How to Grow Pineapples

If you live in a tropical or subtropical climate, you can easily enjoy the juicy sweetness of pineapples in your very own summer garden. This member of the bromeliad family requires very little fussing in order to make it produce its succulent fruit. It is native to tropical America and has been introduced to many other tropical places such as Hawaii, where it has been a major cash crop in the past.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Pineapple top(s)
• Sufficient garden space
• Manure or compost
• Mulch

1. After you buy a pineapple that you think is especially delicious, it’s easy to start a new one from its top. Simply twist off the crown, allow it to dry or “cure” out of direct sun for several days, and then plant it in a pot until it develops roots.

2. During the time that your pineapple top is rooting, prepare your garden area. Pineapples need an area that gets a high percentage of sunny days, with temperatures between 70 to 85 degrees, seldom exceeding 90 degrees.

3. Pineapples also need good soil drainage and slightly acidic soil. If you test your soil and find that it has a pH of 4.5 to 5.5, this is the perfect range for pineapples and it will result in fewer soil-borne diseases.

4. Till the soil well and dig it up as much as possible, adding animal manure or compost.

5. When you plant, be sure to leave at least five feet between pineapple plants to allow for easy access through your pineapple patch when your plants get large.

6. Apply a thick layer of mulch around your plants to discourage weeds and to keep the soil moist and cool. Grass clippings work well, as do palm fronds, shade cloth, landscape fabric or used catchment tank covers.

7. Fertilize your plants with a fertilizer that is high in nitrogen, potassium and iron.

Tips & Warnings

• Raised beds make excellent homes for pineapples because they improve drainage.
• Pineapples can tolerate dry conditions for a short period of time, but they do best if you keep them watered in order to provide an even source of moisture. Give plants a good soaking but don’t water too often.
• After you harvest your pineapple(s), the plants will continue to grow and will produce additional pineapples the following summer. Suckers can develop on the sides of each plant and they will produce one or two “ratoon” crops, which are smaller fruits, but very sweet. Your first “ratoon” will be ready to harvest about seven to nine months after the first fruit.
• Avoid black plastic mulch because it can cause the soil around your pineapples to become too hot. It also prevents natural rainwater from getting to where the plants need it, at their bases.
• The foliage on pineapples can stab you, so be careful when you walk through your pineapple bed and when you are weeding or harvesting your crop.

Resources

• Free download about pineapple cultivation from the University of Hawaii

[greenbabby]

on 2/26/2009 wow that was all the info i was looking for thank you. also can you plant the "suckers"