Originally Posted by Kbud

Beautiful! I'll have to take a closer look, but it may have been the temperatures you were keeping it in. Did you stimulate it with ethylene gas? In any case, your plant flowering is a good thing, however, you hope it will pup. If it has pups, you are in business! If not, when the plant dies after fruiting, no pups will replace it and you will be back in square one


To everyone else, an update is coming soon, no worries. It will be an official update on the actual post, hopefully with better pics, since I got the new iPod with a better camera. I just got a new pineapple today and will try the water method on it tomorrow.

Kbud

Originally Posted by pmurphy

I've found this whole "pineapple diaries" most informative.....I only wish I had such information 4 years ago when I stuck a pineapple top in some soil.

[IMG]http://www.bananas.org/gallery/data/.../IMG_29351.jpg[/IMG]

But this is the result, and I know it will be worth it!

Originally Posted by Kbud

Hi all!

This is my newest endeavour - growing my own bromeliad - a pineapple top!!! Believe it or not, pineapples are easy to grow and cheap! I bought mine for $3. I used a book called How to Grow Tasty Tropical Plants* (like...) *In any Home Any Where. Love this book! Check it out here: http://www.amazon.com/Growing-Tasty-Tro ... where+like. I also got a lot of help from this video: . Check out the cool pictures at the end! I'm going to try and keep this updated and even put in pictures to help all you guys out too! I'd love some tips and experiences.

BTW, I have an exact copy of this post on bananas.org - I wanted it on both sites.
Nice article. I have a 3 year old pineapple that I finally planted in the ground last summer. Lucky it survived this unusually cold winter in Phoenix. Had it by a west wall under my banana netting. Covered it partly with leaves & a sheet. The middle of my back yard got down to 17 degrees one morning. The leaf ends that were uncovered did freeze. I had a half dozen others just covered with an old door. Some froze after a few freezing nights. The rest I put in the laundry room. But I brought them out too soon & another freeze damaged a couple of them, but a few survived. Very unusual for pineapple plants. I've been raising pineapple tops for years. They are very easy to grow & make nice patio plants. I have never had any pineapples by the way.

THE PLANTING - JANUARY 1st, 2013
After getting the pineapple, I planted it a day later. This was labeled as a Chiquita Gold Extra Sweet Pineapple, grown in Costa Rica. I'm sure it has a technical name, but I don't want to ask the company. They'd probably think I was some kind of competitor fruit company or something. I got the pineapple from BJ's, a local bulk store. I planted the plant in Scott's or Miracle-Gro potting soil (either way, it was fortefied). I put some LFS around it. First I cut the top off, then sliced the fruit (great and juicy pineapple by the way) and then I went to the top. Instead of twisting it off like the lady in the video did, I cut it and a bit of fruit off. I trimmed the flesh off so it wouldn't rot, then sliced it down to the rhizome, which looked like a tree stump with brown structures around the edges. These are where the roots come from. I then covered the bottom and some of the side in Bon-Tone rooting powder and it placed it in the soil. Thouroughly watering it. At this point, I have a 50/50 chance of success, fingers crossed. I set the plant in an east-facing window where it will get morning sun and then left it. Will get to pics soon

The best part of this plant is that the plant will produce nice pineapples in 18 months. Aside from being pretty and tasty, it is easy to grow. Once the plant fruits, it will die, but will have made two new plants from suckers; one pineapple can start a whole new generation. Oh, by the way, if you try this, let the soil dry out between waterings and grow it in room-temperature soil and keep it above 60 degrees F to prevent root rot. Also, when you select a pineapple, be sure to get one that has healthy leaves and no insects, to prevent an early death. Be sure to get a pineapple that is not too golden or too green.
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Fun plant fact!!!!! Once a pineapple is plucked from the plant, it will not get riper - it will only rot.

Until Next Time!



Day 3 - January 4th, 2013

Starting tomorrow, I am going to give the plant some supplemental lighting, acting on a tip from rogerjames....... Thanks! I put some pictures in to this link here: Banana Gallery - The Pineapple Diaries. I am a little worried, as you can read from the description on the photos, about the yellow leaf tips on many of the leaves, but I attribute this to shock. Somebody please tell me or reply to the post so I can grow this plant as good as I can!
Also, for all of you guys who couldn't get your plant to fruit, read this excerpt:
From: How to grow Tasty Tropical Plants* (Like....) *In any Home, Anywhere.
Laurelynn G. Martin and Byron E. Martin
Storey Publishing, 210 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, MA, 01247
Storey Publishing : Books for Country Living Since 1983
Copyright 2010

The Apple/Pineapple Connection
If you'd like to speed up the fruiting process of your pineapple plant, try this amazing but effective trick: Cut a slice of apple and tuck it into the crown of your pineapple plant. The apple slice will give off enough ethylene gas to stimulate early fruiting of your pineapple plant.
(End excerpt)


Obviously, I can't tell you if it works, because my plant hasn't rooted yet, but maybe this could make your plants fruit. I overall think the experiment is working so far; I'm hoping I will someday be eating fresh pineapple!
Speaking of which, aside from using the top of the pineapple, I had some fun with the fruit itself! It was tasty and juicy, and I'm hankering for another one! Today, I used the rest of it to make a huge fruit roll and some dried chunks so I can enjoy it in so many ways! I just pureed it and put it on a fruit roll sheet, and it is currently drying in my dehydrator at 135 degrees F. Can't wait to try it! I just cut the pineapple into small cubes and am drying it with the the fruit roll. For more info, check out my post here: Banana Chips and Fruit Rolls. That's all for now! Talk to you all at the next update!
Cheers!


Day 4

Well, now I'm really starting to get a little nervous. The top is appearing more yellowish/brown. Pics are here and are labeled as "Day 4." Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Banana Gallery - The Pineapple Diaries



Day 13

Today was another important day in my brief history of pineapples. I cut up and planted another top. The pineapple tasted good, but not as sweet. It is the same brand and is also grown in Costa Rica. This plant is in the same spot as my first one, but it is put in orchid soil, since I was transplanting a lot of plants and wanted to just replace one pot with this top. Besides, bromeliads should like orchid soil! That should do good. I will refer to it as Sample 2 in future posts. Also, with my first plant (Sample 1), it has started rooting! The old leaves look horrible, but new growth and the crown looks healthy. I couldn't wait any longer and gently worked it out of the soil to see 1 or 2 little roots coming out. Considering complete rooting is supposed to take 1-2 months, this is great. I gently replanted it and will not disturb it again. I didn't take pictures of the roots, but should have. Oh well. I did put new pics in at the gallery here: Banana Gallery - The Pineapple Diaries. The updates are labeled as "Day 13" for Sample 1 and "Day 13 (Sample 2, day 1) for Sample 2. It would appear my experiment is a success so far!

Day 21

Well, I am a bit worried about my first specimen. The second one is trucking along - it is going almost exactly like the first one did. My main concern with the first one is some brown in the leaves near the crown. No rot, but the leaves are turning brown. I also saw some gray mold or related on it. Roots are growing. I bought Bonide Copper Fungicide and sprayed that in the crown. I still have high hopes for this plant. And if it does die, I have a second one. Yay! Pics will come soon, probably in the next update.

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Originally copied from my post on FlyTrapCare

Originally Posted by stevelau1911

I tried it, and the pineapple rotted through the top. I guess it got too much water eh?