Planting Pineapple Top

Has anyone ever planted the top from the pineapple? If so what can I expect. Have heard you can grow small pineapples. Are they edible and how long will it take. Thank you.

I did it, it takes some time but you can get an edible pineapple, mine turn out sweet but smaller than the one I took the top off, I did have a couple of misses, it is just the way of learning, I suppose.

I did try 3 different ways.

Make sure the pineapple you are going to use is ripe, just right not over ripe either.
If it is ripe you can twist the top with just a little pressure and if the top comes off easy, without losing any leave then it was just ripe, you cannot lose any one of those lower leaves, from there is were the roots of the new plant will grow. It will come out with a bit of the fruit part, so try to take this away.
I did leave the top of one, for a couple of days making the fruit part to dry out a bit and then I took it off and then I put the top in a container with good soil and in a sunny window I left it and wait to see what could happen.

With another a did cut the top off a couple of cm lower of the leaves I left it to dry out the fruity part and I took it away and then carefully I did take off 3 layers of leaves, I left it for a day to dry the area where I took the leaves and then I put it in the prapare pot. To the sunny window and wait.

The third one I did nearly the same than before but instead of putting it on soil I put it in a jar with water, this one was the best, I change the water every couple of days, sometimes 3 days and soon I could see roots forming and when these were strong enough I put it in a container then it took me a bit more than a year to have the small sweet pineapple. I did change the pot 3 or 4 times as the plant was growing. In summer I kept it outside but on cool days I put it in a sunny place.

The first one grew fungus and it did not do any good

The other ( the second one in this post) was doing well but only leaves not the little red lots of grows in the middle that tells you the fruit is forming ..... it went the same until I gave it to a friend as a plant for her lounge room..... I have not ask what did happen to it.

I have not try it again. it is too long, but a good experience just to know.

Thank you for the info. I have three potted. I understand it will take a year or so to produce, I'm willing to wait, just hope it does not die in the mean time. Thank you.

If you have any other question, LMK.

I have a lot of fun seeing the whole growth/development. Enjoy!

Good luck

I have heard that you can gas them to trigger fruit set by putting a ripe banana or apple next to it and cover them both with a dry-cleaners bag (indoors). I have not tried this BUT I have gassed green tomatoes to turn them red by putting them in a paper bag with a over-ripe apple, and that worked. Tomato had to be mature enough to be showing a little yellow, so I would assume the pineapple would have to be mature enough to set fruit but running late.

I have done it a few times over the years and it works well. They are fairly easy too root. The first time I did it I lived in TX and it grew into a very large plant but did not bear fruit because we had a frost one night and I forgot to bring it in and it died!

But I tried it again a few years ago. I planted in the spring of 2012 and then kept the plant indoors through the winter. I picked a pineapple in September of 2013 so it took atbout 16 months. The fruit was very small but also very delicious.

I would think you could grow them well in Florida.

drobarr, that photo remind me of my pineapple, it looks just the same. I left mine until was changing color, it was also really sweet!.

In the area I do live the coldest at night is - 7 C (19.4F) and July is the coldest month during the day is 5 C to 11C (39.2F to 51.8F), the limiting problem is the Summer temperature, it doesn;t get to hot and when hot is only for few days. This is the norm,but last Summer we did have for the first time and for 2 consecutive weeks hot days as I used to enjoy when in Sydney Australia .... the weather is definitely changing.
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Yes the pineapple was small but very sweet. They dont grow very well at temperatures below 15 C and do best under warm temperatures 25-30C with humidity.