Don't throw away the pineapple crown you twist off - grow it into a potted plant in 7 simple steps

The pineapple is a very healthy food and also a highly ornamental tropical fruit. You can absolutely grow it in your garden, and you can even plant it in a fairly large flower pot. After you remove the leafy crown from the top of the pineapple, don't throw it away - you can grow it in a pot or in your yard, and after a few years you will be able to harvest fruit.

There are many pineapple varieties on the market. Some are simply called fengli (pineapple), and some are called boluo (pineapple); there are still differences between them. You can choose some fresh pineapples that have not been refrigerated, and the leafy crown at the top should be fresh. Avoid choosing ones that are about to wilt.

To judge whether a pineapple is ripe, look at whether the color has turned yellow. If you sniff it up close and there is a fresh, sweet scent, that proves it is already ripe.

Note: Do not choose ones that are damaged, have spots, or are withered, and do not choose overly ripe pineapple leaves, otherwise its leaves will have a very hard time re-rooting and sprouting.

1: Cutting off the top crown

After bringing it home, remove the leafy crown from the top of the pineapple. You can directly twist it off with a few turns, or cut it off with a sharp knife.

After that, remove the 4 to 5 layers of leaves at the base of the crown, so that you can see some exposed small aerial roots.

Some people like to directly twist off the top crown, and this method is also very convenient, because it avoids cutting off excess fruit flesh.

Of course, I prefer to cut it off with a sharp knife; even if the pineapple is not very ripe, it is still very easy to handle. Before planting, first remove the excess fruit flesh. Remove all the fruit flesh at the base of the crown, so that some small roots are exposed and look like small white spots, and keep only some of the longer leaves at the top.

2: Removing excess fruit flesh and lower leaves

Too many pineapple leaves can also affect rooting, because too many leaves consume a great deal of nutrients, and the aerial roots at the base cannot be exposed either, which will affect encouraging the pineapple crown to re-root and sprout.

All the fruit flesh at the base of the pineapple crown must be removed. If it is not removed, the entire crown will easily rot.

3: Drying the wound

After the pineapple fruit flesh has been cleaned off, do not rush to plant it. You can first place it in a shaded, ventilated spot for 2 to 3 days, letting its wound and cut area dry completely. Only after the wound has healed can you proceed to the next step. This is also to avoid the crown rotting.

4: Planting notes

Once the pineapple's cut has healed, it can be planted. Some people like to soak the pineapple crown in clean water to root it, changing the water once every 2 to 3 days, and placing it on a ventilated, bright windowsill, avoiding direct sunlight. This is rather troublesome; I prefer to plant it directly into soil.

You can choose to grow it in a pot, using loose, well-draining soil. Simply choose peat soil mixed with perlite at a 2:1 ratio, and you can add some compost soil at the bottom of the pot.

For pot cultivation, you can choose a clay pot or plastic pot with a 30 cm diameter, avoiding damage to the roots. Add an appropriate amount of river sand or perlite to the soil to maintain good drainage, and avoid using heavy clay soil. It generally takes about three weeks to resume growth.

5: Indoor care tips

For the first two to three weeks after planting the pineapple, water it regularly to keep the soil moist, but avoid waterlogging in the soil. After that, you can grow it in a sunny, ventilated spot. Avoid keeping it in an overly dark place, and pay attention to watering to avoid the soil becoming excessively dry. For the first month or two, the soil must not be too dry.

After two or three months, you can begin regularly supplementing with some nutrient leaf fertilizer, preferably a water-soluble organic fertilizer. Give a dilute organic liquid fertilizer or a balanced fertilizer once every 2 to 3 weeks.

The pineapple is a tropical fruit, and during its care it needs plenty of light. Growing it on a south-facing balcony or in a yard is very suitable. It needs at least 6 hours of direct light every day. For indoor growing, also pay attention to regular misting to maintain relatively high air humidity and avoid the air becoming overly dry.

6: Flowering and fruiting

Growing a pineapple takes a very long time to bear fruit. It is a very slow-growing plant, and it must be grown in a place without frost all year round. In cold winters (when the temperature is below 4°C), it must be moved indoors. It generally takes 2 to 3 years to flower, and when grown in a pot it generally takes 3 to 5 years to flower and bear fruit.

7. What if it does not bloom?

Some people say their pineapple has been grown for 2 to 3 years without blooming, and that is very likely because no fertilizer was added, or there is not enough sunlight.

It generally takes about three years to flower and bear fruit. You can place some fully ripe apples beside it, which will produce a certain amount of ethylene gas to induce the pineapple to develop flowers and encourage fruiting.

You can cover the apple and the pineapple together with a plastic bag, which can encourage fruiting, because the apple releases ethylene gas that promotes flowering.

Note: Do not place other flowers next to the apple, otherwise it will cause the flowers to rot.

The pineapple above is one I cultivated painstakingly for three years, grown using the same method: removing the leafy crown from the top of the pineapple and planting it in the yard, watching it slowly grow and slowly bear fruit - only to have it stolen and eaten by a mouse.