If your growing in a pot, I would get a gal. pot with fast draining soil. Sounds like you did ok how you cut it. Do not keep the plant wet, let it dry out. Mine only get rain water. But I grow inground. Don't pull the plant to see if it has roots. You'll know if it takes by new growth on top of the plant. Wait till spring to plant. They need heat and sun. It might take a month to see new growth.
Good luck Dennis, Happy Holidays.

Hi Dennis, the way they told you in these posts is pretty much the way I do it too. Some times they don't take, so be prepared for that. I plant them all year, but I am further south and don't often get a freeze. But you would do better in the spring as suggested. :o) Merry Christmas.

Do they even have spring in Finland? Or summer? :-)

Sounds like a well lit and heated greenhouse is what is needed.

I have had good luck getting pineapple tops to grow. Haven't fruited yet - but that's because the plants keep getting hit by frost. Here's my latest one:

I just twist off the pineapple top, set it on the dirt and put some toothpicks to hold it upright until it gets growing. Didn't know the trick about removing some leaves first - I'll have to try that next time.

Hard to see the pot in this pic, but it is a 15 inch diameter terra cotta pot. It gets sprinkler water from the lawn sprinklers, and I was worried that it would get too much water and rot since it would never dry out between waterings. I planted mint (a water hog) around it to suck up the extra water. That has worked great. It seems to have several benefits - looks pretty, uses extra water and the foliage of the mint helps to stabilize the pineapple so wind doesn't topple it as easily.

If you are feeling impatient and want to see if your plant is growing roots, I've heard that you can twist off a pineapple top and use some sticks to balance it over a dish of water so the bottom of the pineapple is just touching the water. Then you can watch it start to grow roots and plant it into the dirt once it has some. Anyone tried this method?

I tried the water bowl and it was skuzzy, yuck! Ofcourse I put the whole top in the water and it smelled bad! I just put them in the ground now.

At least they probably don't have raccoons in Finland. I have to pick my pineapples just as they start to get ripe. If I let them get ripe, the raccoons get them.

Lou, where would I get pups of those varieties?

Shuffles,

I gave bamboorabbit a few Kona Sugarloaf tops from my harvested pineapples and he said he found more at the Inverness Lowe's in one gallon pots. The spines on my Kona's are like a hacksaw blade the full length of the leaf both edges. You'll need gloves to harvest them, but the raccoons ignore my pineapples now. One nice feature about the Kona Sugarloaf pineapples there is no hard core in the center of the fruit, and very sweet yummy.

Lou

I rarely have problems w/ growing pineapple tops, & when I do, it's usually because the top was half dead w/brownish leaves.

Like Alys, I twist the tops out, rather than cutting & usually don't let them dry out before planting in soil-less seed-starting or potting mix. I also remove an inch or so of the lower leaves before planting. If you use a clear container, you can see when roots start to form; the bottom half of a plastic soda bottle works well.

& if you check the base of the leaves, on some fruits you'll see stubby little roots beginning to form - those are the 1s you want.

My problems come w/ getting fruit - I understand the plants grown from tops make smaller fruits than those from 'pups'.

HTH

Rednofl hi

Thanks of growing advice. What is that mix part you told? I think you mean some parts of something for planting.

Alys_esmond hi

Well you sometimes forgot those logical things, you are human and can make mistake. Thanks of growing advice.

Stuartwanda hi

I think i didn't wait month. Good to know i did right thing. I think maybe i let too much flesh to plant. Maybe it prevent it to grow.

Katkin hi

I tried with 1 pineapple, so it is possible it didn't grow. As you said they don't always to take. Good to know that. I don't like that plants that do not grow. I grow fruits, before i grew gladiolus. I have had seeds that have not germinate. I guess it is part of gardening, but it is not fun thing about gardening. You know what i mean.

Sumala hi

Yes we have summer here. We have spring too as you asked.

Sun_worshiper hi

Maybe next time you get fruit.

