Pineapple is one of the most famous and widely recognized fruits that has been cultivated for centuries around the world. Introduced to Europe in the 17th Century, it quickly became synonymous with luxury. Today, it is widely available and no longer under the monopoly of the rich-a must-have ingredient in a well-stocked pantry.
Ananas comosus, or pineapple, is a tropical plant that is native to Brazil and Paraguay. The fruit is sweet, juicy, and packed with nutrients. Pineapples are not particularly difficult to care for, but there are a few things you need to know in order to keep them healthy and productive.
I. Appearance and Characteristics
The pineapple (Ananas comosus) is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae.
The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuries. The introduction of the pineapple to Europe in the 17th century made it a significant cultural icon of luxury. Since the 1820s, pineapple has been commercially grown in greenhouses and many tropical plantations.
The pineapple is a herbaceous perennial, which grows to 1.0 to 1.5 m (3 ft 3 in to 4 ft 11 in) tall on average, although sometimes it can be taller. The plant has a short, stocky stem with tough, waxy leaves. When creating its fruit, it usually produces up to 200 flowers, although some large-fruited cultivars can exceed this. Once it flowers, the individual fruits of the flowers join together to create a multiple fruit. After the first fruit is produced, side shoots (called ‘suckers’ by commercial growers) are produced in the leaf axils of the main stem. These suckers may be removed for propagation, or left to produce additional fruits on the original plant. Commercially, suckers that appear around the base are cultivated. It has 30 or more narrow, fleshy, trough-shaped leaves that are 30 to 100 cm (1 to 3+1⁄2 ft) long, surrounding a thick stem; the leaves have sharp spines along the margins. In the first year of growth, the axis lengthens and thickens, bearing numerous leaves in close spirals. After 12 to 20 months, the stem grows into a spike-like inflorescence up to 15 cm (6 in) long with over 100 spirally arranged, trimerous flowers, each subtended by a bract.
In the wild, pineapples are pollinated primarily by hummingbirds. Certain wild pineapples are foraged and pollinated at night by bats. Under cultivation, because seed development diminishes fruit quality, pollination is performed by hand, and seeds are retained only for breeding. In Hawaii, where pineapples were cultivated and canned industrially throughout the 20th century, importation of hummingbirds was prohibited.
The ovaries develop into berries, which coalesce into a large, compact, multiple fruit. The fruit of a pineapple is usually arranged in two interlocking helices, often with 8 in one direction and 13 in the other, each being a Fibonacci number.
The pineapple carries out CAM photosynthesis, fixing carbon dioxide at night and storing it as the acid malate, then releasing it during the day aiding photosynthesis.
II. How to Grow and Care
Sunlight
Pineapple plant light requirements are high since it is a full sun plant. Ideally, they should get 7-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. This doesn’t mean they can’t grow with less light, but it will take longer.
They can grow in bright indirect light (over 3,000 lux/ 300 FC). However, don’t expect them to look great. They will grow extremely slowly, unlikely to produce fruit and the leaves will be spindly.
Rameshng
CC BY-SA 2.0
On the other hand, pineapple plants can grow rather fast if you provide them with enough light. My pineapple plants get 3-5 hours of direct sunlight per day (40,000-100,000 lux/ 4,000- 10,000 FC). And around 5,000-10,000 lux ( 500- 1000 FC) of indirect light.⠀
Thus, the basic light requirements should start at least at 10,000-15,000 lux (1,000- 1,500 FC). If you can’t provide this much light, you can use grow lights.
Temperature Requirements
Ananas Comosus requires temperatures between 65°F/18°C at and 75°F /24°C. Coming from subtropical regions, the Pineapple doesn’t tolerate frost or very low temperatures.
Watering
You should water your pineapple plant when the soil dries out completely. Pineapple plants tolerate dry soil very well. You can easily check if the soil is dry by inserting a chopstick until you’ve reached the bottom. If the chopstick comes out dry, it’s time for watering pineapple plants.
When it comes to my pineapple plants, I always wait until the soil is fully dry until the bottom of a pot.
You can also water your Pineapple Plant when the top few inches of soil are dry. However, this primarily depends on the amount of light your plant gets. If it gets a lot of direct sunlight and a proper potting mix, you don’t have to wait for the soil to fully dry out.
