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Instructions for planting and growing pineapple at home. How to grow a pineapple at home from the top, care features How to plant a pineapple from the top at home

Pineapple is a tropical fruit that is presented as a herbaceous crop. Domestic growers have been trying to plant pineapple from the top at home for a long time. And I must say that many manage to grow it. To do this, it is enough to properly root the top of the pineapple and subsequently comply with the agrotechnical requirements for caring for the plant.

Selection of planting material

If all conditions are met, then the apical part will quickly take root in apartment conditions and will soon tie the color. The fruits of a homemade pineapple are small in size, but just as juicy and tasty as those grown in a natural environment.

A very important condition for the successful cultivation of pineapple is the choice of the right fruit. It must be ripe and not have dents, rot or other obvious damage on its surface. It is not recommended to use green or already overripe fruits for planting, as they are not viable.

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The top of the pineapple should be fairly firm and healthy. It should have fresh and green foliage. If there are specks or other signs of wilting on the leaves, then such a fruit will also not work.

Pineapples give the best survival rate, which are purchased in the spring and summer, since the winter fruits are likely to be frozen, and such specimens will not give roots.

To be safe, you can buy several fruits at once, but do it in different vegetable shops, because you should always have several options to choose from than to be left without it at all.

Preparing for rooting

Before planting a pineapple at home, you need to properly prepare its top. To do this, it is necessary to separate the crest from the fetus, and you can do it in two ways:

carefully cut;
unscrew (if the fruit is ripe, then it will be easy to do).

After the tuft is separated, it is necessary to inspect it. There should be no pulp left at the base of the leaves, as this can lead to rotting of the planting material. Also at the base are the kidneys, they can not be removed.

To unscrew the pineapple tuft, you need to hold the fruit with one hand, and grab the foliage at the very base with the other and try to unscrew it. But this must be done with extreme caution, since any wrong or sudden movement can damage the top. If this does not work, then it will have to be cut.

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For cutting, you need a well-sharpened knife. The cut itself is carried out in a circle and strictly at an angle of 45 degrees. After the separation has passed, you need to carefully clean the base of the top from the pulp and remove a few lower leaves. The apical part is considered ready for rooting.

To begin with, the top must be rooted in warm and well-settled water. It is best to use glassware for this. Pineapple crest is placed in a glass, which is placed in a warm and bright place, protected from direct sunlight. The plant must be monitored by regularly updating water in a glass. As a rule, the first roots appear after 7-10 days. Root the plant when the root system grows more than 3 millimeters.

Rules for placing in the ground

To plant a pineapple root, you will need a fairly large container with a diameter of 30 cm, the height of which should be approximately 20-30 cm. But if such a container is not available, then the plant can be planted in any dish, and later transplanted into a larger flower pot. A good drainage layer must be placed at the bottom of the flowerpot; sea pebbles, broken bricks or expanded clay chips are suitable for this.

A layer of nutrient substrate is poured over the drainage by about 2/3. After that, you need to thoroughly disinfect the soil. To do this, it can be spilled with boiling water or thoroughly soaked with a solution of potassium permanganate. After two days, pineapple can be planted in the nutrient substrate. Soil for growing exotic fruit can be made independently, To do this, you need to prepare the following components:

peat - 1 part;
sand - 1 part;
turf - 3 parts;
sheet soil - 2 parts;
birch sawdust - 1 part.

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In the prepared soil, a shallow hole is made a little wider than a pineapple stalk. Then it is necessary to lower the plant into the hole in such a way that its bare part is completely in the ground, and the leaves remain above its surface. After that, the roots fall asleep and the substrate is rammed.

To avoid rotting of the root system, experts advise adding wood ash and crushed coal to the planting hole. Then the flowerpot must be placed in a warm place, lit by diffused light. If you maintain a temperature regime of + 25-28 ° C, then the pineapple stalk will fully take root in 2 months.

For the summer period, it is best to take the pineapple bush out into the open air, for example, to a loggia, to a front garden, or take it to a summer cottage, but to a place where the plant is not in a draft. For the winter, it should be returned to a warm room. All subsequent care consists of regular watering, spraying and washing the foliage. You also need to fertilize a tropical plant. But this should be done no more than once every two months.

What winter holidays are complete without a mountain of tangerines and a couple of juicy pineapples? A couple of years ago, I decided not to throw out the tops of pineapples and decided to turn them into houseplants. It turned out that pineapple easily reproduces vegetatively.

Choosing a pineapple for growing on a windowsill

For planting at home, fruits purchased in August or autumn are best suited. Before the New Year, already slightly frozen pineapples arrive in stores and on the market, they are already initially unviable.

