How to Grow a Pineapple
INSIDE : To grow a pineapple, twist the crown off a store-bought fruit, root it in water for two weeks, and then transplant it into well-draining soil. It requires bright, indirect light and about 24 months to produce fruit.
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This post has been updated since it’s original August 2016 publish date.
Today am sharing How to Grow a Pineapple (even if you accidentally decapitate your very very favorite plant ever – true story keep reading), which I just learned is also called an Ananas comosus plant.
Love plants like me? You might like some of my other Plant Care + Tip posts.
What supplies do I need to grow a Pineapple Plant?
- Fresh Pineapple – Whole Fruit
- Medium Sized Terra Cotta Pot
- Potting Mix soil
- Acrylic Paint
- Paint Brushes
- Fruit mini sign – just for fun (similar)
FRUIT BACK STORY:
I went to Ikea early this summer and bought myself a little pineapple plant. I loved that little guy and took such great care of him. Little by little he started to grow and eventually I even repotted him.
One morning, I was outside doing some yard work and walked by my little fruity plant. I noticed there was a spider making a web on the top of the leaves, so I took the trowel that was in my hand and casually brushed the spider off.
Well, tragedy hit and along with the spider being knocked off, my sweet little pineapple also tumbled to the ground! I was so sad!!
Do Pineapples normally grow on trees?
Surprisingly enough, pineapples do not grow on trees. In my mind, I had thought they would be like a banana tree with pineapples hanging down from tall branches. But, I was wrong. They grow from a big leafy plant in the ground, similar to what a yucca plant looks like.
The plant consists of stocky leaves circled around a central stem. In a healthy plant, the tapered, swordlike leaves can grow up to about 5 feet long!
How do you grow a Pineapple plant from a Pineapple top?
Growing a pineapple plant from just the top is much easier than you may think! All you really need is a pineapple and a pot.
Let’s get to the steps below…
Remove pineapple top
The first step requires gloves if you have a larger, more mature pineapple (think the typical size sold in a grocery store). Grab securely onto the base of the leaves and with your other hand, hold tight to the fruit. Give a few tight turns and the leaves should pull right out from the base.
If this step doesn’t work, you can always simply cut the top off from your plant. I prefer twisting and getting a few of those baby roots with it if possible, though.
Waster propagation by crown
Turn the crown upside down and pull the bottom inch or so of leaves off from the base.
You might be surprised, but about an inch or so there are tiny little roots that have already started growing. Once you can see those little nubs of roots, you are at a stopping point for now.
Find a sunny window sill and place your pineapple leaves in a glass of water to start growing the root systems out.
Every few days I would empty my glass and get fresh water. It was amazing how quickly the roots grew. My roots were about 3″ long after two weeks.
Pot your pineapple crown
Once my plant was ready to be transferred from the water back into soil, I decided to paint myself a new terra cotta pot and add a little fun to it.
Using yellow acrylic paint, I painted the rim of the pot – inside and out.
Then, I took a bright pink and a orange paint and created a simple crosshatch pattern to represent pineapple stripes.
After my painted pot was dry, I added a handful of small rocks to the bottom of my pot to help with drainage. Then I filled the pot about 2/3 of the way full with fresh potting mix.
Next, I added the plant crown with it’s new baby roots into the pot and filled in the empty space with additional potting soil.
Lastly, I could not help adding a cute little garden sign.
Looking for more helpful tips like this for other plants? You would definitely enjoy my easy to read Happy Houseplants ebook ! Check it out today.
The cool thing about this method is, you don’t have to start with an actual plant. You can literally grow a plant from a pineapple purchased at the grocery store – how fun is that!
How to Grow a Pineapple from the fruit top
It is so much easier than you think to grow a pineapple plant! See my tips growing a pineapple from an existing fruit
Materials
- Pineapple Fruit - whole
- Terra Cotta pot
Tools
- Garden Gloves
- Drinking Glass or Mason Jar
Instructions
- Starting with garden gloves, grab securely onto the base of the pineapple plant leaves and with your other hand, hold tight to the fruit. Give a few tight turns and the leaves should pull right out from the base.
