I read that apples release ethylene gas that will trigger the pineapple to fruit. Fruit quality is best when the fruit is allowed to develop its yellowish orange rind color on the plant, as there is no improvement in quality after the pineapple is harvested. If you want to grow your own pineapples, there are three ways to get started. Put the plant in a large plastic bag with an apple, then move it to a shady spot. The apple gives off ethylene gas that will encourage the plant to bloom and set fruit. When a pineapple reaches maturity, it produces a fruiting cluster of flowers on a stem. I tied the bag tight around the bottom couple inches of the plant. The first is to purchase a pineapple plant and grow it until it produces fruit. Your favorite tropical fruit grows from large, flowering plants in the ground or a large pot. Harvesting Pineapples. Q: I have heard that to make a pineapple produce you have to put a rotten apple in the middle of it. Growing variegated pineapples how to care for variegated pineapple plant how to grow pineapples philippines This is all depended on a few factors such as climate, sunlight, soil quality, humidity, and USDA zone, just to name a few. What they do need is warmth; if you live in a colder climate, plant yours in a warm area of the house near a window. The mother plant slowly dies once fruiting is completed, but any large suckers or ratoons will continue to grow and eventually produce new fruit. Tops take at least 24 months to flower, and then it takes another six months for the fruit to mature. You may have to wait for your first top grown plants to produce such offspring. After four days, remove the plant from the bag and set it back in the sun. Pineapples (Ananas comosus) are terrestrial members of the bromeliad family (Bromeliaceae). If your plant has not yet produced a new pineapple, you can force it to produce fruit. Flowers should appear in a few months, followed by a small fruit. It can take anywhere from 2-3 years for a pineapple plant to bloom or produce fruit. My pineapple is 3 years old and has never fruited so I put the pot in a grocery bag and then put 10 apples in it. A: Once a pineapple plant has thirty leaves on it, it can be forced into bloom by surrounding it with ethylene gas, a potent plant … Pineapple plants do indeed die after this cycle, but they produce suckers, or ratoons, around the main plant while it is flowering and fruiting. How to Grow a Pineapple, Step-by-Step Pineapple plants are pretty hearty and don’t require a lot of water or space to grow. Suckers (or pups) and slips grow up and fruit a lot quicker. It will take the fruit about six months to mature. Pineapple plants may be induced to flower by shortday lengths, cool/cold weather, and dry or drought conditions. Pineapples are used in tropical areas of Florida, California and southern Texas as a landscaping plant, where they produce a whorl of leaves that may span as much as 6 feet in diameter. Obviously, those in the supermarket had to be harvested before they had achieved the best eating quality, just like tomatoes, peaches and some other produce. To produce the biggest and highest quality pineapple fruit, cultural practices prior to full plant size should be aimed at keeping the plant in an active state of vegetative growth. Second, you could try starting the plants from seed. Dissolve 3 calcium carbide pellets in a cup of ice water and pour it over the crown. However, growing pineapple tops is a slow way to grow pineapples. Can you please send me the information we need to make our pineapples have fruit? Alternatively, set pieces of an apple around the center of the pineapple. Commercial pineapple plant fruiting is grown on a 2- to 3-year fruit crop cycle that takes 32-46 months to completion and harvest. #12. The third and cheapest, easiest way to produce your own pineapple is to start it from the green top of a fresh pineapple. Pineapple plants do indeed die after this cycle, but they produce suckers, or ratoons, around the main plant while it is flowering and fruiting. Using apples to force Pineapple to fruit.