So, out of three planted pineapples, only one took root.

To increase your chances of growing a homemade pineapple from the top, choose a fruit based on the following traits:

With a vigorous, dark green rosette of leaves that should be covered with a light waxy coating (do not buy specimens with grey-green or brownish sluggish foliage).
With an intact point of growth - a hedgehog of young leaves, hiding in the center of a leaf rosette.
With a pleasant sweet aroma (this is an indicator that the fruit is fully ripe).

How to grow a pineapple at home from the top: step by step instructions

So, to plant a pineapple at home, it is prepared in several stages:

Pry off the top of the head with a sharp knife so that the cut is clean and burr-free.
Next, the upper part of the pineapple is placed in a container of water so that a small air gap remains between the upper leaves and the liquid (this is necessary in order to prevent decay).
As it evaporates, do not forget to add water to the dishes.
If the cut is suddenly covered with mold, remove this part with a knife.
As soon as roots 1.5 to 2 centimeters long form on it, the crown is ready for planting.

For growing pineapple, flower pots with a capacity of at least one liter (preferably two or three) are well suited. Pineapple prefers fertile but loose soil, so I made this mixture for it: 1 part garden soil, 1 part compost and 0.5 parts pure river sand.

At the bottom of the pot, I placed a drainage of pebbles (you can also use fragments of red brick or small expanded clay).

I planted the rooted pineapple in a moderately moist soil mixture and transferred the plant to a bright place out of direct sunlight. And when fresh leaves began to appear on the plant, she moved it to the southeast windowsill in the sun.

As I developed, I periodically transplanted my pineapple into a larger container.

The optimal watering regime for homemade pineapple is to alternate generous irrigation with short-term drying of the soil in pots. Naturally, in summer, during the period of active growth, it is watered more often, and in winter, on the contrary, watering is reduced to the required minimum.

In the spring and summer months, I feed my pineapple every 2-3 weeks with either fermented grass. For this, I dilute the infusion of manure not 10 times, but 20-25 times. Indeed, due to the small volume of soil in the pot, there is a high risk of burning the roots of the plant.

Pineapple at home - but where is the harvest?

Please note: the fruit is able to bear pineapple with a base diameter of at least 5 centimeters. Despite careful care and regular feeding, my homemade pineapple was in no hurry to give birth. After a short conversation with the know-it-all Google, I found out that in order to get a crop in an apartment, the plants need to be stimulated.

In tropical countries, in the industrial cultivation of pineapples, fumigation with ethylene smoke and watering under the root with acetylene solution are used for this. To prepare it, 1 gram of carbide is dissolved in 100 milliliters of water and applied at 15-20 milliliters per plant.

As an alternative to chemistry, you can push a pineapple to bear fruit with regular apples. To do this, a pot with a plant and several apples are placed in a capacious transparent plastic bag. As a rule, in this case, flowering occurs in a month and a half.

An interesting way, but it has one big minus: the first apples ripen in August, so the fruiting period falls in mid-late autumn (and this is highly undesirable).

Instead of apples, I decided to persuade my pineapple to bloom by watering it with nettle infusion. Every day for two months I applied a teaspoon of undiluted infusion under the root and - lo and behold! - by the end of this period, a short flower arrow appeared on the plant.

Flowering lasted a week and a half, and it took two months for the fruit to ripen. At this time, I kept the soil in the pot moderately moist.

When the flower-bearing stalk drooped, and the fruit began to exude a delicate honey aroma, I carefully cut off the “harvest”. Of course, in size and weight, my pineapple was inferior to its store-bought fruits, but it did not differ in taste from them.

Pineapple at home is not at all a fantasy, but a very real prospect. Some effort will be required for this, but if you try, you will have both a magical aroma in the room and a healthy fruit.

To enjoy the fragrant fruits of pineapple will turn out oh, how not immediately. But let's try to go this way. So let's go:

Choose the right pineapple. Not everyone will suit us. We want one with golden brown skin and no damage. Of course, the fruit must be fresh and with a dense skin. But this is not all. It is better not to take fruit in winter. Also, it shouldn't be frozen, so get a good look at the top. Leaves should be firm and green, juicy, not brown or yellow. Well, the center of the tuft should be well preserved.

Cut off the top. We cut it off without pulp and directly in the center of the connection with the seed. You also need to remove the lower leaves with a sharp knife and separate the tuft. It is important here not to damage the pulp of the fetus. After all the manipulations, a stump should appear.

