Pineapple growing

[Mark]

How did it taste?

Nothing like the pineapples in the store....it was so sweet. Like most fruits that ripens on the tree or vine, there is this wonderful sweet smell about them that I love.

Yeah, same for us - our pineapples are "different" to the store they are more sweet and easier to eat and I'm just not saying that either...

 

[Mark]

Here's our latest homegrown pineapple - already eaten... This plant was grown from a pup of another pineapple plant and they say each subsequent generation of pineapple the fruit gets smaller however I haven't noticed this trend personally.

 

[Ash]

Looks wonderful Mark. What would you rate the taste at compared to the best you've gotten from a F&V vendor?

 

[Mark]

Thanks Ash!

I'm not kidding or over exaggerating when I say every pineapple we have grown has tasted sweet and delicious.

I've purchased some pretty sour pineapples in the past but these homegrown ones are always good.

Not as big as the shop varieties... but definitely more tasty imo

 

[ClissAT]

I have several that I started over a year ago so I'm hoping to start seeing baby fruit very soon. I've made sure they are well fertilized & they (the plants) look nice & greeny blue & healthy.
I already had 1 that had pups which I separated & planted after eating the fruit.
Then my tenant was buying those beaut new Gold pineapples that are so sweet. They had tops so I got him to keep the tops for me.
So most I have now planted are gold tops! lol

They should taste reeeallly good,

 

[Mark]

You don't see many with the tops left on anymore. If I buy a pineapple fresh I want it to have a top!

 

[Ash]

Yeah Mark, the markets have even gone topless with their pines. Maybe they're keeping the tops for themselves... worldwide shortage? The sky must be falling!

 

[ClissAT]

I think it's got more to do with transport costs & fitting more pineapples in the crates.
However they did agonize over the decision a bit due to the method of packing where the top of one supports the fruit of the one above when packed in layers therefore creating their own cushioning for transport.
Unfortunately greed won in the end so we get the bruised fruit instead
Or the farmer gets short changed due to the numbers of bruised fruit in his crate.

 

[Ash]

Yeah, that's a little sad looking at it that way. In the end I would tend to think the farmers lose out (lowest on the food chain, excuse the pun), just like the end consumer is the one who has to pay for handling processes in between farmer and plate.

 

[Mark]

I didn't think about the packaging of the pineapples from gate to supermarket but I guess the bean counters made a good argument for it...

 

[OskarDoLittle]

Was at the Brookfield nursery "releave" garden day last weekend, the veggie garden lady there claimed that each individual pineapple plant only grows one pineapple...then you have to get rid of it. My reading of the above is that they will grow a second crop the next year, but that fruit will be smaller. Have I got that right? If so, I'd happily let my plant fruit the second year, even if it's a little fruit, or should I just pull it out after it fruits the first time ? (Obviously that'll be a little while away yet!)

 

[Mark]

Pineapple plants will usually grow pups (sometimes 2 or 3) after fruiting so you can then replant them.

I've had some smaller pineapples about the size of a fist but the plant tended to be smaller also however the fruit always tastes good.

Most of our 2nd or third gen pineapples are medium sized.

 

[Letsgokate]

I got some pineapple with the tops on from a local fruit market in a major shopping center locally this week, I was so excited. Bought 4 at $3.99 each.

Just watched a video where they twist the top off and then pull off some of the lower spikes for planting. Several searches where doing this method. He also talked about how to bring on fruit quicker. In your experiences Mark which method do you think works best, as suggested in the video or just cutting the top and planting it?

Also how tall have you found yours to grow?

 

[Ash]

Great tutorial. Thanks for sharing it. Now I know what I've been doing wrong!

 

[Mark]

I find pineapples very hardy and easy to grow. We have a top that has been sitting unplanted for several months outside and it's still alive.

More often than not the pineapple fruit from replanted tops will revert back to the smaller type just like they grow everywhere in Asia and sell in stalls along the highways but the taste is sweet and sensational.

 

[Letsgokate]

Interesting video oh how DOLE grow their pineapples


And another way to grow pineapples

 

[OskarDoLittle]

I didn't know about the suckering method Dole's describe...might try that with mine - I tried sticking a banana skin in the pot with it to try to induce it to fruit this year...but I have a sneaking suspicion the drain hole in the pot is blocked and it's getting too water laden as it suddenly looks a bit awful! Has anyone tried transplanting pineapples after they're relatively large? (It should've fruited this year)

 

[Letsgokate]

Can you stick a stick in through the drain holes to unblock them?

 

[Mark]

Has anyone tried transplanting pineapples after they're relatively large? (It should've fruited this year)

Give it a go because anything in a pot can be transplanted and pineapples are hardy so it should transplant well.

 

[OskarDoLittle]

Can you stick a stick in through the drain holes to unblock them?

Sadly no...kinda outsmarted myself by putting a sheet of mesh over the drainage holes (it's some form of geofabric) which I usually then cover with gravel (the thinking was to stop the gravel plugging into the drain hole) then more fabric then potting mix...guessing I forgot the gravel way back when...The other day the top of the pot filled up like a bath! Now it's so water laden I can hardly move the pot...had to bail it out!
I might be able to cut the fabric though...but I guess that's not going to solve the drainage issue. Back to the drawing board.