How to grow & care for pineapples
Pineapples are an easy care tropical fruit, that will also grow in other frost-free climates around Australia too. Pineapples need a warm, humid environment to thrive but if you live in a cooler, but frost-free region they can be grown indoors, in glasshouses/greenhouses or even up again a north-facing wall for radiated heat.
Pineapples will also happily grow in a pot, so they can be moved around your garden (or home) to catch the warmth and sun as needed.
You can grow pineapples from potted pineapple plants found in nurseries and garden centres or from the crown (leafy part) of a fresh, ripe store bought pineapple.
Top 4 steps to growing pineapple
- Choose a full sun to part shade spot with a moist, but free draining soil or grow in terracotta pots
- Improve the soil before planting with Scotts Performance Naturals™ Organic Based Soil Improver
- Fertilise pineapple plants in spring and again summer with Scotts Performance Naturals™ Citrus & Fruit Organic Based Fertiliser
- Be patient! Pineapple plants can take 2-3 years from planting to produce their first fruit.
Shopping List
- A potted pineapple plant or a store bought fresh, ripe pineapple fruit with the leaves still attached.
- Scotts Performance Naturals™ Organic Based Soil Improver
- Scotts Performance Naturals Citrus & Fruit Organic Based Fertiliser
- Garden trowel
- If growing in containers you’ll need a large pot or planter plus Scotts Osmocote® Orchid Premium Potting Mix
- Mulch
- Defender™ Pyrethrum Insect Spray
Prepare
Choose a full sun or part shade spot for your pineapple plant or grow in free draining pots like terracotta.
Dig the hole for your potted pineapple plant twice as wide as the original pot or root ball and the same depth. Loosen the original soil at the bottom of the planting hole and mix Scotts Performance Naturals™ Organic Based Soil Improver through the backfill soil and the soil at the base of the hole.
If your soil isn’t free draining plant into raised beds, on mounds or consider growing in pots. Pineapples hate wet feet!
Planting in the garden
Remove your potted pineapple from its nursery pot and position it into the prepared hole - don’t plant your pineapple too deeply, make sure the crown or centre of the leaves sits above the soil surface. Back fill around the root ball and water it in well.
Mulch around the root zone of your pineapple with an open organic mulch to retain moisture and suppress weeds. Feed in spring and again in summer with Scotts Performance Naturals Citrus & Fruit Organic Based Fertiliser at the recommended rate. Apply an open organic mulch over the surface of the soil to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
Planting in pots
Pineapples can be grown in medium to large pots with good drainage - terracotta pots are ideal. Fill the pot with Scotts Osmocote® Orchid Premium Potting Mix - remove the pineapple from the nursery pot and place in the centre of the pot, back fill around the root ball and water it in well.
Feed in spring and again in summer with Scotts Performance Naturals Citrus & Fruit Organic Based Fertiliser at the recommended rate. Apply an open organic mulch over the surface of the potting mix to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
Growing from freshly cut pineapple crowns
Pineapples can be propagated and successfully grown using the leafy top or crown of a fresh, ripe pineapple you’ve purchased from the supermarket or greengrocer.
Cut the leafy top from the pineapple fruit. Remove about a third of the lower leaves from the cutting. And leave this prepared crown in a cool, dry place to dry and seal for a few days.
The sealed and dried end of the pineapple crown can now be planted into a pot (about the same width as the crown) to grow new roots. Choose an open, free draining potting mix like Scotts Osmocote® Orchid Premium Potting Mix.
Continue to increase the pot size as your pineapples roots out grow the pot or plant it into a prepared spot in your garden.
Fertilising
Fertilise pineapples twice a year in spring and again in summer with Scotts Performance Naturals™ Citrus & Fruit Organic Based Fertiliser.
If the leaves of your pineapple plant show a burgandy tinge it’s a sign the plant needs some fertiliser. Apply a dose of Scotts Performance Naturals™ Citrus & Fruit Organic Based Fertiliser around the root zone of the plant and water it in well.
Harvest
Pineapples will take 2-3 years from planting to start producing fruit, but once producing the plants will continue for 3-5 years before they’ll need replacing.
Green, immature pineapples are toxic - so you should only pick pineapples when they’ve started to change colour. They can be further ripened inside on the kitchen bench if needed.
Pests & Diseases
Remove any dead lower leaves as required from your pineapple, but no other pruning is needed.
If mealy bug infestations occur spray with Defender™ Pyrethrum Insect Spray as per label instructions.