Now turn the top over and let it dry slightly. Sometimes it is advised to dry it from two weeks to three, but this is not necessary. The main thing is that the wound on the cut heals. If it heals in a week, then a week is enough. The cut of the leaves and the main must become rigid. It is very important to dry the tuft vertically: this will ensure rapid healing and the outflow of nutrients to the area where the roots of the future pineapple form;

After the dried top is placed in a glass (you can also a jar) with some water. We change it every two days - the water should not become cloudy. With regular changes of water and in warm weather, in about a month, the roots will hatch at the seedling.

While it dries and acquires roots, we prepare the soil and the pot. In fact, this plant develops perfectly in a vessel of any size and type, but it is still worth considering that in the natural environment, the fruit has two whole “floors” of roots. One is closer to the upper layers of the soil, the second at a depth of a meter or even one and a half. At home, it is not easy to provide such a pineapple, so just look for a wide basin. Just a wide pot, not very large in height (15 centimeters), is also suitable. There should be a pineapple bowl and a hole for water to drain.

The second important point is the soil. Drainage is necessary and obligatory, it is better if it is pebbles, expanded clay is also possible (two centimeters). As for the soil itself, it is quite suitable purchased for orchids.

In addition, you can make it on your own: just mix river sand, soddy soil and humus in equal proportions. A few days before planting the fruit, the soil must be “boiled”, that is, it is good to pour boiling water over it. This will help to neutralize the substrate, and provide the necessary humidity;

We plant. The landing process itself is not particularly complicated. We stick the crest into the soil to the depth of the stump itself. It remains only to compact the soil around the fruit and squeeze it at the base of the pineapple. The earth should not fall on the leaves. Spray, and close the top with a plastic bottle (of course, first cut off the cork with the top) - this is a kind of greenhouse. You need to keep this over the seedling for 14 days. Then do not forget to remove it. Keep the seedling in good light and warm. It is better to spray the seedling, rather than watering. It is good to keep the ground slightly damp, not wet. Water must be taken exclusively warm. We water once every 30 days and not more often;

It takes about 30 days to transplant, or rather transfer the pineapple into a larger container. The soil should now consist of equal proportions of fertile soil, ordinary sand plus peat.

Looking forward to flowers and fruit. Just before flowering, a red cone should appear, then the flowers themselves. They are blue and smell like pineapple. After about six months, the fetus itself will appear.

Caring for pineapple

Cutting off a tuft and growing a seedling is not enough. Cactus need proper care. Here are some basic principles.

Light

Bromeliads need direct sunlight. In autumn and winter, you will also need lighting, and best of all with a fluorescent lamp. We highlight from 8 hours to 10, the distance to the plant is 20 centimeters.

A lamp such as LB-20 is suitable. One such lamp will be enough for one adult pineapple. The place for the plant should also be warm enough.

You don't need to rotate the plant if you're growing pineapple on a windowsill, as this will only slow down its growth. Pineapple can fully develop with one-sided lighting. The color of the endings of young leaves will tell about the good lighting of the pineapple: they should be light crimson. In addition, the leaves are large and erect.

If you do not have the opportunity to place the pineapple on the sunny side, use additional lighting all year round. But in the summer it needs to be turned on for 4-5 hours.

Watering rules and air humidity

In summer and late spring, the rosette of pineapple leaves should be permanently filled with two-thirds of the water. Water needs to be changed every 60 days. We take soft water, the ideal option is rain, but warm in any case.

But in the summer, when there is an active growing season, pineapple needs abundant moisture in the ground. When watering your pineapple in the summer, make sure that the entire clod of earth is completely saturated with water. But it should dry out well before the next watering. Vodichka or we insist for a day, or boil.

Water from the water supply is not only boiled, but also acidified to pH5. Here, citric or oxalic acid will help us.

Whatever the air temperature in your room and what the temperature is near the ground, heat the water to 30-35 degrees above zero.

In cold weather, the temperature of the earth drops sharply and occasionally reaches 14-15 degrees above zero, but the growth of pineapple slows down already at a temperature of 20 degrees above zero. During this period, we stop watering completely.

Equally important is the correct humidity. Pineapple needs regular spraying in winter, especially if the temperature is high at home. In the cold period, we spray pineapples once a week, in the summer once every three days.

Temperature

A cold window sill or floor does not like pineapple at all. Keep him warm, especially in cold weather. The best temperature for it will be from 18 to 21 degrees above zero.

To obtain basal offspring, keep the pineapple in a slightly cramped pot, and the temperature should be 5 ° C lower than indicated.

