How to Plant & Grow a Pineapple at Home

With its sweet, tangy taste and unique shape, there’s not another fruit quite like the pineapple. If you’ve been wishing for a way to grow this delicious fruit, the great news is that it’s super easy to do in your own home! In this article, we’ll teach you how to grow a pineapple plant from a pineapple. Then, we’ll tell you all about how to care for your plant and know when it’s ready to harvest. Read on to get growing this tropical fruit!

Things You Should Know

Twist the leaves off the top of a fresh pineapple to separate the fruit from the crown. Leave the crown to dry for 1 week.
Set the dried pineapple crown in a glass of water and place it in indirect light to grow roots.
Plant the crown in well-draining soil once the roots are about 3 inches (7 cm) long.
Place your pineapple plant in a sunny window that gets direct light, watering it when the soil is dry.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Taking Off the Pineapple Crown

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1
Pick out a fresh pineapple. Choose a pineapple with perky green leaves that have not turned yellow or brown. The skin on the fruit should be golden brown and have a little bit of give when you squeeze it. Smell the pineapple to see if it's ripe, too. It should emit a sweet, heady smell.^{[1]
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- Your pineapple needs to be ripe in order to grow into a plant, so make sure it isn't underripe. An underripe pineapple is usually very green, hard, and has a faint smell.
- Check that your pineapple isn't overripe, too. Overripe pineapples are easy to squish and often have wrinkled skin. Tug gently at the leaves, too. If they come right off, the pineapple is too ripe to plant.
- Make sure the pineapple doesn't have scale insects around the base of the leaves. They look like small grayish black spots.
2
Twist the leaves off the top of the pineapple. Grasp the body of the pineapple with one hand and use your other to grab the base of the leaves. Simply twist the leaves to pull them off the pineapple. You are now left with the crown, or stem, of the pineapple, and the pineapple fruit.^{[2]
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- If you're having trouble twisting off the crown, slice off the top of the pineapple with a knife. Then, cut off any excess fruit around the crown.
- When twisting the leaves off, do it gently to make sure the crown stays intact. New roots sprout from the end of the stem, so without it the plant can’t grow.
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Removing the bottom leaves helps the stem sprout roots once it is planted. Just pull away a few of the bottom leaves so several inches of the stem is exposed. If there is any fruit still attached to the stem, cut it away with a knife, being careful not to cut into the stem.^{[3]
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4
Turn the crown upside down and leave it to dry for a week. The inside of the pineapple crown is still wet when you cut it, so it needs to dry out. Planting a moist stem can encourage rotting, giving your pineapple less of a chance to grow. Just place the stem upside down in your kitchen to fully dry out for about 1 week.^{[4]
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- Once the stem is dry, it is fine to plant into well-draining soil. It’s not necessary to put it in water first, but it is helpful to know when it starts growing roots. Plus, it’s fun to watch!

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Rooting the Crown in Water

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To grow strong, healthy roots, your pineapple crown needs a lot of water. Choose a glass that’s large enough to fit the pineapple crown inside, but small enough so the pineapple can be propped up without getting completely submerged. Then, fill the glass up with water.
To make sure only the bottom of the crown is in water, place 4 toothpicks around the top of the stem. Push them in just far enough so that they'll stay in place.^{[5]
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Rest the toothpicks on the rim of the glass. The bottom of the stem should now be submerged in the water, while the leaves stick out the top.^{[6]
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4
Place the crown in bright, indirect light and wait for roots to sprout. Pineapple plants love light, so find it a warm place to rest where it gets lots of filtered light. Over the next 3 to 6 weeks, little white roots will start to poke out of the stem and begin to grow.^{[7]
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- Pineapples grow best at temperatures between 65 to 85° F (18-30° C), so keep it away from drafts and harsh, direct light.
- Change out the water every few days to prevent mold from growing.