Soil
Pineapple growers keep their plants in soil with a pH between 4.5-5.5, which is on the acidic side. Although I personally don’t pay much attention to the pH of my pineapple plant’s soil and it grows fine, you could try a lightly acidic mixture for optimum growth! This especially applies if you’d like your pineapple to fruit.
MeganEHansen
CC BY-SA 2.0
A well-draining soil mixture is important for a happy pineapple plant. They hate excess water and soggy soil! You can mix potting soil with a good few handfuls of perlite or bark (maybe around 30%) or go for a pre-made, potting soil-based cactus mix.
Fertilizing
The best Pineapple fertilizer is fresh soil. In other words, if you repot your pineapple plant once a year you don’t need to fertilize it. The main reason for this is that the fresh soil will provide new nutrients.
This doesn’t mean you can’t fertilize. Since pineapple plants require a lot of light, it means they will photosynthesize more. This means faster growth and the need for more nutrients. If you want to fertilize, I would suggest the Sill fertilizer because it has an N-P-K ratio of 9-3-6 which is excellent for most plants.
If you decide to use fertilizers always follow the instructions and measurements on the package because too much fertilizer can seriously damage or even kill your pineapple plant.
What you should also keep in mind is that you should never fertilize your plant in its dormant phase. In this phase, the nutrients from fertilizers would accumulate in the soil since the plant isn’t using them. This will cause damage and burn the roots.
Planting Instructions
When planting a pineapple plant, you should again keep drainage in mind. Always go for a container with a drainage hole to allow excess water to escape! A plastic nursery planter or simple terracotta pot is fine.
Ornamental dwarf pineapple varieties may not have to be repotted. As mentioned earlier, they usually already carry fruit, which means they likely won’t live too much longer.
Regular cultivars are a bit more demanding: they grow incredibly quickly with the right lighting. It can be handy to purposely stunt your plant a bit by putting off repotting, but if you’d like it to grow to its full indoor potential (they can get to over 1m/3.3 ft in width), you’ll have to provide a larger pot at least yearly and maybe even more often.
Pruning
Pruning Ananas Comosus isn’t necessary if the leaves are healthy and green. But if they are dead (brown and dry), or diseased, cut them off. Take a pair of pruning shears, sterilize them with rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide and cut off all of the affected tissue.
If you ever get suckers at the base of the plant, it’s a good idea to remove them. Suckers are small offshoots that compete with the main plant for resources.
TANAKA Juuyoh (田中十洋)
CC BY 2.0
Propagation
Ananas comosus is usually propagated by planting the crown in moist soil—the top part of the fruit, with small, fleshy leaves. Cut off the crown and remove the leaves (or twist and pull). Allow the cutting to rest for a few days to stop the sap bleeding. Then, plant it in a pot of moist soil and put the pot somewhere with bright, indirect light. The cutting will sprout roots, and a new plant will grow.
While planting the crown is the most common, you can also grow a new plant using suckers, slips, or hapas. These are different names for the parts of a pineapple plant. You can plant each one after they are air-dried.
Potting And Repotting Pineapple Plant
When potting, it is essential to keep in mind the specific requirements for growing this fruit as an indoor plant. For one, the soil should be sandy and well-drained. A potting mix high in organic matter is ideal, as it will help retain moisture while also providing good drainage. The pot should also have a drainage hole at the bottom.
An ideal container is an unglazed terra-cotta pot, which will retain moisture while also allowing excess water to escape. An alternative would be a plastic or ceramic pot that has holes drilled into its bottom.
When repotting, use a pot that is only slightly larger than the current pot. If the pot is too large, the water will collect on the sides resulting in root rot. And don’t forget the drainage holes. After selecting an appropriate-sized pot, add new soil and gently tamp it around the roots—water well after replanting.
Pests and Diseases
H. Zell
CC BY-SA 3.0
Pineapples are subject to a variety of diseases, the most serious of which is wilt disease vectored by mealybugs typically found on the surface of pineapples, but possibly in the closed blossom cups. Other diseases include citrus pink disease, bacterial heart rot, anthracnose, fungal heart rot, root rot, black rot, butt rot, fruitlet core rot, and yellow spot virus. Pineapple pink disease (not citrus pink disease) is characterized by the fruit developing a brownish to black discoloration when heated during the canning process. The causal agents of pink disease are the bacteria Acetobacter aceti, Gluconobacter oxydans, Pantoea citrea and Tatumella ptyseos.