But the maximum temperature for this plant is 25 degrees above zero. For the normal development of the plant in winter or autumn, you can arrange the heating of the window sill, and the soil temperature should be up to 23 degrees above zero. But what the pineapple will definitely not endure is a draft.

Top dressing, fertilizers

Pineapple is a southern guest, so in our latitudes it needs enhanced nutrition. Most of all, he needs nitrogen, since the plant is still herbaceous. If the pineapple takes on the appearance of a large, adult and mature plant, and is also successfully gaining green mass, you can begin to prepare the fruit for fruiting.

When active vegetation occurs, feed it with mullein in infusion once every fortnight. To do this, fill a ten-liter bucket by a third with manure and fill it with warm water. For the next five days, mix everything well, and after another ten days, when fermentation stops, add water to a bucket.

You can do it in smaller volumes, but then the fermentation time will be less. Before the pineapple begins to bear fruit, it is not necessary to use other fertilizers.

We stimulate the appearance of fruits

But he needs stimulation of fruiting even on southern plantations. There pineapples are sprayed with naphthyl-acetic acid in solution. But most often, plantations are stimulated with acetylene. You can do this at home too. But it is only necessary to lead it only 90 days after the nitrogen fertilization was carried out.

In addition, the pineapple must be fully formed: adult leaves must be at least 60 cm long, and the trunk at the base must be at least 6 cm. There are several options for ethylene top dressing.

So, you can do it with carbide. We take a piece (about ten grams) of carbide, lower it into a liter jar filled with water. Immediately, acetylene begins to actively stand out. When everything calms down, only a solution and a slight precipitate remain.

30 milliliters of this solution must be poured into the funnels of the leaves, where the pineapple has a growth point. The same must be done tomorrow, using the same solution. Such stimulation is suitable for the summer period, when the plant does not need either soil heating or lighting.

There is also a second option. Pineapple should be covered with a larger plastic bag. Also under this pact is placed a half-liter jar of water. Every day, a five-gram piece of carbide is placed in it.

Then the active release of acetylene begins, but make sure that the large bag is pressed tightly against the pot, preventing the acetylene from escaping. We do this for three days in a row.

You can also fumigate pineapples with smoke. But the last two methods are not so effective. A month and a half or two after the procedures, a peduncle should appear in the center of the pineapple. Follow him closely. At first, its top will be pale salad, and its border will be raspberry.

But you don't need to cut the pineapples. It is enough to remove old and dried leaves with sharp scissors. It is important not to touch living tissue with sharp scissors. Do not use leaf gloss products. You can wipe the leaves with a slightly dampened sponge. The temperature of the water should be room temperature.

You can grow a pineapple not only from the top, but also from seeds. But here it can be difficult to find seeds, since many varieties are devoid of them. You need to spend time and money buying seeds in specialized garden centers.

Conditions for growing pineapple at home

The pineapple is native to the tropics. Therefore, at home, it is necessary to create similar conditions for him: to maintain an optimal level of lighting, temperature and humidity.

Lighting

Pineapple requires intense light, at least 6 hours a day. You need to find a place for him on the sunniest window. In winter, you will need to turn on artificial lighting for eight hours a day.

Temperature

The plant categorically does not tolerate cold and drafts. In the summer season, room temperature is suitable for pineapple, and in winter it is necessary to control that the thermometer does not fall below 18-20 degrees.

Humidity

Tropical fruit loves moist air. To create the necessary humidity, you can use a sprayer. In winter, when the air in the room is very dry, wet pebbles or expanded clay help well, in which you can put a pot with a plant. To avoid rotting, the pineapple itself should not be sprayed. In order to protect the plant from dust, it must be periodically wiped with a damp cloth or sponge.

REFERENCE: Ideal places for growing pineapple are a heated greenhouse or a bathroom with a window.

Instructions on how to plant a pineapple at home

Before planting a pineapple, it is necessary to prepare a container for planting, the ground and the top itself.

Landing site preparation

For growing pineapple, it is recommended to take a pot no more than 12-15 centimeters in diameter. This size will be optimal for young roots and the earth in the container will not have time to turn sour. A drainage hole in the pot should be provided to drain water.

The order of laying the soil in the pot:

pour expanded clay to the bottom;
then a mixture of coarse river sand. Perlite can be used as an analogue;
then pour peat;
lay sheet or sod land.

Experienced flower growers, answering the question: “What land is needed for pineapple at home?”, Often recommend ready-made soil “For cacti”. It can be easily purchased at flower shops.

