From time to time, people ask about trying things a little more out of the ordinary than our usual English garden fare. A couple of years ago, I read a Bob Flowerdew article where he described how to grow Pineapples in this country.
Well folks, I can now announce that not only is this possible, but that our first pair of plants now have offspring of their own!
The fruit above is around 6" from base to spike. If anyone fancies having a go themselves, let me know & I will provide details.
That's brilliant, Colin! Where did you grow the plant & at what temperatures? I rooted one about a year ago, but we didn't have anywhere warm enough to grow it on. Well done!
Vivien
Ok, first a few disclaimers:
- I can claim no credit for this; Mr Flowerdew made the original suggestion
- Many other people have done this in the UK
This is a simplified "how-to". I'll try to put more details on the website below when I get time.
a) You start from a shop pineapple, checking it's viable
b) You use the crown of leaves, planting in a mixture of sand & compost, as a cutting
c) The next stage can take several weeks, or longer
d) Eventually, this will root and you'll see new leaves developing
e) Time passes.............
f) During the late Spring - Autumn, pineapples are happy outside in the UK. Once there's a chance of frost, they need protection. A heated greenhouse/tunnel or conservatory would be fine (we use the latter). Unheated might work, as the main thing is to make sure the soil stays as dry as possible during winter.
g) More time passes.....ours have taken 2 years to get to this stage.
h) During this time the plants get bigger & learn self defence. Ours are currently almost 4 feet across and some of the leaves have quite sharp edges!
i) Bob F says the taste of the fruit is better than a shop one (we've yet to get to this stage). Apparantly the plant also throws out suckers (like a Spider Plant, with which they share some similarities). These are supposed to be very fast growing. If we get enough, I'm happy to consider a swap with anyone who could collect.
There's some more detail you'll find useful for steps a) - c). I will try to add them to my website below when I get a chance this week.
Finally, just to confirm: our two plants started life in Tescos! We tried with 6 "tops" and had success with 4, so you also get to feast on the leftover fruit as a bonus. We live in Bristol, so may get milder weather than some but I reckon most people could have a go - we used no special aids or heating, other than the conservatory over Winter.
Colin,
That is very impressive but I doubt whether I would have the patience to wait several years for my first crop. Many years ago I grew a plant from the inevitable avocado stone when it was all the rage but when it got to the point it was too big for the room and I realised we didn't have the climate to mature and thrive out of doors I'm afraid the dream faded.
spooky, i read something about pineapples recently, the first bit was to twist the crown out of the fruit, remove some of the lower leaves, then leave the crown to dry for a week or so before planting. if you plant too soon they are liable to rot instead of rooting. ive got two drying on the kitchen worktop at the mo, will be potting them in a day or so. cant remember where i read it though, probably googled "growing pineapples" or something similar.
Interestingly, this plant now has a separate shoot or bud starting to emerge from the main stem. Please have a look >here< for details of how to start your own pineapple plants.
Now, where did I put that bottle of Bacardi and the coconut cream?!
You've done really well to grow them Colin. I tried after reading Bob Flowerdew's article and managed to get them to root, but then they just sulked and didn't grow and I needed the space and chucked them out. I don't know whether mine were too dry or what.
Yours have made lovely plants. What compost have you used, I think it said they needed very good drainage.
