It was totally green when I went on vacation. I watered it heavily beforehand knowing I would be away a couple weeks. Got back and boom, ready to eat! Not sure if it was because the soil got a bit dry. Smells very good.
Historywise, the bud started to emerge in June 2025. The plant was about 1.5 or so years old.
I’ve tried growing pineapple but it’s never worked. Any tips?
In terms of starting them, it’s been hit and miss. This is the 3rd time I’ve tried and the first time I’ve succeeded at getting a top to root. I recall I trimmed away more flesh and peeled more leaves off the bottom than I had done before, and I think I was much more patient when it was in water to wait for roots to emerge.
My understanding is they like well draining soil and don’t like it too wet. I watered it about once a week with about 6 oz water – watering the plant itself so the water is primarily trapped in the bottom of the leaves and maybe the soil gets an incidental light sprinkle – and a bromeliad fertilizer every other week. It was outdoors during the summer but once it dropped into the mid 50s at night I brought it indoors. (ETA I’m in zone 10a or b).
Since this is a giant sample size of 1 I’m definitely not going to claim any definitive must-dos. Just reporting on what I did.
I live in FL where you can take a pineapple top, stick it in the ground, and it will grow. There are dozens around my house just because I get a kick out of finding an occasional tiny pineapple. If you don’t live in zone 10/11 you’ll need to keep it in a pot of quite sandy soil, only leave it outside during your warm months, and it will take 3-4 years to get a fruit. After that though it may make a new cane (pineapples are bromeliads I believe) that can produce regular pineapples. It takes a long time though, they are clearly in no hurry.
You need a lot of sun and warmth. They are 10-11hardiness zone. Frost will kill them instantly. Too much moisture is not good either, moderate rainfall