How to grow pineapple - a tropical exotic at home. How to grow pineapple from seeds at home

At home, pineapple can be grown from ripe fresh fruit, the main thing is that it is not frozen.
1. Rooting a pineapple

The crown with roots should be planted in a pot with a diameter slightly larger than the plant itself. At the bottom of the pot, above the hole, pour a couple of centimeters of expanded clay or any other drainage. Almost any soil will do, but ideally you can buy a ready-made mixture at the store. Water moderately. For about two months, do not disturb the plant with rearrangements and fertilizers.

2. Pineapple care

The plant loves the sun very much. After two months, you need to water rarely, but a lot. The best fertilizer for pineapple - mullein. If you want to use mineral ones, then keep in mind that the dose should be 1/2 less than for other plants. After about a year, transplant the plant into a larger pot.

3. Pineapple fruit

After 3-4 years, the pineapple may begin to bear fruit. Sometimes this time is more, sometimes less. The ripening cycle of pineapple is 6 months from the moment of flowering. No need to use at this time mineral fertilizers, best organic. After fruiting, the plant produces new shoots within two to three years and dies. These “babies” take root well and bloom earlier than the parent plant.

4. Temperature: Normal room temperature about 22-25°C in summer, cool in winter 16-18°C, minimum winter temperature 15°C.

5. Lighting: Light-loving, grows well as on sunny place, and in semi-shaded. Can be grown on western and eastern windows. On the south window you will need shading during the hottest hours in summer. However, it should be borne in mind that pineapples with light stripes on the leaves need a brighter place, otherwise the variegation of color is lost.

6. Watering: Like all bromeliads, pineapple is watered directly into the rosette of leaves. Water is poured into the outlet 2/3 full. The water must be well settled and at room temperature. In spring and summer, there should always be water in the rosette of leaves, which is updated at least once a month with fresh water. Also in spring summer period Fertilizer feeding is carried out every two weeks, while the fertilizer is diluted with water for irrigation and poured into the outlet. Fertilizer is used specially for bromeliads. In winter, pineapple is watered very carefully (about once a week, if in the soil).

7. Air humidity: Pineapples love regular spraying, which is necessary if the plant is in a too warm room (with central heating in winter).

8. Transplant: No flowering plant replanted after a year, and after flowering, only the daughter rosettes that form at the base are replanted mother plant. The soil pH for pineapple should be between 4.5 - 5.0. The soil is 3 parts light turf soil and 1 part humus, mixed with sand. You can use store-bought orchid potting mix. The planting container should not be too deep; it is better to use wide bowls.

9. Propagation: By side shoots, which are cut off after they have grown their roots. They are also propagated by seeds, which are sown in loose soil (a mixture of half sand and leaf soil).

The origin of the cultivated pineapple is still a mystery. Scientists only assume that it appeared as a result of the crossing of several species wild plants, some of which have already been lost in time. The northeast is considered the birthplace of pineapple South America, territory of modern Brazil, Venezuela and Paraguay. Wild pineapple species are still found there today. Gradually it herbaceous plant spread throughout the world. It is grown in most countries with tropical climates. In Russia, pineapple also grows, but only in indoor or greenhouse conditions.

Biological features of culture

The crested (or true) pineapple belongs to the genus Pineapple of the Bromeliad family. This is a perennial tropical herbaceous plant with a height of 40 cm to 1 m. On a shortened stem, narrow (no more than 2-3 cm wide) and long (from 30 to 80 cm) linear leaves are collected in a rosette, with jagged edges in most varieties.

Pineapple was formed in a hot tropical climate, so its leaf blades are adapted to the economical use of moisture. They are covered with a thick epidermis, under which there is a dense layer of large cells of water-storing tissue. During the rainy season, they, like a sponge, absorb moisture, and when drought occurs, they transfer water to other organs of the plant. In addition, the water-storing fabric protects the cells located underneath it, which contain chlorophyll, from overheating. Air channels pass through the tissues of pineapple leaves; they are necessary for the plant for gas exchange. Due to the special structure of the leaf, the processes of photosynthesis and respiration occur in a “closed mode”, inside the organs, and the evaporation of moisture is limited.

