Have you ever thought about growing a pineapple plant at home? You can turn the fruit you buy at the grocery store into an easy and fun indoor gardening project. While it will take a few years before the plant produces fruit, growing pineapples as houseplants is easier than it might initially seem. In this article, you’ll find out all about how to start a pineapple plant and properly care for it indoors.
Pineapple plants (Ananas comosus) are native to the tropics of southern Brazil and Paraguay. Most commercially grown pineapples come from Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii, Puerto Rico.
Pineapples belong to the bromeliad plant family. These flowering tropical plants need plenty of moisture and light. All you’ll need for growing your own pineapple is a large pot with drain holes, nutrient-rich potting soil, and ample sunshine. Read on to discover how to grow a pineapple plant.
Growing a Pineapple Plant
Although they’re slow-growing, mature pineapple plants can reach up to six feet tall under optimal conditions. Since they’re tropical plants, they grow best at temperatures between 70-80°F.
These sun-loving plants need between six and ten hours of bright light throughout the day. Grow lights may be necessary for the plant to produce fruit in cooler climates or during short winter daylight hours.
For the best results, grow pineapple plants in rich soil that drains well. Feed your plants with a nitrogen-rich fertilizer every six to eight weeks. As your pineapple plant grows, gradually increase the pot size until it reaches maturity at one or two years.
How to Start a Pineapple Plant
Propagating a pineapple top using store-bought fruit is super simple. First, choose a ripe, healthy-looking pineapple from the grocery store. The fruit should have a deep golden color and bright green leaves without dark spots or other damage.
Propagation Materials
- Ripe organic pineapple
- Pint-size mason jar or water-tight container
- 6-inch pot
- Potting mix
First, you’ll need to separate the crown from the fresh pineapple fruit. Grasp the leafy top firmly by its base and twist to remove it. Then, remove several lower leaves to expose one or two inches of the crown. The small brown nodes at the bottom are where new roots will begin growing.
Next, place your pineapple crown on a clean dish towel and dry it in direct sunlight for one or two days. The protective scab that forms will help prevent rotting and infection. Once it’s dried, suspend the crown over a mason jar full of clean water. Make sure that only the leaf-free section gets submerged. Refresh the water every other day to keep it clean.
When the roots grow to at least three inches long, your new pineapple plant is ready to move into its pot. Typically it reaches this stage in about one month.
Some of the lower leaves might turn brown. However, as long as the crown starts developing roots, this isn’t a cause for concern. Sometimes, a pineapple crown won’t root. In this case, throw out the old crown and try a different one.
Best Potting Soil for Pineapple Plants
Pineapple plants require well-draining soil. A cactus or succulent potting mix works well. Be sure to use a pot with several drain holes at the bottom. Initially, your container should be approximately two inches wider than the pineapple crown.
Although pineapple plants are somewhat drought tolerant, they’ll only produce fruit if they get consistent moisture. However, the plant may suffer from fungal diseases like root rot if the soil remains waterlogged.
How to Grow a Pineapple Plant
There are a few crucial factors to keep in mind when considering how to care for a pineapple plant. Keep your pineapple plant out of direct sunlight the first few weeks after transplanting until the root system becomes more established.
Since plants consume water at different rates depending on their environmental conditions, it’s best not to water on a strict schedule. Let the top several inches of soil completely dry out before rewatering. The pot’s weight is a helpful indicator of how moist the soil is. Or, use your fingertip to check the soil moisture.
Within a few months, your pineapple plant’s root system will become established, and it will start producing new leaves. To check its progress, gently pull on the crown’s base. You should feel some resistance if the roots are taking hold. Take care not to dislodge the plant.
Once the leaves grow several inches beyond the container’s edge, or you notice roots emerging from the drain holes, it’s time to transplant your pineapple plant into a bigger container. Repot it one or two more times until it reaches its full size. A mature pineapple plant should live in a five-gallon pot.
It’s best not to increase the pot size by more than a few inches at a time. An excess of moist soil that the roots aren’t touching can lead to fungal disease.
The ideal temperature for pineapple plant growth is between 70-80°F. If desired, move your pineapple plant to a protected outdoor area for the summer. Bring it back inside whenever daytime temperatures drop below 65°F.
Fertilizing Pineapple Plants
Plant fertilizers consist of three principal components: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). Nitrogen encourages green leafy growth. Phosphorus promotes a robust root system. Potassium stimulates flowering and fruiting processes and increases cell wall strength.
For the best possible results, feed your pineapple plant every six to eight weeks with an organic, all-purpose fertilizer. If you prefer using liquid fertilizer, apply every three to four weeks according to the instructions listed on the product package.
How Long Does a Pineapple Plant Take to Mature?
You’ll need a bit of patience when growing a pineapple plant indoors. It usually takes around three years for a pineapple plant to reach its full size and produce fruit. You can speed up the process by supplementing natural sunlight with grow lights over the winter.
When pineapple plants reach maturity, they develop a flower that eventually turns into a ripe fruit after about six months. Pineapple plants only flower once. After that, they produce clones, called ratoons, that can get propagated to grow into a new pineapple plant.
Remove the small plantlets for propagation by carefully twisting at the stem’s base where it meets the mother plant’s main stem. After separating the ratoon from the mother plant, plant it in a six-inch pot and follow the pineapple growing tips listed above.
Solutions for Common Plant Problems
There are a few common pests and plant diseases to watch out for when growing pineapples as houseplants. Luckily, most of them are simple to fix.
Mealybugs, thrips, and scale are some of the most frequent insect pests for indoor pineapple plants. These insects feed on leaves’ juicy sap and can sometimes transmit plant diseases. If you notice a pest infestation, spray all plant parts with neem or horticultural oil.
Mealybugs leave behind a white, sticky material in the areas where they feed, which sometimes gets mistaken for powdery mildew. Thrips are tiny and difficult to see. You’ll usually notice the leaf damage first, which resembles a mottling of tiny white spots.
Scale is less evident initially, especially in the early stages. Juveniles are typically a reddish-brown color, extremely small, and highly mobile. Mature scale insects form a hard exterior shell ranging from brown to white that looks like a small bump on the plant. They excrete a black, sticky substance that eventually coats the plant’s leaves and stems.
Occasionally, pineapple plants suffer from root rot or top rot. These conditions have similar causes and treatments. However, they come from different pathogens. The most obvious symptoms include drooping, yellowish leaves around the plant’s center. Blisters may appear on the leaves, which eventually turn into sunken scars.
Both conditions result from overwatering. Repot your plant with fresh soil, and remove as much old dirt from the root ball as possible without damaging it. Adding perlite or horticultural sand improves soil drainage. Make sure the soil dries out adequately between waterings in the future.
Growing pineapples as houseplants is a fun and rewarding DIY project for beginner houseplant enthusiasts and experienced gardeners alike. All you need is a warm, sunny location, a large pot with drainage holes, and rich potting soil. Although it takes several years to get any pineapple fruit, turning food scraps into a free houseplant is worth the effort.
Do you have any questions or suggestions about how to start a pineapple plant? Please share them in the comments! If you enjoyed these tips for growing a pineapple plant, feel free to share this article about growing a pineapple plant with your fellow plant lovers.