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Planting the Crown

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1
Fill a 6 inch (15 cm) pot with well-draining soil. Pineapple plants are drought-tolerant and don’t love to sit in soggy, moist soil. Choose a well-draining garden soil that has a 30% blend of organic matter. This allows excess water to drain out of the pot and gives your pineapple the right blend of nutrients to grow healthily.^{[8]
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- When choosing a pot for your pineapple plant, make sure it has drainage holes at the bottom.
When the stem has lots of long, thick roots, it’s time to put it in soil. Poke a hole into the soil with your fingers and nestle the pineapple crown inside. Make sure that the base of the leaves are just above soil level. Then, press the soil firmly around the base of the stem and water it thoroughly.^{[9]
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Set the planted pineapple in bright light and keep its soil moist. Your new pineapple plant needs a warm, sunny, and humid environment to grow big and strong. Let it adjust to bright, indirect light for about 2 to 3 weeks before moving your plant to a place where it gets at least 6 hours of direct light. Water it about once a week, or when the top 1 to 2 inches (2-5 cm) of soil are dry.^{[10]
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- If you live in a warm climate, keep the pot outside if you prefer. When temperatures start to drop below 60° F (15° C), take your pineapple plant inside.
- To help your plant root faster, make a mini-greenhouse over its pot. Simply slip a plastic bag over the top of the pot, removing it when you water.
4
Fertilize your pineapple plant about once a month. Giving your plant nutritious fertilizer helps it grow strong. In the spring and summer, fertilize it once or twice a month with water-soluble fertilizer. In the fall and winter, feed it only once a month.^{[11]
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- Pineapple plants generally prefer fertilizer with a 10-10-10 ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
5
Wait for flowers and fruit to grow in 1 to 3 years. Be patient, as it can take several years for your plant to grow the flowers that develop into a juicy pineapple. As you continue to water and care for your plant, eventually a red cone will appear from the center of the leaves. It will be followed by blue flowers and eventually a tiny, budding fruit. The pineapple fruit takes about six months to fully develop.^{[12]
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- The pineapple fruit grows from the flower, above ground, in the center of the plant.
- When the pineapple fruit is ripe and ready to be harvested, cut it off from the stem, just below the base of the fruit. Don’t cut your pineapple off before it’s ripe, as it won’t ripen once it’s off the stem.

Expert Q&A

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Question

After you grow one pineapple, can you grow another one from the same plant?

Andrew Carberry, MPH
Food Systems Expert
Andrew Carberry is a Food Systems Expert and the Senior Program Associate at the Wallace Center at Winrock International in Little Rock, Arkansas. He has worked in food systems since 2008 and has experience working on farm-to-school projects, food safety programs, and working with local and state coalitions in Arkansas. He is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and holds a Masters degree in public health and nutrition from the University of Tennessee.

Andrew Carberry, MPH

Food Systems Expert

Expert Answer

Yes. In a few years, the plant may produce another pineapple. You can harvest this pineapple and plant it just like the first one.

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Can I care for a pineapple plant outside?

Andrew Carberry, MPH
Food Systems Expert
Andrew Carberry is a Food Systems Expert and the Senior Program Associate at the Wallace Center at Winrock International in Little Rock, Arkansas. He has worked in food systems since 2008 and has experience working on farm-to-school projects, food safety programs, and working with local and state coalitions in Arkansas. He is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and holds a Masters degree in public health and nutrition from the University of Tennessee.

Andrew Carberry, MPH

Food Systems Expert

Expert Answer

Pineapples can grow outside in USDA hardiness zones 10 and 11. In the US, this includes the south, west coast, and Hawaii. Pineapples need lots of sun, but don't require much water.

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Can the pineapple plant be planted into the ground?

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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Yes, you can plant your pineapple plant in the ground if you live in a warm location. Just choose an area in your yard that gets at least 6 hours of direct light. Make sure the area you choose doesn't flood or pool with water when it rains, as pineapple plants don't do well when they're constantly wet.

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Tips

While wild pineapple, or Bromelia pinguin, is also edible, the juice is especially tangy and can irritate your mouth. Most people boil or roast it first to prevent irritation. You might find it in Florida, but it primarily grows in Central and South America.^{[13]
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To encourage your plant to flower, put it in a plastic bag with two very ripe apples cut in half. The ethylene gas released by the apples can trigger the blooming process.^{[14]
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The full sized pineapples that you’re used to from the store grow from 6 feet (2 m) tall pineapple plants. Yours probably won’t get that big in 1 to 3 years, so don’t be surprised if your first fruit harvest is smaller than you expect.

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