- A pineapple starts and ends as the same product. As such, to grow a pineapple, you first have to have a pineapple. A pineapple from anywhere will do. It's just important that it is fully ripe. When you are ready to eat the pineapple, you remove the leafy top with about an inch of the pineapple attached. Though pineapple is a fruit, and so can grow from a seed, most domesticated pineapples do not produce very usable seeds. Because of this, to grow most pineapples you have to root them.
- If you are in a climate that is warm enough, and has suitable soil to grow a pineapple, the pineapple may be able to sprout directly into the ground. However, in less tropical climates pineapples may be able to be grown in pots indoors. The pineapple top is next placed in the ground just enough to cover the inch or so of fruit at the bottom of the leaves. Once the pineapple top has been placed in the ground, the roots should start to sprout. It will not take long before your plant will grow new greenery and can grow up to 4 feet high by 4 feet wide.
- For the next two years the pineapple is cared for with periodic watering and weeding. Most pineapples will take two to three years before they will start bearing fruit. Once the plant has matured, a large flower will appear in the center of the plant. This plant will slowly be replaced with a pineapple fruit.
- If the pineapple is being grown to be shipped to markets across the nation, the fruit will be harvested before it is completely ripe. It is then shipped to stores and left to ripen on market shelves. However, truly fresh pineapple is left to ripen on the plant, and then harvested. The harvested plant can then be eaten and the top planted back into the ground to create a new plant. Plants will continue to produce fruit yearly, as long as they are taken care of.
