Growing Pineapples

Several years ago we threw a party and served our regular tropical style drinks and appetizers. Most of the drinks and food included the usual fair including pineapple. I took a couple of the pineapples and chopped the top off. I had always heard of the urban legend: that if you chop the top off a pineapple it will continue to grow. So I gave it a try.

I soaked the pineapple tops in water for a week till they became soft and fiberous. I prepared a spot in my back yard with some top soil and planted the tops. My yard has several varieties of bromiliads (pineapples are a species of bromiliad) so i was used to taking care of these plants. To my surprise the pineapples began to grow. Two of the plants were crushed by falling coconuts, but one survived and flourished. Its now several years later and I have a full size pineapple that has bloomed.

My question is how do you know when a pineapple is ripe? Currently the fruit is a dark green color - will it change?

I have about a half dozen pineapple plants in my yard. I only get one fruit per year though. Mine did not get ripe enough to pick till late summer and yes they went from green to yellowish. Also my pineapples were pretty small but VERY tasty

Congrats Tom!

Years ago when my daughter was a young teen I had planted a pineapple top and she kept it in a pot in her bedroom. I got a small compact pinecone (not yet opened), stuck it on a bamboo skewer, painted it green, and stuck in in the dirt with the pineapple plant. Then I told my daughter it was growing a baby pineapple :lol: What a mean dad! :D

Pick it just as it starts to turn a nice golden color. I went to pick my one pineapple last year. It looked perfect, so yellow and shining in the sun I could almost taste it. As I bent down to grab it I noticed that the entire back 3/4's was gone! God Damn rats got to it the night before!
Just saying don't let it get too ripe.

tom's backyard would grow a cement wall if you planted a brick. he even has his own little gardners with curly tails.

Having pineapple that was vine ripened takes it up to a whole new level of taste. My uncle is a plant pathologist at UH and you wouldn't believe some of the vine ripened pineapples he has brought us.

I have been patiently waiting for my pineapple to ripen. I don't look at it every day - today i came home and went out back and noticed it had fallen over! Wel it has also changed color! I found it at the perfect time. See below...

I plan to make cocktails tomorrow to celebrate the weekend. The top of this one will also be cut and planted. And the story continues......

Perfect and delicious!!!

Congrats Tom!!! :D

There is only one thing better than a perfectly ripe pineapple and that is a perfectly ripe pineapple that you grew yourself.

As the pineapples get close to ripe they also get heavy so tipping can be a problem. Pineapples are ripe when all of the little eyes are roughly the same size and mostly round. The more yellow it is when you pick it, the sweeter it will be. And you know you got it perfect when the core is soft when you cut into it.

The next best thing about home grown pineapple? You can take the top off of it and do it again.

Plants are remarkable creatures. One SINGLE cell has the ability to grow into and ENTIRE plant. Cool, huh?

What'd I'd do is this...put your plants in a compost of shredded newspaper bits and your sand, water, etc. This might not help them grow though....go to your local nursery and pick up "rooting" material.

This rooting material can be put on the plant and will help it grow because it contain auxin a key plant hormone that aids in growth.

My prediction...the sand and water will not work. Plants must have nutriets in the soil to grow. Perhaps you can put some miracle grow in the mix as well. You're definitely going to need something. Plants have several essential elements they need to survive, such as calcium, nitrogen, etc. Miracle grow has the essentials.

If you put MC in all the plants, then you should be fine because you're keeping it all "fair". Just make sure that your control also has MC in it.

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[ Edited by: JuliaKhanam 2010-08-23 07:40 ]