How to grow pineapple at home
Content:
This is not only a delicious fruit, but also an excellent plant for growing at home. It can not only please with the harvest, but also has a decorative value. How to grow pineapple at home will be described in this article.
How to grow pineapple at home
This plant belongs to the Bromeliad family. On sale there are fruits from 1 to 2 kg. However, when grown on plantations, the weight of one of them can reach 5 kg.
Flowers and fruits
The appearance of a plant depends on its growing conditions. In Brazil, some pineapple varieties can reach a height of one and a half meters. Moreover, some of its varieties are much more compact in size.
When grown at home, the height of a palm tree reaches no more than half a meter. Pineapple has a rosette of long leaves from which the fruit grows. It is the only edible plant in the Bromeliad family.
If you carry out home cultivation according to all the rules, then you can not only see the flowering of pineapple, but also get fruits.
For this purpose, it is customary to use the following types of pineapple:
- A. Comosus is known for its narrow, elongated leaves and good fruiting;
- A. Comosus Variegatus has a striped leaf color. They are wider and shorter than other varieties. This plant looks beautiful and is widely used for design problems, but bears little fruit;
- A. Bracteatus Striatus is larger. Its characteristic feature is the presence of green-yellow leaves.
How to grow pineapple at home from the top step by step
To start growing pineapple at home, it is enough to purchase a suitable fruit. It is necessary that it has a rosette of leaves on top. In the future, this tip will need to be disconnected and rooted.
How to root pineapple at home
The first step in growing is to obtain a suitable fruit. When examining, you need to make sure that it has a full rosette of leaves at the top along with its center.
It is important that this fruit is healthy, otherwise problems may arise if grown. It is important that the top does not start to turn brown. The top of the flower sprout should appear from the outlet. Only if it is present will the plant bloom in the future.
Once acquired, the next step is rooting.
To do this, you need to take the following steps:
- It is necessary to properly separate the socket. The upper part is cut in such a way as to leave 2 cm of pulp. This piece of fruit must be peeled. As a result, you should get the shape of a slightly rounded heel.
- Then you need to carefully cut off the remaining pulp, leaving the fibrous part intact.If the removal is not completely done with a poor-quality cut, then the remnants will begin to rot. White dots can be seen on the cut. They must be handled with care, these are root nodules that must remain intact.
- Part of the leaves must be torn off from the cut outlet. It is recommended to do this in such a way as to clean the bottom 2 cm of the trunk. The leaves are torn off by means of a movement that is made in the direction perpendicular to the trunk. After removing the leaves, in some cases, you can see the sprouted roots.
Next, you need to start germinating the roots. To do this, the lower part of the trunk, peeled from leaves, is half-immersed in water. After a week or two, the pineapple will begin to actively grow root shoots.
Ornamental plant
Soil for pineapple
To grow pineapple, you can purchase soil that is used for palm or citrus fruits at a specialty store. It is important that after planting the soil retains light moisture. It should not be too wet or completely dry.
When pineapple is planted in the ground, it is necessary that not only the roots, but also the part of the trunk previously cleared of leaves, be covered.
How much pineapple grows
Flowers are formed one and a half or two years after planting in the ground. With proper care, after flowering ends, fruits form in their place. After they mature, the plant dies, but it can be grown again using a rosette of leaves.
How pineapple grows in nature
The homeland of this plant is South America. It is found here in the wild. Local residents actively grow pineapples and use them for food.
What do pineapples grow on and what does a pineapple tree look like?
Pineapple is a thorny bush. The flower, and then the fruit, are located in its upper part, above a rosette of large green leaves. The roots are slightly developed. The stem is short.
The surface of the fruit appears to be covered with scales. A small sprout grows on the top of its head.
The rosette in an adult plant is formed from 30 hard, elongated leaves. Their length is 20-100 cm. Some pineapple varieties have thorns along the edges of the leaves, they are sharp and curved.
Fetal formation
Where do pineapples grow, in which countries
This plant was the first among Europeans to be discovered by H. Columbus. He learned about the existence of pineapple during a stop on about. Guadeloupe. At this time, it was grown in the countries of Central and most of South America.
Brazil and Paraguay are considered the birthplace of this plant. Subsequently, the cultivation of pineapple spread almost all over the world.
How pineapple blooms
Flowers are formed 1.5-2.5 years after the start of growth. The inflorescence resembles an ear in shape, in which there are many flowers, they are bisexual.
The peduncle is formed from the point of growth of the leaves. The plant is self-pollinating. Flowering is completed in 14-20 days. Flowers are often red in color.
Pineapple plantation
This plant is grown on plantations in Africa, Southeast Asia, India and China. Pineapple is well adapted to hot climates. It is able to store water to survive dry periods.
This plant grows well in climates that are suitable for citrus fruits.
The largest plantations for its cultivation are in Thailand, the Philippines, Hawaii, Mexico, Australia and Guinea.Pineapple is also actively grown in Ghana, India, Australia, China.
Indoor pineapple or pineapple in a pot
Growing at home is not particularly difficult. But adherence to the rules of how to look after is imperative.
Decorative pineapple
This plant does not always bear fruit when grown at home. To obtain such a result, it must be carefully looked after. But it can be grown for decorative purposes. The way a pineapple looks can beautify a home. Growing rules for decorative purposes are the same as in those cases when they want to get fruits from the plant.
