mouth of the bottle is very large then the size of the stem, then you can stick 3 or 4 toothpicks into the pineapple crown to suspend it in the water, just like you would do to grow avocado from its seed/pit.
- Fill the bottle fully with water so that the stem is fully submerged in the water, while the leaves remain out the bottle mouth.
- Place the bottle in bright indirect light at a warm place, preferably at temperatures between 18-32°C (60 to 90°F). If temperature outside is below 15.5°C (60°F) or above 32°C (90°F), then place the bottle holding crown indoors in a bright location away from AC drafts.
- Wash the bottle and change the water every 4-5 days.
- The crown will start to grow roots in a few days depending on temperature.
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| Pineapple Top in a Bottle Filled With Water, See the Roots |
The above picture shows a pineapple top in a bottle filled with water. The roots grown after 4 weeks are shown.
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| Growing Pineapple Tree From Pineapple Top, Roots Grown on the Top in Water |
The above picture shows the roots grown in 3 weeks on a pineapple top which was placed in water in a bottle.
Step 5: Planting the Rooted Pineapple Top/Crown
When the pineapple stem has grown about 3 inch long roots, then you need to plant it in soil.
- You can plant it in a pot or in ground if you live in a warm location that gets at least 6 hours of direct light and does not collect water during rain. In cool areas it is best to grow it in a pot so it can be moved around outdoors to the warmest areas and indoors in winter.
- Select a pot that has holes at the bottom to drain excess water.
- Prepare soil by mixing potting mix, compost and perlite or river sand in equal amount. The sand makes the soil easy-draining and the compost makes it nutrition rich. The pineapple plant always sitting in soggy, moist soil may die, so free-draining soil is essential.
- Fill the pot with the prepared soil.
- How to Plant the Rooted Top: Make a hole in the soil and plant the crown. For best results, ensure that the crown of the leaf shoot is just above soil level. Press the soil around the base of the stem.
- Where To Plant: Plant your Pineapples in direct sunlight outdoors and in a south-facing location inside of your home. Pineapples need lot of sun and warm temperatures, it can grow outside in USDA hardiness zones 10 and If the outside temperature in your region is below 15.5°C (60°F), then place the plant indoors at a bright location away from AC drafts. The plant will die at temperature 0°C.
After 2 weeks, move the pineapple plant at a location where it gets at least 6 hours of direct sun light.
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| Rooted Pineapple Top Planted in Soil to Grow a New Pineapple Plant |
Watering Potted Pineapple Plant
Water only when the top 2 inches of soil gets dry. Water thoroughly until it drains out the bottom holes of the container, empty the water in saucer under the pot.
Pruning: Prune to remove dead or damaged leaves at any time.
Fertilizer For Pineapple Plant
Feed your pineapple plant with a fertilizer with a NPK 10:10:10 once a month. Sprinkle fertilizer along the rim of the pot and mix in soil. If growing in ground, fertilize 10 inch away from the central part of the plant.
Feed a liquid fertilizer like Power Feed or Miracle grow every 2 weeks in spring and summer.
Pineapple Plant Flowers
The question is when your pineapple plant will produce flowers and fruit. The plant will grow flowers in 18 to 22 months after planting. The pineapple plant produces blue flowers from the centre of the leaves, followed by a tiny tiny fruit. The pineapple fruit will fully develop in to fruit in about 10 months in a warm climate.
Pineapple Growing Time Span
Under optimal growing conditions, the pineapple plant has the following stages
Plant Maturity: 15 to 18 months after planting.
Flower and Fruit: 18 to 22 months after planting.
Harvesting: 28 to 32 months after planting.
How To Induce Flowers on Pineapple Plant
When the plant is 18 months or older, cut down the light level and water to the plant for a couple of weeks. This may induce flowering, but some pineapples will dry out instead of flowering.
Farmers use spray of some hormones like naphthaleneacetic acid (ANA) or B naphthalic acetic acid (BNA) to induce flowering and fruit formation.