Shuffles hi

We don't have raccoons here. You said raccoons take fruit. Do you have net so you can put it around pineapple, so it can protect pineapple? Here is also available net which has thorns around it. Do you have those available? Could this work for you? I don't know how hard is to keep raccoons away, but if it is thorn net and it touches that would that keep it them away? I meant by touching it hurts them, thorns hurts them. What you think about this?

Carolb_w_fl hi

Thanks of growing advice. I think brown leaves are dead or coming to dead. What is purpose removing lower leafs? Earlier few people mentioned this as well. Above they said exposing roots. Do they need light? Good to know you don't have much problem growing pineapple. I didn't use clear pot, so i didn't see roots. Regarding your last thing, sorry i don't know that maybe that is possible.

Shuffles,

As Lou said Lowes does sell the kona, in fact a couple days ago they had several in the mark down rack for $3.00 each and they are big plants.

dennis1983, I was kidding. I don't think most people here realize you are from Finland and are giving you advice based on how we do it here in subtropical Florida.

I would think keeping the plant and soil at the right temperature would be most important to you.

Lower leaves may prevent soil contact w/ the area where roots form & also make it more difficult to set the top securely in the soil - that is, it might tip over.

I think by the time the crown's leaves are browning, it has lost the energy to grow.

lou & bamboorabbit, Thanks. I just went to Lowes and got some sugarloaf plants for three bucks each. Yeah, these were big plants too. I rarely go to Lowes as Homer is much closer.

Shuffles,

Are you in our area or was it a different Lowes?

bamboo, it was at the south Tampa Lowes. They had about a dozen of them.

Shuffles,
You are going to enjoy eating those Kona pineapples when they mature, so melt in your mouth sweet in comparison to store bought and they don't have a woody core. I'm happy you could find them at your local Lowe's. I grow mine in 5 and 7 gallon pots and the mother plant makes pineapples year after year from the pups. The pups grow very fast when left attached to the mother's roots. Feed 10-10-10 fertilizer monthly all year round and protect from frosts.

Lou

Lou, until now I have always grown them in the ground. After the last two winters, maybe it is time to consider containers. I have some 25 gallon containers I got from a blueberry farmer in Dover for $2 each. (They are light blue plastic and she has lots more.) I guess a couple plants would fit in each. I was looking at my plants and half of them have spines but less than on the Konas. Home grown pineapples are to store bought as homegrown tomatoes are. If the Kona is even better, great. I got the containers for the lolo papaya plants that I started this fall. They sure grow slowly. Until now I have only had volunteer papayas.

Here is a link that might be useful: homegrown tomatoes

Wanna see a pineapple? I took this photo a coupla years ago. Two nice 8+ pounders.

Whoops. According to the date stamp it was actually over 4 years ago.

Sumala hi

You might be right about that most people gave advice in Florida growing way, but someone may have got some advice here too about growing pineapple.

Carolb_w_fl hi

Thanks of information. You might know better about leafs. You might be right of that. But the idea is that brown top is not good for growig pineapple.

What is 10-10-10 fertilizer which Loufloralcityz9 mention? I think it some parts of something.

dennis1983,

A bag of 10-10-10 fertilizer contains 10 percent nitrogen, 10 percent phosphate, and 10 percent potash. The first number is the amount of nitrogen (N), the second number is the amount of phosphate (P2O5) and the third number is the amount of potash (K2O).

For short typing we call it 10-10-10

Lou

Loufloralcityz9 hi

Thanks of explaining that for me.

Wouldn't that be nice if pineapples grew in Finland? And pineapples, mangos, avocados and all the rest in MA?

At least my new greenhouse is allowing lettuce seed to germinate at mid-winter, I'll settle for that!

You can't compare Maine to Finland pnbrown. You are only at about 44 degrees +/- north latitude while most of Finland is 60+. It is easy to see that they might be able to grow things that you can't.

