Propagating Pineapple

I am a HUGE fan of pineapple, as in one of my most favorite fruits EVER. I was at the grocery store the other day and saw the rack of pineapples and just couldn’t help myself. As I was mulling over which to choose, it popped in my mind that I really should try my hand at propagating pineapple again.  The selection process changed a bit as I focused on the pineapple that had a great looking top. Come on, I can’t be the only one out there that chooses their pineapples because the tops look good and they want to propagate it right?

Look at that awesome top, I mean how could I have said no.

It’s been a number of years since I tried growing pineapple from a top and due to my lack of attention I managed to kill it. Whoops.  I’ve seen lots of pictures and comments from people about positive experiences growing pineapple and if you have enough patience they will in a few years provide another pineapple.  Seriously, plants are the coolest things.

The prep work for propagating a pineapple is easy, it’s having the patience to wait for it to grow that can be difficult.  Anyone who knows me, knows that I am filled with patience when it comes to plant propagation – queue sarcasm. The old saying a watched pot never boils, a watched propagated plant takes forever to grow.

Ready for pineapple top removal? And go!  There are two methods that can be used to remove the top.  The first one is to grab hold of the top and twist it and remove it from the body of the pineapple. The second one is the method I did – cut it off. Make sure you have a nice sharp knife to cut the pineapple, it just makes it easier.

You cut below the top but you’ll end up removing all the attached pineapple flesh.  Any flesh left behind can lead to rot which you want to avoid.

The extra comes off very easily.  Next step – remove lower leaves until you expose roots.

I removed the extra part of the stem below the roots.  Not sure if it makes a difference, just seemed like the right thing to do.  If you notice I removed enough leaves to give it a base to place into the potting mix as you do not want to sink the leaves in the potting mix to avoid them rotting.

After this you’re going to let it sit on the counter to callus over for a few days just like you would do with succulent leaves.  Of course don’t forget to cut up the body of the pineapple and enjoy it.  My dog LOVES pineapple and he was snoozing when I first started the project.  Once his sniffer caught up to what was going on he came for a visit.  How can I not share with this adorable guy?

Here’s how the base of the pineapple top was looking after about a day and a half.

I cut up the pineapple on the 21st and potted it up today, August 24th.  There are two methods for getting the whole shebang started.  You can start the pineapple top by letting the base be in water and then transfer to potting mix or you can place it directly in mix.  I’ve found, as have others, that starting in water then moving to a potting mix doesn’t always transition well.  I’m a fan of directly planting into potting mix.

If you do decide to try the water method, you can see only the base of the top is in water,  The leaves are left above the water line.

If you go the direct potting method – chose a terracotta pot and a well draining potting mix such as a cactus/succulent mix.

And yes, after a few days of sitting out the leaves look a bit rough – this happened the last time I did this too.  It seems to be the norm, but if others have a different experience or suggestions, I would love to hear them.

Find a location that that will provide around 6 hours or so of bright light a day. Southern exposure windows are good choice.  Allow the potting mix to dry out some between watering as well.  I chose to start mine in a smaller pot to start with while waiting for the roots to get going.  Eventually this guy will be moved to a larger pot.  I’m keeping all fingers crossed that he takes off and in a few years I might eventually get a pineapple.

This week was also get more plants week.  Whoops!  I added a String of Pearls, a Calathea orbifolia, variegated String of Hearts cuttings, Stilt Peperomia cuttings, and I’m waiting on my regular String of Hearts cuttings (which should hopefully arrive tomorrow).  I have seriously fallen down the really cool house plant rabbit hole.

Calathea orbifolia

 

Peperomia Stilt

 

Variegated String of Hearts

 

String of Pearls.  Can you see why I got this cutie even though I already have one?

I really need to put myself on plant purchasing hiatus until we get a pipe put up so I can hang plants on it. I’m, ah, running out of window space on the first floor and I have oh, 17 plants on the wish list and there are a few I haven’t added yet. You’re probably scratching your head with me saying pipe, but I promise it’s an awesome idea and I’ll share pictures once it’s in place. How soon that will be is hard to say.  The Fiance and I always seem to have multiple projects going at once.  I’m hoping sooner then later.

Food time!  We have been trying to get better at planning ahead for meals so that when we make a run to the grocery store, it’s not just for ingredients for one meal.  We have been known to make multiple trips in a weekend.  Good thing we like to cook and we like our local grocery store.

Last night while relaxing on the front porch with a glass of wine, meal planning discussions began, which for us is always fun.  We got to what to make on Sunday and the Fiance looks at me with a smile and says “pot pie.” I knew exactly which recipe he meant.  We had made it twice before and if we decide to make something more then once you know it’s dang good.  How can you go wrong with a pot pie with a cheddar biscuit crust?

We did modify the recipe a bit. We added shredded cooked chicken, diced potato, and instead of dollops of cheddar biscuit here and there, we made the entire top covered in tasty cheddar biscuity goodness. You can find the recipe for this awesome creation HERE.

We’ve made this twice, the second was by request by my Mom for her birthday weekend. I borrowed the photo she posted to Facebook since it was way better then the one I had.  Thanks Mom!  So this recipe is both Mom and Fiance approved. It’s so good, easy to make, and is great as leftovers.  Definitely looking forward to Sunday.

Hope you all have an amazing weekend that is filled with plants, food, and fun.

Garden Happy.