The history of growing pineapples, how to plant a pineapple at home

Very often when buying exotic fruits such as mangoes, kiwis, dates, oranges and seeing seeds or seeds, there is a desire to grow an exotic heat-loving plant at home. When purchasing a fragrant pineapple for food in a store, first of all, they cut off its lush green “tail” and if it is not needed for serving, then it is mercilessly thrown away. It turns out that you can grow a whole plant from it. It is important to know the characteristics of this tropical inhabitant, and to know how to properly plant a pineapple with a green top.

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The homeland of all pineapples is the American tropics. The genus Pineapple belongs to the Bromeliad family, their life form is herbaceous perennials. The pineapple that enters the retail chain belongs to the large-tufted pineapple species. Its other names are true pineapple or crested pineapple. Columbus, seeing the pineapple fruit for the first time, found its smell similar to apple, and its appearance resembles a cone, with the light hand of Columbus, the name “pineapple” took root in England. The pineapple was first described during the study of Peru in the middle of the 16th century. Thanks to the development of navigation, the fruit came to other warm countries and Europe.

At the end of the 17th century, an English gardener who worked for a princess named Cleveland grew a pineapple in a greenhouse. The princess gave an exotic plant to the King of England. In those days, the European nobility greatly valued pineapples and used them mainly to decorate the festive table. In the 18th century, pineapples were grown in European greenhouses for commercial purposes. In Warsaw there was a greenhouse where the brother of the Polish king, Stanislaw Poniatowski, managed to obtain 5,000 fruits. In the 19th century, after the development of a variety without thorns on the fruit, pineapples began to be grown on an industrial scale in tropical countries. Since that time, greenhouse production has come to naught, and growing it indoors has acquired a mostly amateur character.

A pineapple is a herbaceous plant. Its leaves are narrow, very hard and quite fleshy, reaching a length of up to one meter. The edges of the leaf blades are equipped with spines along almost the entire length. At the base of the stem, the leaves are collected in a basal rosette. The leaf plate is designed in such a way that it is capable of not only accumulating, but also retaining moisture in dry, hot climates. Above it is smooth and green, below it is covered with small scales of a bluish color. Pineapple leaves can use moisture that accumulates in the depressions at the base of the leaves. This feature is inherent in many plants from the Bromeliad family. With the help of special hairs or scales, water is absorbed by the plant.

When the pineapple bush grows and is formed, it produces a peduncle 60 - 70 cm high. At its top there are up to two hundred flowers. Flowers bloom one by one.Up to 10 flowers open daily. Flowering duration is about three weeks. When growing commercially, they try to prevent pollination, since the appearance seeds the consumer attractiveness of the fruit decreases. In addition, varieties have been developed that produce fruit without pollination. Many planters struggle with tiny hummingbirds that pollinate the pineapple.

The pineapple fruit is nothing more than fused ovaries; it is formed by many small fruits located on the central stem. In some cases, pineapples reach a weight of 5 kg. And the bunch of green leaves is the top of the pineapple fruit. It is precisely this that is used as planting material by those who like to grow exotic plants indoors.

Planting material for pineapple can be:

Video about proper planting of pineapple:

Considering that for the first method you need to have at least one adult plant, and for the second - a fruit with ripened seeds, the third planting method is the most accessible to lovers of indoor exotic plants. When choosing a pineapple in a store for further planting of the green top, you should choose a fairly ripe fruit with whole fresh leaves without signs of rot or serious damage. Having brought the fruit home, you need to separate the green tuft from the leaves. They do this as follows:

With this method, the leaves are separated from part of the stem. You can take a sharp, clean knife and cut off the leaves; if some of the pulp was cut along with them, it is removed.The lower leaf plates must be removed from the bunch to expose part of the stem. This is where the roots should appear. It is better to sprinkle the cut areas with activated carbon powder. Leave the tops to air dry for two days. After this, dip the bare part of the stem in plain water and place it on the window until the roots appear. Water must be added as it is consumed and periodically replaced with another. Despite its simplicity, the method of rooting in water is the most reliable. After about 18 to 20 days, roots will begin to grow.

Fill the bottom of the pot with drainage. You can buy ready-made soil for bromeliads at a flower shop or mix equal parts of garden soil with sand and peat. Moisten everything thoroughly and plant the top with roots. Young pineapple loves moist soil and sunlight. After about 40 - 50 days, the plant should take root; a sure sign is the appearance of a new green leaf. If 60 - 65 days have passed and the plant shows no signs of life, then most likely you will have to repeat everything.

If the green tuft has taken root, then new leaves will constantly appear on it. At the same time, the old ones will darken and die. Their remains must be carefully trimmed. Considering that the plant’s homeland is the hot American tropics, pineapple needs to be kept warm in good light all year round. At any time of the year, he should be in good light for at least six to seven hours a day. In summer it will grow well in the garden or on the balcony.In winter, the best place for it is a warm, draft-free room with a south window.

A young plant needs to be watered once every three days, an adult once a week. In the summer, in the fresh air, the pineapple can be sprinkled, then it will use the water that flows into the base of the leaves. About once a month in the warm season, the plant can be fed with complex fertilizersIf the pineapple is affected by pests such as mites and scale insects, you need to wash the leaves with soap and then with clean water. With proper planting and well-organized care, by the end of the first year of life, a pineapple planted with a green top will master the pot and will need a new, already bigger size.