Sweet, but with a slight touch of acidity, the flavor of this fruit from the Amazon rainforest is irresistible. So, if you want to learn how to plant pineapples at home, read on!
Tips for growing a pineapple plant
Do you know what is easier than planting pineapple ? Grow the fruit! With the tips that we have separated for you, your pineapple plantation will be a success and will certainly bear many fruits.
- Ideal soil: pineapple originates from the Amazon rainforest, as we have already said. This region is rich in organic matter, so the ideal soil for the plant must have plenty of fertilizer, such as manure and humus;
- Patience: the most common method of planting pineapple, through the crown, takes approximately three years to bear the first fruit. As for the daughter plants, it takes about a year;
- Watering: the Amazon rainforest is quite humid. The ideal is to water the pineapple plant every day and preferably in the morning. Thus, the plant grows strong and very healthy;
- Luminosity: the Amazon Forest is a dense region that receives sunlight indirectly. This is how the pineapple plant likes to be: in a half-shaded environment, without direct sun, but with a lot of light;
- Right season: you may have heard that each plant is planted at a certain time. The ideal period for planting pineapples is at the end of summer, more specifically in March, when the temperature and humidity are favorable for development.
Choosing the ideal crown for planting
One of the ways to have a beautiful pineapple plant is from the crown. For this, just use a good fruit as matrix. Look for the following characteristics when choosing your fruit for growing pineapples :
- the pineapple cannot be too ripe, nor too green. So, pay close attention to the skin: not too green, not too yellow;
- try the fruit. If it is sweet, the crown will also provide a new plant with that characteristic;
- the fruit must be fragrant. The ideal is to opt for a pineapple with a sweet smell;
- the chosen crown must be firm, with showy and healthy leaves. It cannot show signs of decay or dryness;
- the bottom of the pineapple crown should be firm and healthy.
After choosing your matrix, it’s time to get your hands dirty and learn how to plant pineapples. Choose the place where the plant will be based on the lighting characteristics mentioned above.
How to plant pineapple in the backyard or in the pot
How to plant pineapple in a pot or backyard is easier than it looks. To do this, you need to make roots grow in the crown. Follow the step by step to root and plant the crown:
- remove some leaves from the base of the pineapple crown and place the crown in a container with water;
- change the water daily to prevent the emergence of mosses or fungi;
- after a few days, you will already notice the crown taking root;
- after the emergence of the roots, dig a hole in the backyard at least 20 cm deep, enough to fit part of the crown with the roots plus 4 fingers above them.
- if you prefer, do this in a vase 50 cm deep. Remember to make the water drainage layer before placing the earth and crown;
- prepare the suitable soil as indicated above. The ideal is 30% fertilizer and 70% soil;
- place the seedling in the hole and cover the roots with earth. Now, you just need to take care of your new green with great affection.
Planting through the daughter plants
This is another technique on how to plant pineapples. Much faster is the way farmers cultivate the pineapple plantation. It would be the ideal method if it weren’t for the difficulty in obtaining daughter plants in cities.
The daughter plant is another little pineapple plant that grows next to the fruit and around it, as this is how the plant propagates in nature. Each pineapple plant can give two to six children. Therefore, to carry out this form of planting, it is necessary to have access to this foot.
Planting takes place in the same way as with the crown, and it is not necessary to root the daughter plant, just remove a few layers of leaves, 10 cm, which will be the buried piece to generate the new pineapple plant.