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| From In the Garden |
Longing for some tropical punch and a bit of warmth? You might try growing a pineapple plant. This is something I would never do normally since I don't care for houseplants, but a dear gardening friend's daughter was talking with me one day and I asked her if she could grow one plant, what would it be? She replied a pineapple. I didn't see why someone couldn't grow a pineapple plant so the next time we purchased a fresh pineapple I decided to see if it would grow.
I know there are tons of instructions on the Internet on how to start a pineapple and just about any other plant you wish to start, but I did not follow those instructions. Putting sand and whatnot in a pot and cutting the pineapple this way and that was just too complicated for me. All I did was cut off the top of the pineapple being sure to leave about 1/2-3/4 inches of the meat on the stem, then I placed the fleshy end down in a pot of good potting soil making sure there was a strong contact between the fleshy part of the pineapple and the soil. I left the pot on my front porch in morning sun/afternoon shade conditions and kept the pot moist (during the summer). A few months later roots appeared. After one year of growing this pineapple plant in this manner the plant has grown into a fine specimen that makes a super good houseplant. Even I can't complain about it since it does not drop its leaves, is not picky about my neglectful watering habits and helps to brighten my house up during the cold winter. I do bring the plant in during the winter and place it in a sunny south facing window. Too bad I will probably never get pineapples from my little plant but I can hope and dream of the tropical life can't I?
in the garden....
There is a new seed company called Hometown Seeds that let me know they are offering a 10% discount on your total order for all readers of this blog from now until February 28th, 2010. They cater to the home gardener-you and I. You need only add the word 'Thanks' to your order as a coupon code if you decide to order from them.
Full disclosure! I have never purchased from Hometown Seeds NOR have I received any free gifts from them. I just thought I'd pass along the information to my readers.
Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,
In the Garden
Cool! Who knew you could grow a houseplant from the grocery store.
ReplyDeleteLove the foliage!
ReplyDeleteI've been trying to decide if I will trial an ornamental Eucomis outside in the deer garden this summer. The plants are pretty, but expensive for a trial! I may try one inside the cottage garden fence.
Cameron
Actually you CAN get fruit from it -- it isn't too hard! Let it get bigger for a couple years, and then you can trick it into blooming: Pineapples (and all the related bromeliads) are triggered to bloom by the plant hormone ethylene - which is a gas, released by most ripening fruit -- especially bananas and apples. So all you have to do is take the pineapple, and put it in a sealed plastic bag with a couple apples or bananas (even just banana peels will work) for a few days. Then you just wait -- in a few months the flower spike will develop, and eventually produce a lovely, ripe pineapple for you to enjoy!
ReplyDeleteWe don't get pineapples usually - I don't like cutting them and they aren't my favorite fruit anyway! I have thought it would be neat to try growing one though.
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting-looking plant, even if you don't get fruit from it, Tina. I don't buy whole pineapples very often, but I did set an avocado seed over some water a few weeks ago to see if I could start one. These long winter days are making me try to grow anything:)
ReplyDeleteI remember doing this years ago...think it was in college. I like the 'tricking' it into blooming that Greensparrow mentioned.
ReplyDeleteand I love fresh pineapple!!
The foliage is so blue.
ReplyDeleteI've considered growing the ornamental pineapple -- Plant Delights sells it and it's a really interesting plant.
I planted one outside one summer just the way you planted yours in the container, it grew very well, then the cold got it..I had forgotten about the forced bloom/fruit method with gas from fruit..thanks Greensparrow!
ReplyDeleteDoes it really have that blue tone or is it the lighting? It's pretty and sure sounds easy enough.
ReplyDeleteMarnie
Good morning all!
ReplyDeleteDawn, It was really easy. This is the second one I grew. The first I gave to my friend's daughter where it has sadly died:(
Cameron, Go ahead and try it! You might be pleasantly surprised. If not, then you learn something new for sure.
Greensparrow, Hello and welcome! I will for sure keep this plant and give it a try at fruiting it. I have lots of ripe fruit around here and can easily bag the pineapple. I may even put it in my little greenhouse and see if that will help. Hopefully success in a few years! Thanks for the info!
Dave, Fresh pineapples are SO good. The Jimster and all of us love them so we buy them occasionally but any fresh fruit might work.
Rose, That will be fun! I've heard you can grow quite a big avocado tree from a little ole avocado. Very tropical for inside.
Janet, They are so good for sure!
Sweetbay, Pineapples make a nice plant. You are talking of the eucomis Cameron mentioned? They are nice too. Not hardy here I don't think but they grow in Florida well.
Darla, Perhaps you could dig it up each fall? It makes a great houseplant.
Marnie, It really is quite blue but the lighting on this picture is not the best so it may appear a bit more washed out than it really is. I think the plant resembles a blue yucca a bit. It is so easy to care for let me tell you.
