creekland Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Even with the vast diversity of the Hive, I'm going to guess - would even place bets - that no one did what we did this morning, (unless perhaps you live in a tropical location). Oh sure, many would have fed critters and worked in your garden and got laundry going, etc. I bet there are even some who bought plane tickets. These were all other morning agenda deals we've accomplished or are in the process of accomplishing where laundry is concerned. But did anyone else transplant pineapple plants - esp if you live up north somewhere where pineapple aren't used to growing? I'm curious... Ours started out as a homeschool curiosity. "Pineapple plants grow from the tops of pineapples." "Hey mom, can we try growing one?" Now we're curious to know if our oldest plant - the one in the second pic with a pineapple on it - will actually continue putting enough into that one to actually eat it. It would be really neat if it did, esp if it could time it to be ready when the boys are home from college. It has two more coming on it. And no, we are not growing wizards - esp with pineapple! We're just more or less winging it with some assistance to get started (years ago) from google! Their blooms are really pretty. Here's what we have now: And here's the oldest one up closer to see the pineapple growing on it: That's a spinach plant next to it. We've been enjoying spinach from it, but probably won't for a bit as we added soil from our horse pasture when we transplanted them, so contamination is a real possibility for a little bit. But still... anyone else transplant pineapple this morning? Or grow it as a project? 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 No, but I do know a person who has pineapples like that growing in her indoor sunroom. So more of a greenhouse effect. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocolatechip Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 That is SO COOL! Now I want to grow pineapples! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Not only did I not transplant a pineapple, I've never tried growing one. And I grew up in Hawaii. Maybe we never tried because we could just drive out to the plantations and see the pineapple plants growing. I hope yours grows well enough to eat! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bambam Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 We had one growing in a pot (purchased the plant with a baby pineapple on it). Before we thought it was ready to cut and eat some unknown animal came and ate it for us. I've wondered which south Texas animal ate it? I hope you have better luck. It was fun watching it grow. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ondreeuh Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Oooh, I grew up with a pineapple plant in the dining room. No one ever said what it was (maybe they didn't know?) but after YEARS it actually produced a fruit! It never got ripe enough to eat, though it was grown indoors and not really even in good light. I kind of want to do that, but have no room. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaLisa Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Nice! My bil planted got free tops from mil when she cut fruit each week in her retirement center. He planted them all around his house. But that was south Florida with a long growing season. I have a son who loves all things gardening and this would be an excellent project for him. Thanks for the idea! How long did it take for you to get the first pineapple? And let us know how it tastes! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 I don't know why, but those pineapple pictures are making the Chiquita Banana song run through my head. Bananas like the climate of the very, very tropical equator, So you should never put bananas in the refrigerator. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 I have done it a couple times, usually as part of life science. I have a friend who grew a pineapple plant for years and years. But, I have never seen one make a pineapple plant. We always assumed it was because we live in upstate NY and don't get enough hours of sunshine for long enough to cause it to reproduce. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 My potatoes are sprouting, does that count? Seriously, now I want to grow a pineapple. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 But still... anyone else transplant pineapple this morning? Or grow it as a project? Not this morning no, but we transplanted three from our yard (growing wild) to our garden area earlier this week. We have grown them quite often here in Central Florida. The fruit usually ripens in September for us. We have to keep close watch so the squirrels or ants don't get the pineapple first. Many times I've looked at the fruit and thought "It's almost ready" only to go out a day or two later and find it covered with ants or devoured by squirrels. Usually a plant will take 1 year to 18 months to produce fruit after it flowers, which can take as long as 2 years. You have to be very, very patient. The excitement when you finally see a pineapple though is totally worth it. And the flavor is unlike anything you'll ever get from a grocery store. The plant will send out runners ("babies") which, once established can be cut from the mother plant and re-potted separately. And the wait begins again once you do that. Good luck! And don't give up. It really can take a long time but don't assume nothing is going to happen. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hikin' Mama Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Very cool! And you are correct...I have never done that. :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammi K Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Not here but we did when we lived in Hawaii. We had banana trees ( not actually a 'tree' but you get the idea) in the backyard as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted September 19, 2015 Author Share Posted September 19, 2015 No, but I do know a person who has pineapples like that growing in her indoor sunroom. So more of a greenhouse effect. I'd love a sunroom, but not enough to spend money on one nor would it be easy to add one to our house. Ours have to make do with the great outdoors in spring/summer/fall and trying their best indoors in the winter. They look interesting next to our Christmas tree when it's inside (also a live tree). When the weather is cold overnight and nice during the day we lug them back and forth (inside to out and vice versa). I consider it all part of our exercise program. ;) That is SO COOL! Now I want to grow pineapples! As a pp said, it takes a very long time, but it's also very interesting - esp in our northern climate. We've enjoyed watching the bloom come, then set fruit, etc. We were rarely parents to turn down a reasonable request, so when my guys wanted to try it - why not? We've tried several. Not all have succeeded, but it's still fun to try. Oooh, I grew up with a pineapple plant in the dining room. No one ever said what it was (maybe they didn't know?) but after YEARS it actually produced a fruit! It never got ripe enough to eat, though it was grown indoors and not really even in good light. I kind of want to do that, but have no room. I've never heard of anyone having one indoors before. Very cool that you grew up with one! I think ours like the Great Outdoors when they can get out. They seem to