- Turn the base of leaves upside down and pull the bottom inch or so of leaves off. You will be surprised, but about an inch or so up there are tiny little roots that have already started growing. Once you can see those little nubs of roots, you are at a stopping point for now.
- Find a sunny window sill and place your pineapple leaves in a glass of water to start growing those root systems out.
- Every few days, empty your glass and get fresh water. It is amazing how quickly the roots grew. My roots were about 3″ long after a week or two.
- After your plant is ready to be transplanted from the water to soil, add a handful of small rocks to the bottom of your pot to help with drainage. Then fill the pot about 2/3 of the way full with potting mix.
- Lastly, plant pineapple crown with it’s new baby roots into the pot and fill in the empty space with some additional potting soil.
Notes
If twisting the pineapple top off with gloves doesn’t work for some reason, you can always simply cut the top off from your plant. I prefer twisting and getting a few of those baby roots with it if possible, though.
What kind of sun requirements do Pineapple Plants need?
I tried my plant in a few different lighting amounts : indoors with indirect light, outdoors with direct summer sun and then eventually outdoors in dappled shade. I noticed my pineapple seemed to do best indoors with plenty of sunshine and warmth and in moderate light/shade outside.
Why is my pineapple plant turning red?
I did bring my plant outdoors eventually because he did not like direct summer sun. When it got too much summer sun, he started to scorch and the fruit actually turned red in color. You can check out my post about the Best Sunlight Levels for Indoor plants.
How long does it take for a pineapple to fruit?
I ended up keeping my plant outdoors but in light shade, light sun. These seemed to be the best light conditions for him. Pineapple plants are slow growers, so don’t expect to have pineapples the first year.
What kind of care does a pineapple plant need?
From my experience, the light amount was the biggest issue of concern for my plant. Once I found the ideal light conditions, my fruit plant was very happy. I watered my pineapple plant about once a week, each time putting my finger into the soil about 2″ deep to see if it was dried out enough. I never worried about fertilizing my plant.
Guys, by this time next year I just might have a pineapple plantation going in my backyard!!
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Have you ever attempted to grow one?? Let me know in the comments below!
Looking for other fun Pineapple projects? You might be interested in these –
Fun way to use Pineapple as Party Decor
You might also be interested in some of my other Plant Care posts…
Lovely pineapple growing post
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Thank you for inspiring me to attempt to grow my own pineapples. I would love to send you some inspiring photos of growing pineapples. Thank you, Amy.
I think growing Pineapples is just the neatest thing! Definitely send me pictures of yours. 😉
Your baby pineapple looks ripe, and has a full top, so it likely would not have gotten any bigger. The first pineapple a plant produces is usually small. I’ve been growing pineapples here at my home in Florida, for quite a few years. I’m no expert, but I do love being able to grow them, and I’ve learned along the way. Also, be patient, they don’t produce every year.
Great advice, Charlotte! Thank you for those tips. And I love that you’ve been growing pineapples at your home!
So cute, love your painted pot! We actually did grow a pineapple in our yard when we lived in Florida. If I’m remembering correctly, it took about a year to get fruit. Sadly, we left it on the plant too long and when we finally harvested it…it was mostly rotten…aargh!! Now that we’re in a warm climate again (south TX), i will try again. Good luck with yours!
AH! That’s so amazing you had a real plant in your yard!! Well, after my little guy was chopped off, I cut him open and gave him a try. It actually tasted like a real pineapple, such fun!
How adorable is this! Your decapitated baby pineapple with thank you for putting her in such a stylish pot
Hahahahah… doesn’t it sound so bad to have decapitated and baby in the same sentence! I kept thinking maybe I should change the way I was phrasing it, but it adds to the pineapple drama. 😉
I am right now in my patio! The leaves are getting quite big since it came from a full-size pineapple from the grocery!
Oh my goodness, how cool!!! I’m so excited to see mine growing again!