How to Plant a Fresh Pineapple Top

Grow a pineapple plant indoors for fruit in 18 months.

Native to Southern Brazil, pineapple plants are a tropical species that cannot tolerate temperatures below 28 degrees F. For this reason, U.S. pineapple plants grow in Southern Florida and Southern California where frost is not a worry. If you have a fresh pineapple top, grow a new pineapple right in your own home. Indoor growing will yield a much smaller plant than those grown in their native environment, but each pineapple plant will produce one pineapple fruit in approximately 18 months.

Things You'll Need

• Pineapple
• Sharp knife
• Paper plate
• Glass
• Water
• Terracotta pot
• Organic soil
• Spray bottle
• Fertilizer
• Grow light
• Plant heating pad

Instructions

1. Cut the crown off a pineapple using a sharp knife. Make a clean cut at the transition point where the green foliage meets the fleshy fruit. Remove 1 inch of leaves from the lower portion of the pineapple top.

2. Set the fresh pineapple top on a paper plate, out of full sun, for approximately one week. This waiting period gives the pineapple top time to dry out before planting.

3. Root the fresh pineapple top by placing it in a glass of water. Set the glass on a countertop or on top of your refrigerator to root. Change the water every three to four days. The pineapple should root in approximately three weeks.

4. Fill a 6-inch terracotta pot with slightly damp organic soil. Push the lower inch of the fresh pineapple top into the soil. Set the pot in a window that receives bright, indirect sunlight. Maintain a temperature of at least 60 degrees F.

5. Water the fresh pineapple top once a week. Allow the water to flow through layers of soil in the terracotta pot and out the drainage holes. Keep the soil moist at all times, but not wet. Between waterings, lightly mist the leaves daily with a spray bottle.

6. Fertilize the pineapple plant with an all-purpose fertilizer. Apply the fertilizer according to label instructions. Most pineapple plants appreciate four to six doses of fertilizer per year.

Tips & Warnings

• If you do not have access to bright, indirect light, set the pot under a grow light.

• If maintaining 60-degree temperatures is impossible, set the pot on a plant heating pad set to the appropriate temperature.

• Do not overwater the pineapple plant. Standing water in the pot will cause root disease and prevent the pineapple plant from thriving.

References

• California Rare Fruit Growers: Pineapple
• Organic Gardening: Grow Food Scraps Indoors

Resources

• Rick's Wood Shop Creations: Growing a Pineapple