Summer is the time when we find ourselves in supermarkets with pineapples to buy. They are ripe, delicious and surely you have ever eaten one that you were sorry to finish because it was delicious. But, what if we told you that you can learn how to plant a pineapple and choose the best specimens to try to grow a plant from them?
If we have already piqued your curiosity and you want to know how to do it, then we give you the keys so that you learn how to plant a pineapple easily.
How to plant a pineapple step by step
Pineapples, like other fruits and vegetables, are planted in a different way than usual with seeds. Obviously the first thing you need is a pineapple. But, to have a better chance of success, we recommend that it is neither green nor too ripe. If it also has a sweet smell, much better, unless you prefer this fruit to be somewhat more acidic.
With the pineapple chosen, the first step you should take is to cut the crown off the pineapple. That is, the part with the leaves (yes, the one that always gets in the way because it doesn’t fit in the refrigerator). When it comes to planting a pineapple, you must make sure not to tear off those leaves because, if you do, it will not grow well.
You do have to remove a few lower leaves, enough so that you can see the stem. This will help the roots to appear much earlier.
Now, a trick to help the pineapple ends up becoming a plant is that, for a week, you have it with the stem upside down near a window. That is, with the leaves facing down, hanging. In this way you will be helping it dry out and also the wounds it has to close.
After that time, you have two options.
How to plant a potted pineapple
One of the options you have for how to plant a pineapple is to put it directly in a 25-centimeter pot. You have to add garden soil and, if possible, some organic matter. For example, a The ideal mix would be worm hummus, coconut fiber, and peat.
The pineapple should be planted always leaving the base of the leaves on top.
This method will take a little longer to develop roots, but it will eventually do so if you keep an eye on it and keep the substrate it has moist (not waterlogged). Also, try to provide it with a temperature that does not drop below 18 degrees and well exposed to the sun. You can add fertilizer if you have planted it in summer but not too much because it can burn it (especially at the beginning).
How to plant a pineapple in water
The other option you have for pineapple is to pass it through a water process beforehand. This is very common in other fruits and vegetables and helps the roots to develop well. To do this, you just have to take a container in which you know that the stem can enter well and touch the water.
You need stick four sticks, one on each side of the stem (at the base of this), to be able to hold it and that, thus, it does not fall into the container but rather that the sticks rest on the edges of it and keep it up, but with the water touching the stem, of course.
You have to place this container next to a window where it is sunny and wait for the roots to appear, which can take several weeks. Meanwhile, every 2-3 days it is advisable to change the water, so that mold does not appear.
Once the roots have appeared and they are large, it will be time to plant it in a pot (as we have seen before). We do recommend that, even if you want to plant it in the ground, first go through the potting process as this will give the plant more strength to later adapt to its new environment, especially since it will require the same care as a potted plant. inside.
When to plant pineapples?
Actually, there are pineapples all year round. It is not common to see them in greengrocers, but the truth is that, in supermarkets and department stores they do export this fruit from other countries, so you could easily plant a pineapple at any time of the year.
Now really, the best time to do it is summer. It is when temperatures can help to achieve success in this project, especially since pineapples do not tolerate low temperatures.
In addition, in summer it gives you the opportunity to sow outdoors, and then you would only have to protect it from the cold to continue its course.
How long does it take for a pineapple to grow?
If you have already planted your pineapple and it is developing little by little, you will be waiting for it to give you those fruits. But the truth is that you have to arm yourself with a lot of patience. To begin with, and as long as it is planted in a temperate climate, The pineapple will take at least 18 months to bear fruit. If the weather is temperate, then don’t expect it until 36 months. Only if the plant is in a pot can this time be reduced to 24 months.
The The first objective of the plant is to grow, and no fruit will appear for at least 3 years after you’ve planted it. If all goes well.
You will realize that you are going to get a pineapple when you see a sprout in the center of the leaves. This happens when the plant is about a year old, and you will see that it will flower, unlike others, in winter. Two months later, you will see a red cone, which produces blue flowers for several weeks. It is after these flowers that the fruit begins to develop but, until at least four months have passed, you will not be able to collect it because it will not be ripe (when it acquires a golden color it will be).
You should also know that the pineapple plant only produces one pineapple per stem. This means that if you have only one stem, it will give you a pineapple, but if you have several, then there will be more. In general, it usually develops three cuttings throughout its life.
In case that the pineapple is planted in a pot it is normal that it only has one fruit, unlike if you plant it in the ground outside (and as long as you provide all the needs).
Do you dare to plant a pineapple? Let us know your progress!