Some pests that commonly affect pineapple plants are scales, thrips, mites, mealybugs, ants, and symphylids.
Heart-rot is the most serious disease affecting pineapple plants. The disease is caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi and P. parasitica, fungi that often affect pineapples grown in wet conditions. Since it is difficult to treat, it is advisable to guard against infection by planting resistant cultivars where these are available; all suckers that are required for propagation should be dipped in a fungicide, since the fungus enters through the wounds.
III. How to Get a Pineapple Plant to Fruit
In order to get a Pineapple to fruit, you first need a mature, healthy, and strong plant that is at least 18 months old. The next thing on the agenda is to stimulate fruiting. The fruit ripening agent is ethylene and it is produced by apples and many other fruits.
Abaddon1337
CC BY-SA 3.0
So, what does this fruiting stimulation process look like?
Place several apples around the Pineapple plant
Seal the area around the Pineapple so ethylene won’t escape. Use transparent plastic to ensure that the plant will get as much light as possible.
Move the plant away from direct sun, so it doesn’t cook under plastic. I suggest using a strong grow light during that period
The apples should be under plastic for a week or two.
IV. Uses and Benefits
The flesh and juice of the pineapple are used in cuisines around the world. In many tropical countries, pineapple is prepared and sold on roadsides as a snack. It is sold whole or in halves with a stick inserted. Whole, cored slices with a cherry in the middle are a common garnish on hams in the West. Chunks of pineapple are used in desserts such as fruit salad, as well as in some savory dishes, including the Hawaiian pizza, or as a grilled ring on a hamburger. Traditional dishes that use pineapple include hamonado, afritada, kaeng som pla, and Hawaiian haystack. Crushed pineapple is used in yogurt, jam, sweets, and ice cream. The juice of the pineapple is served as a beverage, and it is also the main ingredient in cocktails such as the piña colada and in the drink tepache.
In the Philippines, a traditional jelly-like dessert called nata de piña has also been produced since the 18th century. It is made by fermenting pineapple juice with the bacteria Komagataeibacter xylinus.
Pineapple vinegar is an ingredient found in both Honduran and Filipino cuisine, where it is produced locally. In Mexico, it is usually made with peels from the whole fruit, rather than the juice; however, in Taiwanese cuisine, it is often produced by blending pineapple juice with grain vinegar.
H. Zell
CC BY-SA 3.0
The European Union consumed 50% of the global total for pineapple juice in 2012–2016. The Netherlands was the largest importer of pineapple juice in Europe. Thailand, Costa Rica and the Netherlands are the major suppliers to the European Union market in 2012–2016. Countries consuming the most pineapple juice in 2017 were Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines, having combined consumption of 47% of the world total. The consumption of pineapple juice in China and India is low compared to their populations.
- Textiles
The ‘Red Spanish’ cultivar of pineapples were once extensively cultivated in the Philippines. The long leaves of the cultivar were the source of traditional piña fibers, an adaptation of the native weaving traditions with fibers extracted from abacá. These were woven into lustrous lace-like nipis fabrics usually decorated with intricate floral embroidery known as calado and sombrado. The fabric was a luxury export from the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period and gained favor among European aristocracy in the 18th and 19th centuries. Domestically, they were used to make the traditional barong tagalog, baro’t saya, and traje de mestiza clothing of the Filipino upper class, as well as women’s kerchiefs (pañuelo). They were favored for their light and breezy quality, which was ideal in the hot tropical climate of the islands. The industry was destroyed in the Second World War and is only starting to be revived.
- Houseplant
The variety A. comosus ‘Variegatus’ is occasionally grown as a houseplant. It needs direct sunlight, and thrives at temperatures of 18 to 24 °C (64 to 75 °F) with a minimum winter temperature of 16 °C (61 °F). It should be kept humid, but the soil should be allowed to dry out between waterings. It has almost no resting period but should be repotted each spring until the container reaches 20 centimeters (8 in).
V. Harvesting and Storage
To harvest pineapples, cut the fruits from the plant with a sharp knife. Remove the stem and leaves and enjoy the Pineapple. If you prefer to store it, do it at room temperature for a few days or in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Buy Plants