Actually, MA at about latitude 41. In terms of climate a good deal closer to Finland than to south fla. No pineapples will be producing in either of the former places, not until many millennia further into global warming, if ever.

sumala, in the USA MA is the US Post Office official abreviation for Massachusettes, not Maine. My map shows Boston at about 42.5.

Lol. Thanks for educating me but the latitude is still in my plus or minus range. Good thing MA doesn't stand for Texas ;-)

Not that I care what anybody spends their time on, but perhaps the OP would be illuminated to know that pineapples are difficult to produce in as warm a climate as north florida, to say nothing of points far, far to the northward.

OP = original poster

Can't you grow pineapple indoors in the winter if it was in a sunny spot?

In the winter, where, though?. In central fla, say, at the winter solstice there is something like 10 hours of daylight, right? At latitude 60 at the solstice it must be something like 5 or 6 hours at most. So photoperiod is a big factor, even if temperature is sufficiently controlled, we know that just preventing a plant from freezing is not the same as making it happy. During the summer at latitude 60 a pineapple plant may not like the 20 hours of daylight, either.

It's an interesting question, perhaps I am way off. Sweet potato and tomato, tropical crops, can be successfully produced at surprisingly high latitudes.

I think Dennis could do it but he would have to pay real close attention to soil and air temperatures in addition to short day lighting. I don't think long day lighting would have an adverse effect and might actually be a plus for the plant. I have a root system that has been producing plants for years but it is in total shade. The plants grow to a fair size but the fruits they produce are small and generally tasteless.

Dennis could do it but not nearly as casually as here in Florida.

So, as is often the case I form opinion first and then do a google search after :)

Upshot: it seems pineapples can be produced at much higher latitude than I imagined - at least the latitude of southern England. Finland is higher than that and much colder, but perhaps it is possible, and it seems it could be done in new england as well. Manure was used to create artificial heat.

Here is a link that might be useful: lost garden in Cornwall

I have found the easiest thing to do is to cut off the top, leaving about half inch of flesh. Insert the top in a mug or some kind of container with water that comes up to where the leaves start.
I leave it there until the little roots start to emerge. You will see them when you peel away the now yellowing, soft, yucky, smelly small leaflet parts below the stiff leaves. If you pull them away you will see the little cream colored roots.

When you have a lot of little roots, now you can put the tops in good potting soil in 6 - 10 galls containers, with Osmocote fert or Miracle Gro liquid fert in a sunny part of the garden or on your patio. This is how I do it and have reaped many a sweet pineapples. You have to keep the soil moist and it likes lots of warmth and sun. I use MG fert for tomatoes - Can't remember the NPK numbers, 18-?-21

If this doesn't work, then I don't know what else will.

Catlover saved us. Now we know how to do it.

Katkin hi

Thanks of saying happy christmas. I am not much used for that. I don't say much thank you and that kind of thing. It is not my way to do. How was your christmas?

Stuartwanda hi

Thanks of saying happy holidays.

Sorry i am little slow. I saw your messages (Katkin and Stuartwanda) earlier and wrote about them, i just didn't comment on them. That christmas part i meant. I got quite rarely those happy things you know. I don't get much positive things, like a you did good thing.

Dennis, I am very impressed by your mastery of the English language, on the subject of gardening, no less - and your courage to post on the Florida Gardening forum. Heaven help me if I ever need to do anything in Finnish or Swedish!

Carol

Love_the_yard hi

Thanks of encouragement. It was not easy first to post here, but now it is easier. I meant didn't know what people would think when i posted here. I have learned 9 years english in school so i understand english quite well.

Cat lover. That's pretty much the way I do it. I got about 35 pineapples from my yard last year. I have flowers already in some for this years bunch! The lady that lived here before me had them in pots all over the place as well as in the ground! I put the ones from the pots in the ground in no special way, and they all survived.
Now, all I do for a new one is twist off the top, throw it in water (last year, I emptied the dog's bowl and filled it half way with water!:)). I leave them laying in the sun and pot of water until roots form. Then plant them directly in the ground. Make sure to water them, especially as they are young.
Good luck.
Justine

One of my sugarloaf pineapples has put out a bud. Then it put out what looked like seven buds lower on the same stalk. The baby pineapple that was red has turned black and the "buds" don't really look like pineapple buds. Anyone have any idea what is going on? Is it likely that the pups from this plant will also be doomed? Should I just toss it? Maybe it was just a point mutation. The grower claimed to have grown them from tissue culture (as I remember).