Preparing the top for planting

You can separate the top with a sharp knife or try to unscrew it manually. It is important to make sure that fruit pulp does not remain on the “tuft”, which can cause decay. To expose the lower part of the stem, you need to remove a few lower leaves. Next, the planting material must be dried at room temperature. One day will be enough for this.

Now you need to create conditions for the appearance of roots. To do this, the socket is placed in a glass of water, and so that the water does not touch the leaves. It will take about a month for roots to appear. The level and quality of water during this period should be under control. As soon as the top gives roots and they grow 3 centimeters, the moment comes when you can plant the pineapple in the ground.

planting a pineapple

In the soil prepared for planting, a small hole is made in which the lower part of the stem is placed. Then it is carefully covered with earth. At the same time, it is important that the main part of the outlet remains on the surface, and the stem sits steadily in the ground. Next, it is recommended to water the plant a little and cover it with a plastic bag on top.

It is easier to root a plant grown in greenhouse conditions. But you need to remember that the shelter must be cleaned daily for ventilation. The package can be removed completely only after the "tuft" is finally rooted. Rooting usually occurs a month and a half after planting.

How to care for a pineapple

When the pineapple has taken root, the plant will begin to change leaves. Old ones die, and new ones appear in their place. Dried leaves must be removed and more attention should be paid to caring for the pineapple.

It is important not to forget about the special sensitivity of tropical fruit to cold. The pineapple root system is especially sensitive to hypothermia, so it is better to put the plant not on the windowsill, but on a table or stand near the window.

Pineapple care procedures can be divided into three groups:

1. Watering.

Rain or melt water is best for irrigation. If there is no access to such water, then boiled or filtered water can be used, which it is desirable to acidify. This can be done by adding a small amount of citric or oxalic acid to the water. Water temperature for irrigation should be approximately 30 degrees. Pour water directly into the outlet, after which the soil in the pot should become moderately wet. When the top layer of the earth dries up, the next watering can be done.

2. Top dressing.

It is necessary to feed pineapple 1 time in half a month, while it is recommended to alternate organic and mineral fertilizers. From organics, an infusion of horse or cow manure is well suited. Mineral fertilizers are better to choose liquid.

3. Transplant.

The procedure is carried out by the transshipment method, while the earth lump is not destroyed. It is better to transplant in the spring and do not forget to slightly increase the volume of the pot. In order for the roots of the plant to breathe better, clay pots without glaze are used. The root system of a pineapple is small, so a capacity of 3-4 liters will be enough for it. When transplanting, it is important not to forget about which land to plant pineapple is best.

With proper care, pineapple grows all year round. It is often grown as an ornamental plant, as its vibrant green rosette can brighten any interior throughout the year.

Possible Problems When Growing Pineapple

The main problem that can be encountered when growing pineapple at home is the lack of flowering. Pineapple begins to bloom only by 3-4 years of its life. But flowering is not a guaranteed process, even with good and proper care. Some flower growers artificially stimulate the appearance of flowers in a plant.

Diseases and pests

Pineapple can be affected by diseases or pests. You can identify the problem by the appearance of the plant:

When the pineapple is very hot, its leaves begin to dry out. The solution to the problem is to quickly spray the plant with water and put it in a dark place.
If there is not enough light, then the pineapple leaves turn pale and curl. In this case, it is necessary to install additional lighting or find a brighter place where the plant can be rearranged.
If the pineapple is poured, then the trunk begins to rot. Reducing the frequency and amount of watering will help here.

Improper care and maintenance can lead to the appearance of fungal diseases. In this case, dry or wet brown spots can be seen on the leaves. Fungicidal preparations are suitable for the destruction of fungal spores.

In addition, pests can annoy the pineapple. For example: mealybug, root worm, spider mite, orchid aphid, scale insect. To combat them, it is recommended to use industrial insecticides.

In the initial stages, you can try spraying the leaves with a solution of laundry soap.

Is it possible to grow a pineapple at home so that it blooms and bears fruit

The appearance of fruits at home is the main goal of the grower and his pride. Many people think that it is quite difficult to achieve this at home. But if the plant has reached an adult state and is properly cared for, then it is able to bloom and bear fruit.

There are several options for stimulating the appearance of the fetus. Stimulation is carried out if the plant does not bear fruit on its own.

Stimulation options:

Use a few ripe tomatoes or apples. They are placed next to the pineapple and covered with a transparent plastic bag. If tomatoes or apples begin to deteriorate, they must be replaced. With such stimulation, the buds on the plant appear after about 1 month.
Place smoking coals near the plant for 10 minutes, covering the pineapple with a bag. The procedure is carried out three times with an interval of a week. Pineapple blooms for about 2 weeks, while each flower lives only 1 day.
Use calcium carbide for watering outlets. To do this, a teaspoon of the substance is diluted in 0.5 liters of water, after which it is insisted for a day. The resulting composition is separated from the sediment and used for irrigation. Every day, 50 ml of solution is added to the middle of the outlet. Stimulation continues for 1 week.