The pineapple root system is small, underdeveloped, and consists of two tiers of roots - upper and lower. Lateral roots extend 3-40 cm from the main one. The roots of the lower tier can penetrate the soil to a depth of 120 cm. Pineapple roots grow most intensively at an air temperature of 25-30 ° C.

In fully formed plants capable of bearing fruit, a peduncle forms at the top of the stem. A pineapple inflorescence consists of an average of 150 flowers (sometimes more), tightly arranged in a spiral around a common axis. The flowers open one by one. The lower ones bloom first, then the middle ones, and finally the apical ones. The interval between the opening of the first and last flowers is 15 days. Most pineapple varieties are parthenocarpic, that is, they do not require pollination.

All commercial varieties produce seeds only through cross-pollination. To prevent pollination and seed formation, between plantings different varieties maintain spatial isolation, and also plant single-variety plantings.

After flowering, a complex infructescence develops from the peduncle, consisting of fused fleshy berries and a juicy thick receptacle. Its upper part is crowned with a crown of leaves, which, together with the shoots, can be used for propagation. The fruit grows by increasing the size and mass of cells, rather than by dividing them. When the fruit reaches a certain critical mass (this indicator depends on the variety), the process of its ripening begins. Ripe pineapples of different varieties (as well as identical varieties grown in different soil and climatic conditions) vary in shape, size and color (they are yellow, golden, bronze, red, purple and even black). The weight of the fruit ranges from several hundred grams to 15 kg. Feature In pineapple, germination of the floral axis results in the formation of a simple or branched crown at the apex of the fruit. Pineapple lays flower buds only when the night air temperature does not fall below 1 °C for 7-8 months. When growing pineapples in protected soil, plant flowering is stimulated using ethylene or acetylene, as well as sharp changes air temperature. Acetylene dissolved in water is poured into the rosette of the plant, after which it blooms 7-14 days later. Sometimes retardants are used, substances that inhibit shoot growth, for example, alpha-naphthyl acetic acid. In the Azores, for this purpose, pineapple plantations are fumigated with smoke from fires.

How to grow pineapple at home?

Despite its tropical origin, as well as its love for light and warmth, pineapple takes root and grows well in our latitudes, although only in protected soil.

Pineapple can be propagated in three ways:

Crowns - rosettes of leaves formed at the top of the fruit;
ratunami - root shoots that form underground;
slips and sakers - side shoots formed above the ground (from the shortened stem and under the fruit, respectively).

If pineapple is propagated by root suckers, the first harvest can be obtained 15 months after planting, but if by slips and sakers, you will have to wait from two to four years.

Rosettes and shoots root in the same way. The apical rosette is cut off with a sharp knife with part of the ripened infructescence, and the lateral and basal processes are carefully unscrewed when they reach a length of 15-20 cm. Ratunas, as a rule, form their own root system, although weak. When the rosettes are rooted, more productive plants are obtained, with large fruits. By the way, if a pineapple fruit has been in the refrigerator, the crown cut off from it cannot be rooted. Such a cutting will immediately begin to rot.

Ratoons are planted immediately after separation from the main plant, and the apical rosettes and slip cuttings cut from the trunk are pre-dried for 4-7 days at room temperature to heal the cut site and prevent the penetration of putrefactive bacteria into the plant tissue. The bases of the cuttings should be smooth, without burrs. It is better to dry the sections in an unlit place at room temperature, hanging the shoot upside down. Dried pineapple cuttings can be stored in a suspended state, without water, for several months. 1/1 all this time it retains the ability to take root. When the cut heals, the cutting is planted, dusting its base with crushed charcoal.