thrive better then. Nice! My bil planted got free tops from mil when she cut fruit each week in her retirement center. He planted them all around his house. But that was south Florida with a long growing season. I have a son who loves all things gardening and this would be an excellent project for him. Thanks for the idea! How long did it take for you to get the first pineapple? And let us know how it tastes! I am not sure how long it's been. I know they got interested sometime after our big trip to HI. That was in 2006. I don't think it was right away though, but I know oldest was still here. He left in 2010. It has been a while. If you're in FL, I would expect faster growth. I would love for it to be ready to eat over Christmas break sometime, but I'm not sure winter will be kind to its growth. I have done it a couple times, usually as part of life science. I have a friend who grew a pineapple plant for years and years. But, I have never seen one make a pineapple plant. We always assumed it was because we live in upstate NY and don't get enough hours of sunshine for long enough to cause it to reproduce. We were never sure if it would reproduce or not to be honest. When I saw the bloom coming this year, it was a really neat feeling. My potatoes are sprouting, does that count? Seriously, now I want to grow a pineapple. Potatoes? No! But there's nothing stopping you if you want to try a pineapple. :coolgleamA: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted September 19, 2015 Author Share Posted September 19, 2015 Not this morning no, but we transplanted three from our yard (growing wild) to our garden area earlier this week. We have grown them quite often here in Central Florida. The fruit usually ripens in September for us. We have to keep close watch so the squirrels or ants don't get the pineapple first. Many times I've looked at the fruit and thought "It's almost ready" only to go out a day or two later and find it covered with ants or devoured by squirrels. Usually a plant will take 1 year to 18 months to produce fruit after it flowers, which can take as long as 2 years. You have to be very, very patient. The excitement when you finally see a pineapple though is totally worth it. And the flavor is unlike anything you'll ever get from a grocery store. The plant will send out runners ("babies") which, once established can be cut from the mother plant and re-potted separately. And the wait begins again once you do that. Good luck! And don't give up. It really can take a long time but don't assume nothing is going to happen. This week is close enough, but that might cancel out since you can actually keep them in your garden. :coolgleamA: Thanks for the advice about the squirrels and ants. If our fruit gets close enough to ripen, I'll definitely protect it. I've heard the flavor is awesome with home ripened versions. I'd love to get one we can all eat. :drool5: This plant has two runners on it. How long should they stay with mama before being repotted on their own? Do you start them in water to develop roots too? Thanks for any info. Learning from others ought to help me make fewer mistakes! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustEm Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 No. But I did have to get a bird out of our house today. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaKim Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 How cool! I don't know anything specifically about pineapple plants, but if they are like most other things, the less energy the plant has to put into other things (other fruits, shoots, whatever) the more it can put into ripening a specific fruit. This is why many people sacrifice some of the fruit on their plants to get the remaining ones to grow bigger (for example, to enter them in fairs and whatnot). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 No, but I think it is awesome! :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 No, can't say I've ever grown a pineapple. But I bet we could here. Long summers and many days in winter are warm enough for a potted plant to go out and get some sun. I put them on my grocery list! I am going to try to get a head start on some sweet potato plants this winter in the window sill. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Cool. We grew pineapple in Africa growing up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted September 20, 2015 Author Share Posted September 20, 2015 I have started pineapple from tops and avocado from pits and kept the plants alive for years in Minnesota. Never got fruit from any of them, though. Did you put them outside in the spring/summer/fall? I'm curious to know if that makes the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomsintheGarden Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 Oldest ds grew a pineapple plant! We learned how to do it from the Klutz Kids Gardening book years ago. We never got a pineapple, though, so kudos to you for managing it! We kept ours in our kitchen until it grew into a monster that scratched us as we walked by. Then I composted it. :( Please let us know how your fruit tastes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 This plant has two runners on it. How long should they stay with mama before being repotted on their own? Do you start them in water to develop roots too? With the runners I wait until the baby has a strong enough set of roots to repot. Whenever I tried water it just rotted, but our humidity might be a factor. I usually let it dry out a bit before planting, but have read that you can plant it right away. If you have enough tops you can experiment with different methods. :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 We have an avocado houseplant. Does that count? Our first pit was stolen by squirrels, but the second attempt worked out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted September 20, 2015 Author Share Posted September 20, 2015 With the runners I wait until the baby has a strong enough set of roots to repot. Whenever I tried water it just rotted, but our humidity might be a factor. I usually let it dry out a bit before planting, but have read that you can plant it right away. If you have enough tops you can experiment with different methods. :) Sounds good with the offspring. We have tested both direct planting and starting them in water. It's been slightly in favor of water for us. I exchange the water fairly often and pull off the rotten, dead outside leaves as they continue to die. Either way, we also found we need to cut quite a bit of the original plant off. However, we did almost nothing of that for our original oldest plant. We just cut the top and planted it and it survived. It must have good survival genes - perhaps why it also has given us fruit! It was after we lost a few others trying that method that we thought of checking google to see how others recommended it be done. It was sort of a "when all else fails, read the directions" situation. :lol: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 Well, we did try once. A couple years ago our homeschool class had a filed trip to Garden of the Sun which is a wonderful place run by local Master Gardeners chapter. One of the sessions we listened to was on plant reproduction and she showed us how pineapples reproduce. So, next time I bought a pineapple, we tried it. But then we forgot about it and it died. But it's a pretty neat idea! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.