How to Plant Pineapples in Flower Pots
Pineapples make for strange and interesting house plants. Their leaves grow in a circular spiral increasing their diameter for two or three years before producing a tiny pineapple on a stalk that rises from the center of the plant. The pineapple is a tropical plant native to central and South America and has evolved to enjoy a warm tropical climate. Put your pineapple in a humid bathroom or a heated porch where it will get lots of light and warmth.
Fill an 8 inch clay flower pot with a well draining potting soil. Nurseries sell formulas for cacti that are ideal for pineapples.
Grasp a ripe pineapple by the fruit with one hand and the leaves in the other and give the top a good twist. The crown and part of the core will come free of the fruit.
- Pineapples make for strange and interesting house plants.
- Put your pineapple in a humid bathroom or a heated porch where it will get lots of light and warmth.
Trim off the bottom inch of leaves to expose part of the stem. Use a knife to gently separate the leaves without damaging the stalk.
Make a hole in the center of your flower pot and plant the crown so that the soil line comes to just below the leaves.
Water the pot thoroughly and place it in a sunny place. Temperatures above 65 degrees F are ideal.
Transplant your pineapple into a 12 to 15 inch pot in the following year to accommodate the growing root and leaf system.
Move your pineapple outdoors for sunshine and fresh air during the summer months when the temperatures are above 65 degrees F.
- Trim off the bottom inch of leaves to expose part of the stem.
- Make a hole in the center of your flower pot and plant the crown so that the soil line comes to just below the leaves.
Fertilize once a month using a well balanced 10-10-10 fertilizer. Scatter 2 tbs. of fertilizer onto the soil and water it in.
Tip
Chose a pot that has drainage holes in the bottom to prevent water from standing around the developing root systems. Place a loose fitting piece of pottery over the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot to stop the soil from leaking out when you water. If you have a decorative pot that does not have drainage holes, pot up your pineapple in a slightly smaller plastic pot with drainage holes and slip the plastic pot into your flower pot. Just remember to take the inner pot out to water and drain before putting it back into the decorative pot. Pineapples take 2 to 3 years to fruit when planted from a crown, and they can get as big as 5 feet across. Each year move your pineapple into a larger pot until it fruits.
Warning
Pineapples have sharp spines on the edges of the leaves when they start growing. Wear gloves and protective clothing when handling your pineapple plant.
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Tips
- Chose a pot that has drainage holes in the bottom to prevent water from standing around the developing root systems.
- Place a loose fitting piece of pottery over the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot to stop the soil from leaking out when you water.
- If you have a decorative pot that does not have drainage holes, pot up your pineapple in a slightly smaller plastic pot with drainage holes and slip the plastic pot into your flower pot. Just remember to take the inner pot out to water and drain before putting it back into the decorative pot.
- Pineapples take 2 to 3 years to fruit when planted from a crown, and they can get as big as 5 feet across. Each year move your pineapple into a larger pot until it fruits.
Warnings
- Pineapples have sharp spines on the edges of the leaves when they start growing. Wear gloves and protective clothing when handling your pineapple plant.
Writer Bio
Eulalia Palomo has been a professional writer since 2009. Prior to taking up writing full time she has worked as a landscape artist and organic gardener. Palomo holds a Bachelor of Arts in liberal studies from Boston University. She travels widely and has spent over six years living abroad.
