After trimming and stripping, place the crown upside down in a dry, shaded place for about a week (5 to 7 days) before planting. This
will permit the cut end and the leaf scars to heal and prevent rot.
Start your pineapple in an 8-inch porous red clay pot. Later, when it outgrows this, transplant it to a 12-inch pot, the largest size
you will need. Plastic posts can also be used, but extra care needs
to be taken to be sure adequate drainage is provided and plants are not
overwatered.
Be sure there is good drainage since pineapples do not like "wet feet." Provide drainage by placing a curved piece of broken pot over the hole
in the bottom of the pot. Over this, add about a half an inch (1 centimeter)
of coarse qravel. Then add your soil.
Tamp the soil firmly around the base of the crown at planting. Avoid getting soil into the central leaves of the crown. It is possible to start,
and even grow your pineapple in water, but nutrients -- which can be purchased
at a gardening store -- must be added. Ask for a hydroponic fertilizer,
a soluble mix that contains all of the essential plant nutrients, and follow
directions for shrubs.
A liquid (foliar spray) fertilizer can also be used. Pour the solution into the base of the leaves and on the surface of the soil. Take special
care not to pour the solution into the center of the plant as the young
leaves may be injured. Follow directions under "small shrubs" given
on the label of the products you use.
During summer, set your plant on a sunny porch or bury the pot in your garden. Do not take your plant out of the house until all danger of frost
is past. When you first remove your plant from your house, keep it in a
semi-shaded spot for several days to prevent sunburn.
During cold months, keep your plant in the house. Bring it in early in the fall. Place it near a window or sliding-glass door for
maximum sunlight. At night, move it away from the window to prevent
freezing. If the room is warm enough for you to be comfortable, the
pineapple will be at the right temperature.
You can also grow your plant indoors, for example in a basement, by using "Plant-Gro" fluorescent light tubes This light can also be
helpful if your windows do not let enough sunshine into the room where
you are keepinq your plant. You should keep the light on for between
12 and 14 hours per day. When the plant gets large enough to bear
a fruit (see Flowering and Fruiting below), you should reduce the daylength
to 10 to 11 hours until the inflorescence appears in the center of the
plant. You can then return to longer days.
The only disease you will likely encounter will be heart rot caused by fungi. In heart rot, the central leaves turn black and are easily
pulled out of the plant. When heart rot occurs, the plant can sometimes
be saved by pouring a fungicide into the heart (center) of the plant.
If this stops the infection, a side shoot will start growing. This
shoot will then become your plant and will eventually flower and form a
fruit. Or you can remove it and begin a new plant (see "Other planting
material").
For good insecticides and fungicides, talk to your nurseryman or visit your local garden store.
When your plant is at least 24 inches (60 to 70 centimeters) tall and 12 to 14 months old, an inflorescence bud will begin to form in the
center of the leaves. You will not be able to see the developing
fruit until about two months later when a bright red cone emerges.
Flower development in Hawaii typically occurs in late December or January
when the days are short (about 10.5 hours) and the nights are cool (55
to 65 F; about 13 to 18 C).
Later, flowers -- light blue in color -open row by row over a period of about two weeks, starting from the bottom.
When the petals of the last flower have dried, the fruit begins to develop.
If your pineapple plant is at least 24 inches tall and has not flowered
by the time it is 20 to 24 months old, you can "force" it with an inexpensive
chemical.
You can also 'force' a plant by enclosing it completely in a polyethylene bag together with two ripe apples for one week. The ethylene gas released
from the ripe apples will do the trick.
When the fruit is golden half way up it can be picked and eaten. You can wait longer if you wish.
Prepare and grow your slips and shoots in the same manner you did your crown. In the case of slips, there may be a small knob at their base.
This should be cut off. Because they are larger, slips and shoots
will produce a fruit in less time than to takes for a crown. It is
best to use plant size as a guide in determining the best time to force
flowering. Slips and shoots grow most rapidly while attached to the
mother plant, so it is best to let them grow for several months after the
fruit is removed.
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