Tina and Dawn you must not remember the pineapple I started from a top when you girls were in high school. We were living on Orr's Island then. I saw instructions in the paper on how to grow it but I can't remember how I did it. I think I suspended it somehow with toothpicks and then at some time planted it in soil. I actually have been wishing I would come acroos the instrustions so I could do it again. Shows how smart I am that I did'nt research it on the internet as every time I throw a top out I hate myself. Next time I buy one I will just throw it in some dirt. Glad Greensparrow came on and told us how to get fruit from it as I had never heard that before so reall have to give it a try for sure now but will wait till they go on sale.
ReplyDeleteI will check the seed place out as all I have ordered so far is my potatoes but have been looking and making many lists from seed places. I do like to get what I can from Johnny's Select Seeds as they are a Maine company. One place that has a lot of different seeds is seedrack.com They have the purple tomatoes that Skeeter grew last year and I am going to try them
Mom, No I don't remember it at all. Well now you know how to start one don't throw out the tops anymore. It is a super houseplant-no dropped leaves and very easy to care for.
ReplyDeleteI was just looking at pineapples at the grocery store the other day. This would be a fun one to try, easy houseplants are the best for sure!
ReplyDeleteAnother great project for the kids! Especially because they love pineapple -- I like to buy them sometimes as a special treat. The tops never break down well in the compost anyway.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Tina! I tried and failed. But I have to admit that the nice green pineapple top sat in the flower bed for 3 months and looked pretty happy, even without any roots. Probably, I should consider it as annual, ha!
ReplyDeleteThis is a fun idea! I hope I don't kill it, I am going to give this a whirl.Thanks
ReplyDeleteRosey
Great idea Tina. I've heard about growing a pineapple from the top. I should like to try this.
ReplyDeleteI've tried the Avocado but it didn't last the winter a few yrs. ago.
I took an old sweet potato & just threw it out & it rooted & grew. I doubt it made this winter. A lot of my plants didn't make it.
We had many pineapple plants, with a little sour kind pineapples earlier.... now as there is not much care taken... a few handful of them are remaining.... Since my Badimaa is all alone & My dad makes it a point to go for 7 or 15 days in a month, not much can be taken care of... But when my daadi & Badepapa were there, that was the golden era of our produce... What varieties....what produce..... Mango, pineapple, avocado, guava, coconut, breadfruit, kokum, cashew, arecanut, many of them I don't remember.... Hmmmmm.... it feels good to be amongst them too... I still remember those days that mom prepared me for my exams.... amongst that greenery.... In the field.... I loved those days.... & forever will....
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking me back to those days.....
Ash...
(http://asha-oceanichope.blogspot.com/)
Out here in the subtropics I've had luck just sticking the pineapple tops out in the garden. In the garden mine never fruited, and the fruited ones I saw of other people had pretty tiny fruit compared to what you'd be able to grow in the real tropics. I took a couple trips to Hawaii over ten years ago, and got to see endless fields of them with big, pineapple-sized fruit. I understand Hawaii doesn't produce much in the way of pineapples anymore because they're so heavy to transport.
ReplyDeleteYum. I could do with some fresh pineapple right now. I love how much information is available on the Internet and from comments like the one left by "Greensparrow." If I ever try this, I'm going to remember it his advice. I hope you can get your plant to set fruit soon.
ReplyDeleteOh, pineapples are fun to grow but some take 2 years to fruit! Yes! My apartments caretaker has a pineapple (though it looks pathetic now) for three years and is yet to fruit! Of course that's because of hr poor maintenance, but they're such a beauty to behold!
ReplyDeleteI can see you posting about your first Pineapple in a couple of years!
ReplyDeleteHow cool! The only place I've seen pineapples growing is in Hawaii. It would make me feel better about growing a plant I know I'd ultimately kill if it were something I'd usually just toss in the compost, there's no guilt! I'm going to give this a shot.
ReplyDeleteI knew this was possible, but haven't tried it. I think I will....my kids would have fun growing a pineapple top :^)
ReplyDeleteIt makes a very nice house plant Tina. I love plant propagating. Growing from seeds is fun, but even more amazing is the idea that you can take a piece of a stem, or a root, or even a grocery store pineapple top, and with a little care and a little luck, get a wonderful new plant to enjoy at virtually no cost. I love the blue color of the leaves!
ReplyDeleteTina,
ReplyDeleteI would love to give this a try. Perhaps in the spring, I will try it on the porch in a pot. I hope you have luck in getting yours to fruit! What a wonderful project for kids. Thank you for sharing!
This is one plant I dont think we will have in our home. The Saint lived in Hawaii for many years and grew to hate pineapple! I would surely be headed towards a fight with him if I grew one, but then again, he does not like gnomes and I have them here and there. hee hee...
ReplyDeleteMy husband loves growing the tops of pineapples he buys at the grocery store. He doesn't do anything special other than putting them in a large pot with good soil and watering them.
ReplyDeleteOne plant got so big I renamed the front sun room where it sat in a window facing west, the Pineapple room. That particular plant gave us three large pineapples over a five-year period.