Si and I grow all sorts of random things in our garden. Some ‘experiments’ work out, while others don’t. If you were to look out in our backward right now you’d find a whole family of different-sized pots filled with tamarind trees grown from seed, chilli plants plucked out from my mother-in-laws where they had self sown, rosemary grown from trimmings picked off the side of the road and a huge grape vine that Si’s grown from a cutting taken from our old next-door neighbours house, amongst many other little bits and pieces. It’s kinda just how we do things round here, if we haven’t tried growing something before and we can do so cheaply (or even better, for free!) we give it a shot even if we’re not entirely sure what we’re doing. There’s really no harm in trying eh?
I’ve always wanted to try growing pineapples but it wasn’t until we moved to Perth that it became a realistic goal, NZ weather is just a tad too cold for these babies sadly. This summer just gone after chopping the top off one of the pineapples I’d picked up at the shops I instinctively placed it upright in a shallow saucer of water, set it on the windowsill and left it for a couple of weeks until roots had grown from the bottom, before Si planted it out into a big pot of good quality potting mix. It wasn’t until after it was planted that I did some reading up on the correct way to grow pineapples from tips. It turns out they don’t like soggy bottoms and much prefer to be dried out before placing straight into soil. Whoops.
Since then I’ve planted another pineapple in the ‘correct’ way and am happy to say both the soggy and dry bottom ones are doing just fine! Just goes to show you can’t always believe what you read online…
So here’s my two options for growing pineapples from tips.
1. cut off the top of a pineapple, place upright in a small saucer of water, leave on your windowsill for 10-14 days or until little roots have grown from the bottom. Plant into a large pot or straight into a well composted garden bed.
2. cut off the top of a pineapple, peel off the bottom 3-4 layers of leaves, set aside in a dry place for a couple of days to dry out before planting as above.
Make sure you only use the tops from beautiful juicy, sweet pineapples as your plant will grow the exact same type of pineapple that you’ve eaten.
Don’t over water. I only water ours about once ever 2-3 days in hot weather and now that it is cooling down and raining more frequently I’ve actually pulled them under cover so they don’t get water-logged but still get lots of sun. When watering, water directly into the centre of the plant not just around the base.
Expect that some leaves may die off over winter, especially the outer ones. So long as the middle still looks green and healthy I reckon it’ll be fine.
Be patient, as it may be up to 2 years before your plant is large enough to fruit!
UPDATE!! Excatly two years after I wrote this post, we have a baby pineapple growing on the largest of our three pineapple plants. Here’s what it looked like on day one of discovering it growing, and then two weeks later!
So while we may not be eating freshly grown pineapples for some years yet, just think how delicious it will be once we get to! And all for what… the cost of a little bit of soil, water and time?
(The three photos above are of the original pineapple that I sprouted and planted. The middle shot was when we first planted it out and the bottom shot is how big it is now, 4 months on).
22 Responses
This is so lovely Emma, I must try it too! Wish they didn't take so long though. The tops look so much like agaves, don't they?
Thanks Sneh, they do look a little like agave don't they? They're a really beautiful looking plant even if they never bear fruit 🙂
ahhhh… Emma you are making me homesick for lovely warm summer days in Perth!
I love that you're growing new things and even better that they're from things you've already eaten or borrowed cuttings, its the best way to go. I always find those plants are more 'memorable' than others as you remember where you borrowed them from.
Here's to a happy pineapple season (in a few years at least!)
haha yes here's hoping we'll still be living here in Perth when they finally fruit! If not, Si's mum will enjoy them anyway 🙂
I have lots of random plants in my kitchen garden to, but Canberra is not fantastic for tropicals 🙁 My coffee and lychee trees didn't make it, but lemongrass, tea, arrowroot, Jerusalem artichokes,elderflower,Saffron and vanilla orchid and others are hanging in there. Maybe I should try pineapples as an indoor plant 🙂
Wow you have a great selection of things growing in your garden Rebecca! We are the opposite here, don't think our feijoa trees will ever fruit in Perth… it's not cold for long enough!
Oooh, so tempting! The weather here on the NSW north coast is a perfect pineapple growing environment 🙂
Wow, so amazing! I definitely want to try this soon… thanks for the tips!
How funny. I currently have a window sill full of sprouting celery bottoms, sweet potatoes, and green onions.
Now if only I could grow a pineapple 🙂
Emma, you kill me!
I'm running out & getting a pineapple today.
Call it a lesson in patience, I will wait 2 years.
Amazing! Having never lived where pineapples grow, I've always been enchanted by them.
Love this idea although I fear that they wouldn't last very long in our chilly Wellington winds.
There are lots of pineapples grown around here but I've never started one by chopping the top off. I knew it was possible to do it but I'd never tried. I think I'll try it with the pineapple I've got in the kitchen.
Oh! Amazing. Such a useful post—lately my flatmates and I have been planting all our accidental refrigerator-sprouters, and the peas especially have taken on incredibly well! We've been getting our first pods throughout the week 🙂 I imagine how satisfying it was to realise you had a whole pineapple on your hands.
This is amazing! I'm going to have try this. We have over 3 acres, but there are so many little critters that eat everything: rabbits, deer, ground squirrels, gophers, and more. I would think they wouldn't the pineapple's leaves, but may want to go for the root. We'll just have to see. Fresh pineapple is now on my grocery list. Thanks so much for the idea and instructions.
And I agree, it just goes to show you when you experiment on your own, you surely discover new things.
Just imagine…freshly grown pineapples! Wish I could Em, I treat myself every now & then…that & bananas make me break my only buy local veg 🙂 My growing efforts in the garden have been limited to one herb patch these last 2 Summers….really should do something about that!
I must try it too! Thanks
How fab! Not sure if this would work in Canberra, as Bec said… but love the idea, Emm xo
This is the absolute coolest thing. Yay for your gorgeous pineapple!!!
WOW!
Growing pineapples is a real achievement! Sounds like it worked really well for you.
Hi Em,
Here in north central Alberta (Canada) I’d have to have a greenhouse to even contemplate pineapple growing. But I love the idea of letting things like celery, green onions and sweet potatoes carry on to produce more. As someone else said, just the pineapple top itself is a lovely plant.
Yes, unfortunately pineapple growing it out of the question for us too, now that we live back in New Zealand! Way to cold here for them, though we do have a greenhouse.