How long does it take before the plant forms fruit big enough to harvest & eat? I've seen people growing them in central Florida, but never found how long before they produce fruit.

Tops planted in feb or march can have fruit the following year with proper care its an 18 month process

We had a presentation at the Tropical fruit club from a D*** grower.
It is appx an 18mo cycle. To get fruit the 2nd year you need to start your tops or offsets in feb or march. Never cut the tops off just twist them off and let them dry out for a week or so. Peal back the first few layers of leaves on the bottom to expose the tiny roots.
A slightly acid sandy or well draining soil no peat moss. He used cheap top soil mix in his pots. Use 12'' or larger pots Since nematodes are abundant in sandy soils found in Fl. he recommended pots only in Fl.
Fertilize monthly with 20-0-0 for the first 6 months 20-0-20 second six months a foliar is best. This is assuming the typical Fl soil is high in Phosphate.
If the plant is waist high appx5.5 to 6.5 lbs by weight by the time we get cold weather you should have a fruit by spring. The lower temp. is the key to when it fruits. If the plant is too large by the time you get cold weather it will never fruit. He recomended getting rid of large plants that have never fruited by the second spring.
Keep water off the fruit when it is in flower and stop fertilizing.
The fruit is ripe when you can easily snap the fruit off.
The fruit is at its peak the moment you harvest, It will not ripen off the plant. It begins to lose sugar content right then.

Down here in 10B, I have a pineapple plant that was given to me by coffeemom after she rooted it in a pot. It's been in the ground at least two years (possibly three, I don't remember which shopping trip in her back yard yielded this one because she's given me so much.) It recently sent up a fruit.
The reward for all the times it cut my arms as I tried to replace the mulch under and around it! Yay!

Hi all,

Is anybody growing Queen Victoria a.k.a. Victoria Gourmet pineapple plants? I'm interested in growing this variety.

Here is a link that might be useful: Indoor Pineapple Culture

Hi - this is an old thread, but I'm bringing it up again.

I'm in Alberta, Canada, (zone 3a), and have a pineapple growing - it is about 2 years old now. I used the "dry for a week, clean off fruit, strip off bottom leaves and set in soil" method to get mine started. It lives outside during the summer, and since we get loads of brilliant sunshine in the winter, it lives indoors in the sunny bay window where it gets direct E-SE sun 6+ hours where I also keep dragon fruit and pomegranate. I'm not expecting the plant to produce fruit, but would be thrilled if it actually did. It has sprouted a baby plant off the side of the mother, although the mother is still growing.

The only problem I have with my pineapple is the tips are turning brown. I'm watering sparingly... but perhaps too sparingly? Thoughts?

I wish I had an answer for you. I too had brown tips form on one my pineapple plants last spring. Like you said, I watered sparingly through the winter, but it stayed outside against a protected wall (big difference between Canadian and Floridian winters). I tried compensating with more watering and it seemed to get worse. So I cut back to doing it sparingly, but I could not seem to keep it from turning brown on the tips. I tried fertilizing, both with slow release and foliar applications but that didn't seem to help either. I finally said, "Bugger it!", removed the brown foliage and left it completely alone. After a summer of heat and lots of rain, it looks rather healthy once more. So I am really at quite a loss as to why it did what it did. Here's to hoping you get an answer to your issue so that we both might learn something.

i know this is an old thread but i wanted to ask loufloralcityz9 if he still grows Natal Queen and if he had any pups he mite wanna sell i would be willing to buy some get back to me if you get this thanks.

I just posted a little step-by-step that worked for me

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/3971174/my-pineapple-pictorial?n=9