Pineapples?!?

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Pineapples?!?

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Riverflow

Joined: 05 Jan 2005
Posts: 22
Location: Deepest Darkest Hampshire

Posted: Sun May 01, 05 2:01 pm Post subject: Pineapples?!?

I've just butchered a pineapple, and now I'm left with the top, which I want to grow, if only as a decorative plant (if it lasts long enough to fruit, that's a bonus...).
I've tried growing them before, but with little success, and I reckon someone reading this probably knows the proper way to do it.

So - how do I turn my plume of green leaves into a proper plant?

I've still got a bit of flesh attached - cut it off about 0.5" below leaves.

Thanks,

Colin

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sun May 01, 05 2:38 pm Post subject:

I've managed to grow them and to get one to fruit.

However, it took a couple of years and was the size of a golf ball.

The secrets are (well how I did it anyway):

Pick a pineapple with a good green top that has good shoots right inside the rosette. Cut off the top with about an inch of flesh and then remove the soft tissue leaving the firm middle bit then remove some of the lower leaves and you may already see some embryonic roots.

You can either leave in a jar of fresh water so the base is just covered or pot up in some compost. Add some bottom heat if you can or stand on a sunny windowsill. They should root easily and then pot them up in some good free draining compost on a sunny windowsill.

Keep dryish over winter and moist when growing and see what happens. Ideal for a large pollytunnel if you take care they don't get to close to the plastic.

A warning though, they can grow quite big and the leaves are very strong, sharp, pointed and serrated.

Good old Bob flowerdew has covered this in “Kitchen Garden”recently.

Blue Sky

Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 7658
Location: France

Posted: Sun May 01, 05 6:51 pm Post subject:
This sounds like a very interesting project indeed. Sorry I cannot offer any advice at this stage as I have never tried to gro a pineapple plant myself but I will most certainly be adding it to my list of "to do"s Keep us updated on your progress please

*Fluffykitten*

Joined: 03 Dec 2004
Posts: 74
Location: Merthyr Tydfil

Posted: Mon May 02, 05 2:24 pm Post subject:
hi Tried this myself last year but ended up with a rotten mess. The book I read said to bury the inch of flesh in some compost and cover with a plastic bag to germinate. Unfortunately the flesh rotted and the leaves turned brown and fell off! Will try the water method next time. Thanks TD Clair XX

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Mon May 02, 05 6:07 pm Post subject:
There was an article in KGM ove the winter sometime about this (may have been bob flowerdew) I think you may be able to get back issues off their website (or someone more organised than me might keep them)

Riverflow

Joined: 05 Jan 2005
Posts: 22
Location: Deepest Darkest Hampshire

Posted: Tue May 03, 05 1:40 pm Post subject:
The pineapple top, minus a couple of leaves, is sitting in a jar of water on the bathroom windowsill, next to a 2'6 ginger plant I grew to prove to Madman you can grow ginger! I'll keep you posted... Colin

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45434
Location: Essex

Posted: Tue May 03, 05 1:41 pm Post subject:
I got my first decent crop of ginger this year, not much bother really.

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Tue May 03, 05 2:00 pm Post subject:
Presumably with ginger, like pineapple, it has to be kept warm?

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45434
Location: Essex

Posted: Tue May 03, 05 2:00 pm Post subject:
Not tropical, just warmish.

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