Hello Fan Friends!

What a week! As everything prepares to begin to opening in wake of the Coronavirus here in the United States I’ve been trying to plant roots and seeds of my favorite fruits and vegetables to see if they grow.

Now two weeks ago I had promised that I would update you on my attempt to grow a pineapple plant. So far I have zero germination on the seeds in the jar, however, I did learn that they can take up to three months to actually grow and germinate. 

If I learned one thing from this whole experience so far it’s that patience really is a virtue. They really are the sloths of the plant world in terms of growing and fruiting. Before we dive right in though, here’s what you’ll need:

1. A Pineapple
2. A knife for cutting up the pineapple
3. Paper towel to allow your root to dry out on
4. A pair of scissors for trimming the leaves.
5. A standard pot-for planting!
6. Soil-experts recommend perlite and sand-I used ordinary soil.
7. A semi shaded room and space for the plant to receive adequate indirect sunlight.

Before we make it to step 7 we’re going to need to accomplish step 1 and that’s picking a pineapple! Any old pineapple from the grocery store will do just make sure it looks healthy and hardy. You want it to be just right by that I mean not too soft or soggy and not too firm and unripened.

When looking for a PERFECT Pineapple:

•Stay away from any pineapples with soft spots or bruises (these are signs of damaged fruit).

•Avoid pineapples with no darkened “eyes” (this means it’s “old” and has soggy flesh.

•Avoid choosing over-ripened fruit (this means if you can easily pull off the leaves).

•Pick a ripened pineapple that is YELLOW from the base up, however, some are green on the outside in color depending on the species. If the pineapple smells sweet and gives in just slightly to a soft pressing than congratulations! You’ve just found your perfect pineapple!

Now here’s the fun (and delicious part!), you’ll be amazed when I tell you just how just how simple the instructions are in rooting and growing pineapple crowns.

Once you’ve brought your pineapple home, you’re going to start by cutting off the leafy top about half an inch below the leaves. Next be sure to remove some of the lowest leaves. Once that’s complete you can trim off the outer portion of the pineapple top at the bottom of the crown, or stem, until you see root buds. These buds resemble small, brown-colored bumps around the stem’s perimeter.

I brought my pineapple home on a Monday and did not plant my root until Friday. It is absolutely important to make sure it has a few days to dry-some websites recommend a week but I was anxious-before planting. This helps the top of the plant heal and makes it less likely to rot. I also made sure I enjoyed the fruits of my labor, literally and figuratively, by making a delicious fruit salad which consisted of pineapple, mango and grapes. I posted the recipe last week, if you’re interested you can read about it HERE 😍.

There are SEVERAL resources online regarding the how to go about sprouting your plant. There are some people that even claim to have success growing them in water but most (like me) stick to soil. Gardening enthusiasts tend to recommend a light soil mix with perlite and sand. I didn’t use this, rather, I simply used regular soil and said whatever happens, happens. Now that you’ve got your soil, plant the pineapple crown in the soil up to the base of its leaves. Make sure to water your plant thoroughly and place it in bright, indirect light.

I placed my plant outside on my screened in porch table, it gets indirect sunlight via the bamboo blinds I have up over my windows. They THRIVE in hot and humid weather so you can totally get away with leaving your plant outside overnight in the spring and summer months as long as it’s semi-shaded and your local temperatures don’t dip below what is considered first frost. In the winter months, you’ll need to keep your plant INDOORS or it will die according to nearly every gardening YouTuber and blogger I’ve come across in my research.

Remember: don’t get discouraged: pineapples are slow-growing plants, and forget about expecting to see blooms for at least two to three years, if at all. I’ve read about ways to “force fruit” your pineapples plant but I’ll cross that bridge when I get there! In the meantime, I truly hope you have a wonderful weekend, stay safe, stay kind and stay true to YOU!