If the stimulation did not result in fruiting, then this may mean that the pineapple is not yet mature enough or is weakened.

The fruit of pineapple ripens long enough: from 5 to 7 months. The ripening period depends on the variety and the conditions in which it is grown. The weight of the fetus can reach 1.5 kg, but such a weight is very rare. The ripeness of a pineapple can be determined by its sweet aroma.

After the plant has given fruit, it has new shoots that come from the root. They can be used as seedlings for new plants, because after the appearance of the fruit, the mother plant dies.

To grow a pineapple at home, it's a good idea to learn a little trick from someone who has already gone through the entire process of growing this tropical fruit.

Once again, transplanting a pineapple into a larger pot, cover it with a cap for several days. This will speed up the adaptation of the plant to a new capacity.
For pineapple, rare but plentiful watering is best suited. Water that accumulates in the outlet becomes an incentive for the formation of new roots.
Due to the peculiarity of the pineapple root system, it is better to choose a shallow and wide pot for it.
If during the summer period a pot of pineapple is kept in the garden, then during rain it must be brought into the greenhouse. By the end of summer, the temperature drops and the plant must be returned to the house. The best time for this is mid-August.
Do not prematurely separate the young shoots that appeared after flowering. It is necessary to wait until they have their own roots - only in this case the shoots are ready for separation.
Pineapple is a photophilous plant, but direct sunlight can harm it. It is not recommended to keep a pot of pineapple on the southern windowsill without shading in the summer.
You should not try to root the "tuft" of pineapple, bought in the winter months. This is practically useless, since during this period fruits in stores are stored at low temperatures and the fruit may freeze slightly.
Direct sunlight, drafts and sudden changes in temperature are what the pineapple socket should be protected from during its rooting period.
It is recommended to dry the cut of the top in an upright position. So the wound dries faster, and all the nutrients will be concentrated in the desired segment.
Summer is the best time to stimulate flowering. During this period, the chances of success are much greater.

Pineapple is the most popular exotic plant. For those who like to take care of plants, it will be very interesting to grow this fruit at home and get a tasty and fragrant fruit. Instructions on how to grow a pineapple at home from the top step by step were given in our material.

Be honest, are you one of those people who think that pineapple grows on palm trees? If yes, then this article will completely change the idea of \u200b\u200bfruit! You will not only discover an exotic fruit from a new perspective, but also learn how to plant a pineapple and grow it at home.

is an annual plant of the bromeliad family. Contrary to the prevailing stereotype, the fruits do not grow on trees, but on grassy shrubs, no more than 90 cm high. In the center of a spiral of thick and long leaves there is an inflorescence from which one new fruit appears. Immediately after ripening, lateral shoots are formed, and the maternal outlet dies off. Thanks to a similar life cycle, you can grow a pineapple at home from the top of a purchased fruit.

You can also grow pineapple from seeds. You will have to try very hard and find a wild, "not domesticated" plant - all cultivars of pineapple are fruitless.

Is it possible to grow pineapple at home

By learning how to grow a pineapple at home, you can easily cope with this long, but not difficult process, especially if you have experience in floriculture. To taste sweet homemade fruits, you need to do the following steps correctly:

Select planting material;
Prepare the ground;
Sprout the green top;
Root a pineapple crest in a container;
Provide appropriate care

If you follow the instructions for growing pineapple step by step, after 2.5-3 years there is a high probability of eating the fruit. Of course, the grown pineapple will be smaller than the purchased ones, but it will completely retain its unique taste and magical aroma.

Choosing a Pineapple for Planting

It is impossible to grow a fruiting pineapple if you carelessly approach the choice of planting material. When choosing, carefully inspect the selected fruit. It should be ripe, as evidenced by the attractive yellow-brown color of the skin. Hard skin means immaturity, and softness when pressed, on the contrary, indicates overripe fruit.

Do not trust the information that green pineapple ripens at home if you hold the fruit upside down for a couple of days or place it in a bag of apples. Without a doubt, the pulp itself, due to the processes taking place in it, will become sweeter. The starch will turn into sugar and spread evenly throughout the fruit. However, the rosette needed to grow a pineapple will die off.

