I have a fail proof way. I twist the top off and remove the lower, deader leaves to expose some of the heart, you can probably see some small roots around the base. fill an empty spaghetti sauce or mason jar with water and let the base meet the top of the water. it will root on a window sill, ive left them for months until the roots touch the bottom and spiral, one even gave pups in just water in a jar. when you have some roots established place in a very well draining mix like pine bark fines, perlite and peat in container or in a sandy loam area of your yard, they like mulch

A Gal who lived near me had hundreds of them growing all around her house in pots on terraces she had made for them all from the tops cut off store bought pineapple.

I have grown several. After rooting the tops from a store bought pineapple, I just drop them in the ground (no special soil mix) or a pot, and leave them alone. When I fertilize other things I sometimes sprinkle fertilizer around them. I wish everything else I have around here was as easy to care for.

Gary

Pineapples are not difficult to grow. There are a bunch of posts on gardenweb on how to grow them. Do a quick search. Also, google has tons of info. No need to start them in water though. Waste of time.

thats the only way Ive got them to root, theyve always rotted when put directly in the ground no matter what I tried.

I just potted the crown and it rooted, nothing else was necessary. I've read using slips is the ideal method of propagation. I only water it about 2 x a week

i suppose we get alot of fungus here, ive tried several frustrating times to get tops to root in our native soil

Ah, thanks for all the replies.

Since they like to get really large (6 ft across) would they have a problem if I put them on my hill where they would get a lot of sun?

MK, Did you make sure to remove all of the remaining fruit and strip the bottom inch or two of leaves? I have found it almost impossible to not get them to root up here in Ocala. I even have potted a few tops from pineapples that I forgot about in the fridge for a couple weeks that looked almost totally brown and dead but they still rooted. Maybe try putting them in a pot for a few months before you put them in the ground.

growing on a hill is fine, gives them better drainage. keep them watered, but not waterlogged.

i've grown quite a few pineapples by twisting off the top. cutting off some of the fiberous core, pulling off a couple of bottom leaves to expose the root nubs. then letting it sit on the counter for a couple days to harden off the bottom part. the roots will usually start growing by then, just set on top of the soil and the roots will find their way down.

pineapples are part of the bromeliad family. there are quite a few posts about pineapples over at the bromeliad forum.

I currently have at least 3 cultivars of pineapple + an unknown one.
Mango Kush How large do you let the pups get before you transplant them?
Dan