Guest Author - Jessica Carson

Pineapples are very easy to grow and, as long as you don't let them get too cold, they are very forgiving. They prefer temperatures around 70 to 85 degrees; if your climate is hotter than this in the summer then provide your pineapple some partial shade during the hottest part of the day. If your climate is cooler, then grow your pineapple in a small greenhouse-like structure in a warm area. It takes about 2 years for a plant started from a fruit top to produce fruit, so be prepared to move your pineapple indoors once the weather turns cool.

Pineapples are a member of the bromeliad family, so they don't need much water or root space. The plant will get quite large, however, ( about 3 foot across and tall) and the leaves are spiky, so be sure to plant it in a container big enough to give the full-grown plant some support.

Pineapples like slightly acidic soil, (pH 4-5 to 5.5), but they aren't very picky. If you don't know the pH of your soil and don't have a tester, mix in about 1 part peat moss for 3 parts potting mix to make the mix slightly acidic.

Pineapples do NOT like:
soggy soil that is wet all the time, cold weather, or concentrated fertilizers.

You can start you plant by taking a small slip (baby plant) from the side of a mature plant. You can also start a plant from the top of a pineapple fruit. Cut off the top, removing any of the inner fruit attached to the top, and the first row of small leaves. Let it sit out of the sun and dry out for a day or so, then plant the whole thing, up to the base of the leaves, in your container with some well-draining potting soil.

Pineapples absorb most of their water and nutrition through their leaves, especially while young. Make a diluted solution of fish emulsion or seaweed extract and spray the leaves every few days. Allow the water to sit between the leaves but be sure to not get the soil too wet. If the leaves turn red, the plant needs more 'food', so increase the amount or frequency of spraying with the fertilizer mixture. You can also sprinkle some compost between and around the bottom leaves and water it in.

Pineapples are very easy to grow! As long as you don't drown your plants and can feed them a little, they should do very well. It will take about 1 1/2 to 2 years before you can expect your first flower, and about 6 months for the fruit to mature. You'll get one fruit per plant, but several baby plants (slips) will start around the base of your plant, and these will fruit in about a year. Simply move each one to its own pot and care for it just as you did the parent. Once you start your first pineapple plant, you'll have a succession of new plants and more fruit year after year!