Choose pineapple with juicy, green, whole leaves with slightly dried edges. Gray spots indicate damage by worms; it is better not to acquire such a fruit. A small sprout may appear in the outlet - a guarantee of future flowering, allowing you to grow homemade fruit.

Smell is one of the main reference points. To grow a delicious pineapple, sniff at its base. Suitable specimens beckon with a sweet aroma. A sour smell means overripe.

Buying a pineapple in spring or summer increases your chances of growing the fruit. To be safe, purchase and root two fruits, but in different stores. It is very likely that at least one of them will take root.

Top preparation

Before growing a pineapple at home, you need to prepare it for germination. For further reproduction, only the top of the leaves, resembling a green crown, is required. You can separate it from two ways:

Grasp the leaves with your hand and carefully twist them out, as if you were unscrewing the cap from a bottle. You will be left with a leafy top with a small dense stem.
Cut off the green rosette along with 1-2 cm of the fruit and remove the remaining pulp with a knife to prevent rotting of the planting material.

In both cases, the "tail" is left, ready for landing. If white dots are visible at the base, do not damage them - these are the beginnings of future roots. Clear the lower part of the outlet from the leaves by 1-2 cm. Tear off the leaves perpendicular to the stem so as not to injure the small roots. Treat all cuts with a saturated solution of potassium permanganate, epin or ground charcoal, which will reduce the risk of decay and accelerate the germination of the root system.

Leave the top for a couple of days to dry out and prevent the pineapple from rotting. It is advisable to hang the planting material so that it does not touch anything. It is believed that this increases the likelihood of growing pineapple.

It is unlikely that it will be possible to grow a pineapple without the formation of roots. Be patient, put the dishes with the seedling in a bright place and change the water every 2-3 days. After 2-4 weeks, the roots will sprout and the pineapple can be transplanted into a pot, after drying the outlet for 2-3 hours on a paper towel.

Capacity and soil

The selection of soil mixture and capacity is an important condition for growing pineapple. Choose a pot that is 2 cm larger than the cut diameter of the planting top. Flowerpots from 15 cm in diameter and a volume of 3-4 liters will do. The plant has a weak, shallow root system, so choose a container that is not too deep. To drain water, a drainage layer of expanded clay or pebbles, 3-4 cm wide, is laid on the bottom. This will protect the root system from decay.

As a soil for pineapple, a universal mixture that does not require additional fertilizer, or special soil for palm trees or tropical (bromeliad) plants, is suitable. To grow pineapple, you can prepare the substrate for planting yourself by mixing peat and river sand in a 1: 1 ratio. The main thing is that the soil is permeable to both moisture and oxygen.

To grow and protect a healthy pineapple, you need to decontaminate or prepare the ground. Spill it with boiling water or a solution of potassium permanganate. After a day, the dried green socket can be planted in a pot. Slightly moist soil is considered optimal for pineapple.

planting pineapple

Gradually, we got to the main stage, where we learn how to properly plant and grow a pineapple. After the seedlings and the future “place of residence” are ready, make a hole 5-6 cm deep, taking into account the dimensions of the cutting. It is not advisable to plant the bottom layer of leaves in the ground. The soil around the young plant is carefully crushed, trying not to damage the underdeveloped root system. The planting recess can be sprinkled with a small amount of ash or crushed coal.

After planting, pour the pineapple with settled water at room temperature and provide it with a suitable microclimate. To grow a tropical seedling, a temperature in the range of 20-25 ° C is required. To do this, build a mini-greenhouse out of polyethylene, a glass jar or a plastic bottle and place the pot in a well-lit area, avoiding direct sunlight.

Homemade pineapple takes root and takes root for about 2-3 months. At temperatures above 25 degrees, the process will be reduced to 1.5-2 months. The appearance of new leaves is a sure signal of development and growth. The leaves of the rosette will dry out and be replaced by new ones. Try to carefully cut and remove dead parts of the plant.

To grow a fruit, during the rooting period it is important:

Protect the crest from condensation, which provokes rotting and mold;
Water the soil once a week;
Ventilate the greenhouse;
Protect the plant from temperature changes and cooling;
During the day, move the pot out of direct sunlight so that the pineapple does not suffocate.

plant care

Often, experienced flower growers argue about the nature and whimsicalness of a homemade pineapple. One side believes that the plant is capricious and requires a lot of attention. On the other hand, there is a completely opposite opinion. It will be possible to understand this as soon as you decide to grow a pineapple yourself. We'll show you how to take care of it.

The basic rules of care include watering, observing the temperature and light conditions, timely feeding and transplanting. In addition to observing these conditions, it is necessary to ensure the correct place in the apartment, depending on the season. For example, in the summer the pot can be taken out to the balcony. When it rains, it is better to bring pineapple into the apartment, protecting it from excess moisture.

