How Are Pineapples Grown? A Detailed Guide to the Planting Method

SummaryThe method of growing pineapple is to cut the crown leaves off the pineapple fruit intact and bury them in the soil so they root and sprout on their own. You need to choose loose, fertile soil with strong drainage and aeration, with the soil pH kept between 4 and 5.5. Before planting, deep-plow and harrow the soil, and spreading base fertilizer can promote pineapple growth and increase yield. During the growing process, carry out timely watering and fertilizing, weeding, pruning, fertilizing and disease prevention.

Pineapple is a fruit that grows and develops in the soil, but the fruit does not grow directly under the ground; it grows in the middle of the leaves and stems, exposed above the ground. When planting a pineapple plant, cut the crown leaves off the top of the pineapple fruit intact and bury them in the soil so they naturally root and sprout. After a period of time, a small red leaf-like fruit ball is pushed out by the fruit stalk, and once it grows larger it becomes the complete pineapple fruit.

1. Choosing the Orchard

Pineapple is a tropical fruit and must be grown in a warm, humid place. For growing pineapple, it is best to choose fertile, loose soil with strong drainage and aeration, and the soil pH should preferably be kept between 4 and 5.5. The orchard should face the sun and be sheltered from the wind, with flat, open terrain, to reduce the impact of wind and soil erosion on pineapple growth and to make later transport and mechanized management easier.

When building the orchard, ditches must be dug in the orchard for drainage. Before planting pineapple, deep-plow and harrow the soil. If the orchard is on a hillside with a large slope, contour terraces should be built in the orchard to conserve soil and water.

2. Field Planting Management

Determine the planting density according to different pineapple varieties and growing conditions. Appropriate close planting at planting time can increase the number of seedlings planted, and can also improve the photosynthesis of the leaves and raise the yield.

In areas with a large slope, it is best to choose single-row planting for pineapple, with a planting density of 3000-4000 plants/mu and a plant-row spacing of about 30×120cm. Besides single-row planting, you can also choose double-row or triple-row planting according to local conditions.

Before field planting, spread enough base fertilizer on the soil. Plots where base fertilizer has been spread have a much higher yield than those without base fertilizer. When planting pineapple, follow the principle of deep plowing and shallow planting, and do not cover with soil too deeply, so as not to affect pineapple growth and development.

3. Growing Management

During the growing process, regularly carry out watering and fertilizing, weeding and pruning in the orchard. Pineapple has a high demand for potassium during the growing period, so at planting time spread some potassium fertilizer appropriately. When fertilizing, use potassium fertilizer as the base fertilizer; in the early stage use a large amount of nitrogen fertilizer supplemented with potassium fertilizer, and as the pineapple keeps growing, switch in the later stage to mainly potassium fertilizer supplemented with nitrogen fertilizer.

Weed the orchard 4-5 times a year to prevent weeds from taking away the pineapple's nutrients and to promote normal pineapple growth. During the pineapple bud stage, appropriately cut off some of the plant's buds and keep some strong-growing buds, to avoid too many buds causing an insufficient nutrient supply and to lay a good foundation for the next year's yield.

4. Pest and Disease Control

In daily management, prevent pineapple from being harmed by wilt disease and heart rot. If a pineapple catches wilt disease, its leaves become soft and droop downward, and the leaf color also turns red; if it catches heart rot, the seedlings rot at the heart and die. During the growing process, you can spray a 500-fold dimethoate solution to control wilt disease and spray carbendazim to prevent heart rot.

If the sunlight is strong, provide shade for the pineapple so that strong sun exposure does not affect growth.