Germination
How to care for a pineapple in a pot at home
The following will tell you step by step how to grow a pineapple at home from the top.
For cultivation, you must choose the right pot. It is believed that its volume should be such that at least 2 cm remains from the plant to the edge. In most cases, such are chosen for cultivation. So that their diameter is 12-14 cm.
A good sign is the appearance of new leaves in the pineapple tree rosette. In this case, you can be sure that the rooting was successful.
Growing
It is recommended to choose the sunniest place for the pineapple in the apartment.
In order for the plant to grow well, you need to transplant it every year. It is preferable to perform this procedure at the beginning of the summer period.
What do pineapples grow well on? They thrive in a variety of soil types. However, it is better for him to purchase soil in a specialized store, in which palm trees are usually grown. The use of a universal primer is acceptable.
When planting on the bottom of the pot, it is necessary to pour a drainage layer, reducing the likelihood of excessive moisture and protecting the pineapple from root rot disease. Exot does not feel the need for feeding.
The plant will not bloom immediately. This usually happens 1.5-2 years after planting in the ground. If the pineapple is provided with abundant lighting, then fruits can develop from the flowers.
When growing, it is desirable to provide a temperature of 25 ° C for this heat-loving plant. It is most comfortable for pineapple during spring, summer and autumn. In winter, a temperature of 20 ° C is better suited.
Pineapple does not require abundant moisture. In the summer, it is enough to water 2-3 times a week. In this case, you need to ensure that waterlogging does not occur. In winter, it is enough to supply the plant with moisture on a weekly basis.
Developmental disabilities
If the pineapple leaves are pale in color, then this indicates a lack of lighting. If this problem is eliminated, then the plant will grow further.
When the pineapple grows but flowers do not form, do the following. The usual time for their formation is 18-30 months. If nothing happens at this time, then the plant can be provided with appropriate assistance. One of the ways to solve the problem is to treat pineapple with ethylene gas. At home, it can be obtained using apples. The fruits are cut into two halves, one is placed next to the pineapple with a cut to the soil, the other on a rosette in the same position. The plant in this form is covered with a plastic bag and left for 3-4 weeks. Apples will produce ethylene, which will stimulate the plant. When you can see the appearance of flowers, the bag is removed, and the rest of the apple is removed.
Other disorders in the development of the plant are also possible:
- sometimes you can see how the lower leaves dry out and curl. The most likely reason is finding the pineapple in a draft.It is necessary to move the plant to a new place where it will not be threatened by such a danger;
- if there is dust on the leaves, you need to wipe them with a damp cloth;
- if the plant has wrinkled and drying leaves and has recently fruited, then this is not a cause for concern. The pineapple dies after the formation of the fruit, but its rosette can be used again to grow the plant;
- if the pineapple has a delayed development, then this indicates a lack of nutrients and trace elements. In this case, it is recommended to purchase and use fertilizer for flowering plants;
- although pineapple is a thermophilic plant, it nevertheless does not tolerate excessive heat. In this case, his leaves may dry out and fall off. In this situation, care must be taken to create comfortable temperature conditions for it and additional watering.
How pineapple reproduces
For cultivation, it is most convenient to use a rosette of leaves. However, it is possible to grow pineapple fruit using its seeds. This process is more labor intensive compared to cultivation from an outlet.
You can also apply propagation by root cuttings.
How to grow pineapple from seeds at home
When planning how to plant pineapple at home, you need to take into account the following. Growing pineapple using its seeds is possible only when using those bought in a specialized store. It is impossible to plant those that were obtained independently. If you buy pineapple for food, then either there will be no seeds in it at all, or they will remain unformed.
The seeds that are suitable for growing are as follows:
- they are flat and have a semicircular shape;
- the color is brown or has a reddish tint;
- length 3-4 mm.
They must be germinated before planting. To do this, they are placed between two wet wipes and left in a warm place for 18-24 hours.
They are planted in a peat-sand mixture. In this case, the seeds are buried no more than one and a half centimeters. To germinate, containers are covered with cellophane film or glass and placed in a warm place. If germination is carried out at room temperature, then it makes sense to expect the first shoots in a period from three weeks to one and a half months. If you keep the containers at 30-32 ° C heat, then seedlings will appear in 2-3 weeks.
When germinating, you need to regularly water the sprouts and feed them every 2-3 weeks.
After the appearance of 2-3 leaves, the plants dive (they are seated in separate pots). They need a soil consisting of equal proportions of peat, humus, garden soil and sand. To make the soil structure looser, 5% of crushed charcoal is added to it.
Pineapple on the plantation
How pineapple reproduces in nature
How does pineapple grow in nature? It occurs as solitary plants. Its fruits are often harder, smaller and more sweet than cultivated varieties.
After flowering is complete, a fruit is formed in this place. Since in most cases the plant is bisexual, it is self-pollinating. However, it so happens that the flowers are only male or only female. In this case, it can reproduce with the help of insects.
There are many seeds in wild fruits, which birds and animals love to feast on, transferring them to where they fall into the ground and grow.
Growing pineapple at home is not particularly difficult. With minimal care, you can count on not only tasty fruits, but also a beautiful ornamental plant.