In autumn and winter, pineapple will fit perfectly on the windowsill by the window. Make sure that the fruit does not fall under the draft and is at a sufficient distance from the hot battery. If the leaves begin to dry and curl, then the pineapple is standing in a draft and needs to be moved to another place.

Temperature

As you already understood, temperature is one of the decisive factors in caring for pineapple at home. The plant is very afraid of the cold (at 18 degrees it falls into "hibernation"), at the same time, it is difficult to tolerate heat. The optimal temperature conditions are as follows:

Spring and summer from 22 to 30 °C;
In autumn and winter, from 18 to 21 ° C. The maximum mark in winter is 27 ° C

Watering

The fruit lives in the tropics, so it feels good in arid soil. On the contrary, excessive moisture can cause weakness, and possibly death. Water the plant when the soil in the container becomes dry. The earth should not dry out completely, but stagnation of liquid is best avoided. Moisten the substrate once a week with settled or filtered water at room temperature.

In summer, a tropical guest needs more moisture (up to 3 times a week). In winter, watering can be reduced to once every two weeks. Unfortunately, you won't be able to grow a healthy pineapple if you don't "feel" the plant. For example, drying leaves will indicate a lack of water, and an unpleasant smell in the container, or, even worse, the appearance of mold, are sure signs of excessive watering. If mold is found, it is best to move the pineapple to another pot, otherwise it may die. If the trunk rots, stop watering until the condition stabilizes.

If the new home resident is standing in an open and ventilated area, you can lightly spray the greens. The leaves will absorb moisture, and the excess will simply evaporate. In other cases, it is good to irrigate the soil with a spray bottle, and wipe the leaves with a damp cloth. So you protect the outlet from the accumulation of moisture and decay.

Lighting

6-8 hours is the minimum required for proper development. In the summer, put the pot on the window or take it out to the balcony or garden, with a little shading. It is optimal to place the plant on a warm, sunny, south side, however, eastern and western windowsills are also suitable. In winter, you need to remember about the short daylight hours, it can be extended with the help of fluorescent lamps.

Pale leaves indicate insufficient lighting - the pineapple needs to be moved to another place and highlighted with a lamp.

top dressing

Of course, in order to grow a pineapple fruit in a pot, you need to fertilize the soil. The plant itself cannot be called overly demanding on top dressing, but during the growing season (April to October) nutritional support is needed. Enrich the soil with organic fertilizers 2 times a month. As a recharge, special flower mixtures, a 0.01% solution of iron sulfate or humus from cow dung are suitable. If you intend to grow fruits without the use of chemicals, then use natural top dressing. Read the information on the composition of the mixture on the package, alkali and wood ash adversely affect the growth of pineapple.

In winter, top dressing is not necessary.

Transfer

A year after planting, move the pineapple to a larger pot. It is advisable to carry out this procedure in early summer. About a third of the new capacity should be occupied by a drainage layer. Fill the rest of the volume with soil: peat, river sand and fertile soil in a ratio of 2: 1: 3.

An annual transplant and an increase in capacity will allow you to grow a healthy pineapple. Gently move the earthen ball with roots into a new pot using the transshipment method.

Bloom

Along with how to grow, many beginner flower growers are concerned about the question of how to make pineapple bloom. In nature, the first flowers appear at the 26th month of the plant's life. At home, this happens after 1.5-2, most often for 3 years.

The green rosette of leaves begins to grow and form small root buds that can later be used to grow new fruit. In a few months, a bud is formed, and a flowering period begins, lasting about two weeks. Numerous blue-violet bright flowers open for just one day. At the end of flowering, remove dried leaves, and the pineapple will move into the stage of fruit development.

It is possible that the flowering period will not come, even if all the conditions for proper development have been met. Do not despair and give up trying to grow a homemade pineapple. Flowering can be stimulated by fumigation or treatment with an aqueous solution of acetylene and ethylene. In the latter version, ordinary apples will come to the rescue, releasing ethylene during storage. Just put a couple of fruits in a pot with a house plant.

If these measures did not work, it means that the pineapple has not reached the desired age or is susceptible to some kind of disease that prevents flowering.

Fruiting

The fruit ripens within 3-7 months, depending on the conditions of care and the variety of pineapple. If you followed all the instructions in trying to grow a pineapple, you can enjoy a sweet homemade fruit. Since the plant is herbaceous, it will die immediately after fruiting, leaving small lateral shoots suitable for propagation.