How to Plant a Pineapple Plant in a Pot

All you need to grow a pineapple plant is a fresh pineapple.

Growing your own houseplant from a pineapple fruit is an inexpensive way to start the plant. While potted pineapple plants only produce small fruits, these are edible. The plant itself adds lush green foliage and a tropical flair to your home, so even without the fruit a potted pineapple plant has its benefits. Any pineapple fruit can be grown into a plant, even those purchased at your grocery store. After enjoying the fruit, save the leafy top of the pineapple to grow in a pot either indoors or out.

Things You'll Need

• Knife
• Potting soil
• Sand
• Pot
• Garbage bag

Instructions

1. Cut off the top of the pineapple just beneath the leaves. Cut it so that none of the fruit is still attached to the leaf portion of the pineapple.

2. Strip off the bottom leaves from the pineapple top, revealing 1 to 2 inches of the stem. Leave at least five of the top leaves attached to the stem.

3. Mix one part potting soil with one part coarse sand. Fill an 8-inch flower pot with this potting mix. Use only pots that have pre-drilled drainage holes in the bottom so that any excess moisture can easily drain from the pot.

4. Plant the pineapple top into the potting mix. Push it into the mix so that the exposed stem is beneath the soil level while the base of the leaves is above soil level.

5. Water the pineapple until the excess moisture just begins to drain from the bottom of the pot. Place the pot into a white plastic garbage bag, which helps retain moisture, and gather it loosely closed. Place the bagged pot in a warm, south-facing window. Water the pineapple when the soil surface begins to feel dry, usually once every one to two weeks.

6. Check the pineapple for rooting after two months. Tug gently on the pineapple leaves. If there is resistance, the plant is rooted and the garbage bag can be removed. If the top lifts from the soil, return it to the bag for an additional one to two months.

Tips & Warnings

• Once established, a pineapple plant can tolerate dry conditions on occasion.

• To produce pineapple fruit from your plant, place it in a paper bag with a ripening apple. The ethylene gas produced from the apple encourages the plant to flower. Remove the bag and apple once the pineapple begins to flower.

• The pineapple top will rot in the soil if conditions are too moist. If this happens, start over with a fresh pineapple and adjust soil moisture accordingly.

References

• University of California Extension: Growing a Pineapple Plant