When planting pineapples in the ground, it's important to plant them into a ridge or raised bed. Pineapples must have free drainage. They also love well composted soil that's been mulched on the surface - use sugar cane, lucerne or straw. Green pineapples are immature and toxic.
Who grows pineapples? Australian pineapples are mostly grown in Queensland, with the major growing regions including south-east Queensland (particularly the Sunshine Coast hinterland, Maryborough and Wide Bay areas), the Yeppoon area and North Queensland, including Mareeba and Mossman.
Time to Maturity and Fruiting: Regardless of how it was started, a pineapple plant matures at between two and three years of age when it will bear its first fruit. Propagation by Suckers: A pineapple in its productive years may "sucker," providing yet more opportunities to start new plants.
Caring for a pineapple
Once a year, apply a controlled-release fertiliser that is balanced for fruit production, and liquid feed in the warm seasons with an organically fortified product. Keep your plant tidy by removing any dead foliage that may develop lower down, and top up mulch annually.
That's because the pineapple plant is one of the few tropical fruits that are really well suited to growing in pots, and that means you can grow pineapple plants indoors. Having said that, to grow good pineapple fruit (and in reasonable amounts) you need to live somewhere that is warm and sunny year round.
In general, pineapple plants should be planted in full sun for best growth and fruit production. Select a part of the landscape away from other trees and buildings and structures. Remember, pineapple plants need full sun for best growth and production.
Pineapples love warm, sunny conditions. Keep it at warm room temperature, ideally between 22 and 28 degrees Celcius. Pineapple plants are able to absorb some water through their leaves. They do not need a lot of water, so wait until the soil has dried out before watering, and then water the leaves and soil.
Pineapples are best suited to humid coastal lowlands in tropical and subtropical regions of northern and eastern Australia. But in a warm, sunny, sheltered and frost free position, they will tolerate cool nights for short periods.
If the pineapple mother plant is large and healthy, and if you leave one or two suckers on it while the fruit is developing, additional fruit will form and be ready for harvest about a year after the initial fruit. With good care, most will continue to produce additional fruit every year for several years.
Where to grow a pineapple plant. Pineapples do best in a warm room (the warmer the better, but at least 16°C) with plenty of bright light – a conservatory, heated greenhouse or bright windowsill is ideal. Your plant can take some direct sunshine, but too much will scorch the leaves.
Each pineapple plant will produce one flower stalk and, consequently, one pineapple fruit.
Only one fruit is produced per pineapple plant. Sometimes you can harvest a second crop, the ratoon crop. Remove all pups but one ratoon (a pup emerging from underground). This pup will develop into a mature plant and produce a fruit in the same space.
Water weekly (and only a little)
Your pineapple plant loves a good watering in the summer months, but only once a week max. The soil needs to dry out before you water it again, so it should just feel very slightly damp. Too much water in the soul will cause the pineapple plant to rot.
Potting and Repotting Pineapple
If you're using a container, start with a 6- to 8-inch pot. Plan to repot into a slightly larger container when the plant's roots fill the entire space. A mature pineapple plant can reach 5 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide. However, it's likely to stay smaller as a potted plant.
The easiest, most reliable method to grow your own is by planting the crown removed from a store-bought pineapple. This involves removing the crown with at least one inch of stem attached. The stem and crown are allowed to dry and then planted in a pot with well-draining soil.
The best soils for pineapple production are non-compacted, well-aerated and free-draining loams, sandy loams and clay loams with no heavy clay or rock within 1m of the surface.
Size. Mature pineapple plants typically reach between 3 and 6 feet in height and width. The pineapple's root system is broad and shallow with roots that often extend beyond its leaves, which can reach up to 5 feet long.
In order for pineapple plants to flower and produce fruit, they need to receive plenty of sun. Full sun, which is equal to six hours of direct sunlight a day, is ideal for pineapple plants. This species will grow best in soil that is acidic and rich in organic matter, according to the Missouri Botanical Garden.
Plant pineapple in spring when the last frost has passed. There are three ways to plant pineapples: via the pineapple crown, slip, or sucker. Select an area of the garden that has full to partial sun and slightly acidic soil. Loamy or sandy well-draining soil is best for a pineapple plant.
The ideal time of planting is 12-15 months before the peak flowering season under natural conditions, which varies from December to March in different regions. Time of planting also varies from place to place depending upon the time of onset of the monsoon and the intensity of its precipitation.
Coffee Grounds. Coffee grounds have a high nitrogen level, and Pineapple needs nitrogen. Sprinkle over the coffee grounds and sprinkle a little water on it. Pineapples prefer a well-drained soil pH of 4.5 to 6.5.
As mentioned above, the best fertilizer for pineapple is an NPK fertilizer with 6-6-6 or 10-10-10 values. Solid fertilizer applications are made in months two and four after planting the pineapple, while foliar fertilizers are applied every two weeks from months six to fourteen.