Plant a pinapple

Flower & Garden Magazine, Feb-March, 1996 by Kay Melchisedech Olson

You may wonder why something that neither smells like pine nor tastes like an apple is called a "pineapple," but that's not all that's unusual about the name of this fruit. The botanical name of pineapple is Ananas; look closely and you'll see that's "bananas" without the B. Both fruits are subtropical, which means they grow outdoors in very warm, humid climates like Hawaii, Puerto Rico and South America.

Pineapples were once available only in these subtropical regions. These early fruits had seeds and were smaller than the pineapples we eat today. In the 19th century, however, wealthy estate owners began experimenting in green-houses to develop new pineapple varieties. The larger, seedless, sweet pineapple we now enjoy was developed from these hobby growers.

Although agricultural growing of pineapples is limited to Hawaii and other subtropical climates, it is possible to grow a pineapple indoors. If you are an impatient person, however, the pineapple might not be the plant for you to grow. It takes two years or more for the plant to produce fruit.

Today we can almost always find fresh pineapples for sale in the produce department of the grocery store, but it was once scarce enough that it was saved only for special occasions. Some people serve pineapple upside-down cake as a Valentine's Day treat. If you have fresh pineapple in the house, don't throw away the top crown of green, spiny-toothed leaves. You can use this part of the fruit to grow your own pineapple plant indoors.

What You'll Need & How to Do It

What You'll Need

* a fresh pineapple top (choose one with a green center in the top crown) * a porous clay pot * a small piece of broken pottery * gravel * potting sod

How to Do It

Step 1 Twist off the crown of the pineapple, being careful not to cut your fingers on the stiff, spiny-toothed leaves. You may want to wear a glove or ask an adult to help you.

Step 2 Pluck off the leaves at the bottom of the crown and continue removing them until about 1 inch of the cream-colored stalk is exposed.

Step 3 Hang the stalk upside down in a cool, dry place. The rafters of your basement would be a good choice. Leave the stalk for about five days until the leafless end has hardened.

Step 4 Cover the hole at the bottom of the clay pot with a piece of broken pottery. Spread a 1-inch layer of gravel over the bottom of the pot.

Step 5 Add potting soil to the pot, leaving room to plant the pineapple stalk about 1 inch deep in the soil. Tamp the soil down firmly around the pineapple stalk, being careful to keep soil off the green leaves.

Step 6 Pineapples like sun but not hot, dry air, so try to keep your pineapple plant in a sunny, humid place. A spot near a room humidifier, if you have one, would be ideal in winter.

Step 7 Water the soil under the plant once a week; fertilize the soil with plant food every two to three months.

Step 8 It will take a long time for the plant to produce fruit. In the meantime, the plant itself will grow bigger and bigger. As it outgrows its container, transplant it into a larger pot.

DID

YOU

KNOW?

* It will take 26 months or longer for the pineapple plant to produce fruit. When it is about a year and a half old, a deep pink bud will be in to form in center of the leaves, followed about two months later by a bright red cone. In another two weeks, rows of bright blue flowers open one after another. When the flowers are done blooming, fruit begins to develop.

* If a plant hasn't bloomed within 20 months, you can try hurrying it along by placing a red apple next to the plant and securing both apple and plant in a plastic bag placed in the shade. After three or four days, remove the bag and apple and replace the plant in its usual sunny location. A red cone should appear within about two months.

* Pineapples contain a substance that aids digestion.

* Choose pineapples that are a rich gold color halfway up the fruit. When fully ripened, the pineapple will have a sweeter, superior flavor.

* People native to areas where pineapples originated called the fruit "Na-na," which meant "fragrance." Have you noticed that the botanical name Ananas looks a lot like this native word Na-na?

* The rough exterior of pineapple fruit looks a little like a hand grenade. In fact, the slang term for this explosive weapon is "pineapple." That's a strange coincidence for a fruit that's long been a symbol of hospitality, don't you think?