Pineapple Cultivation: Methods for Managing Sucker Removal and Retention

(1) Removing the crown bud

When the crown bud reaches about 20 cm tall, its upper part opens out and its base narrows. When young roots appear at the leaf base, which is what is called “spreading tail and gripping waist,” the crown bud can be twisted off by hand in a clockwise direction to be used as planting material, which fruit growers call “topping.” Topping is generally carried out from late May to early June. If the crown bud is not to be kept as planting material, the digging-out method or the sealing method can be used to remove the crown bud early, making the fruit top round and smooth and increasing single-fruit weight. The digging-out method is as follows: after full bloom from late April to early May, when the crown bud has grown to 3 cm-5 cm, on a sunny day use a sharp digging tool made of thick iron sheet and shaped like a fingernail, insert it at the third layer of small leaves of the crown bud, and dig out the growing point together with the small leaves of the heart. The sealing method is even simpler: when the crown bud has grown to 5 cm-6 cm high, hold the fruit with the left hand and push off the small crown bud with the thumb of the right hand.

(2) Removing the slips

Slips not used as planting material should be removed as early as possible. If there are many slips, they should be removed in 2-3 rounds to avoid too many wounds affecting plant growth and fruit development. If they are to be kept as planting material, each plant can keep at most 2-3 relatively vigorous ones.

(3) Selection and retention of suckers and ratoon shoots

Suckers are the fruiting mother plants of the following year. Each plant can retain 1-2 suckers that emerge early, grow vigorously and are positioned lower. The excess ones can be dug out with a small spade for use as planting material. Sucker separation is generally carried out in August.

Ratoon shoots are generally removed, but when suckers are lacking or the sucker position rises, 1-2 can be kept to replace the mother plant and continue fruiting.