To plant a pineapple cutting, you need a container 15-20 cm wide and 10-15 cm high with holes in the bottom (in such a container the breathability of the substrate is maintained). First, a drainage layer of expanded clay is placed in the container, and then the substrate. Prepare a soil mixture from 200 g (1 cup) of deciduous soil, 200 g of coniferous soil, 200 g of rotted birch stumps, 200 g of sand and 200 g of humus or vermicompost. All components are thoroughly mixed.

The contents of the pot are poured with boiling water and potassium permanganate to destroy pathogenic microflora. When the soil has cooled to 30 °C, a pineapple cutting is pressed into it to a depth of 2.5-3.0 cm. To maintain high humidity Install a mini-greenhouse made of polyethylene over the pot (put a bag on) or frequently and regularly spray the cuttings with water. If you maintain the substrate temperature at least 25 °C, the pineapple will take root in 4-5 weeks. The first sign of root formation is the appearance of new light green leaves on the cuttings, while the old leaves “fall apart” a little to the sides.

A year after rooting, the plants are replanted. Transplantation is carried out in the warm season. Take a pot 5-10 cm wider than the previous one, make several holes in it with a diameter of 10-12 mm. A thin layer (2-3 cm) of expanded clay or charcoal is placed on the bottom and sprinkled with wet river sand. The substrate for planting is mixed in advance, steamed with boiling water and cooled to 30 °C.

The plant is carefully shaken out of the previous container and transferred to a new one, trying to keep soil particles on the roots. The roots, straightened horizontally, are covered with soil mixture 2-3 cm above the previous level. This is necessary to secure the plant and form additional roots. After transplanting, the pineapple is generously watered with a warm, pale pink solution of potassium permanganate and tied to pegs. After 2-3 weeks, the supports are removed.

Light-loving pineapples are placed on southern or southeastern windows, without shading. On northern windows, the development of pineapple slows down, and it is unlikely that it will bear fruit. In the autumn-winter period, plants receive additional light fluorescent lamps 8-10 hours a day, for mature plant One LB-20 lamp is enough. If necessary, plants are illuminated all year round (in summer 4-5 hours a day). There is no need to turn a pineapple standing on a windowsill; it develops normally even with a one-way flow of light. If the plants have enough light, their leaves are green, large, dense, do not fall to the sides, and young leaves have light crimson tips.

Care before fruiting

In hot weather, pineapple needs plenty of moisture. When watering, make sure that the earthen ball is completely saturated with moisture. The water is pre-boiled or left to stand for 24 hours. Water only with warm water (30-35 °C). If the soil temperature drops to 20 °C or lower, plant growth slows down.

In winter, when the temperature drops to 13-15 °C, watering is completely stopped. When grown in a greenhouse, the “dry” period (from November to March) does not harm the plant. To ensure that the development of pineapple in the apartment does not stop in winter, the plants are given additional light, and the soil in the pots is heated to 22-25 ° C. At temperatures below 20 °C, pineapple must not be sprayed with water, as this will cause the heart to rot. In the warm season, water is poured into the rosette of leaves once a week (if desired, use a pink solution of potassium permanganate).

Pineapple needs extra nutrition. What it needs most is nitrogen. During the active growing season, it is fed with mullein infusion once every 15 days. To prepare the fertilizer, a bucket (10 l) is filled one third with manure and the remaining volume is topped up with warm water. The infusion is stirred periodically for 3-5 days. When fermentation stops (after 10-12 days), the solution is diluted with water 8 times. During fermentation, the bucket is covered with a lid to prevent nitrogen from escaping. Other types of fertilizers do not need to be used before fruiting begins.

If you want the pineapple you grow in room conditions, bears fruit, it needs to start blooming. Stimulation of flowering is carried out in the warm season, in spring or summer, when the plant is fully formed: the length of adult leaves is 60-70 cm, the diameter of the rosette base is 6-10 cm. Carbide is used as a stimulator. 10-15 g of carbide is poured into a liter jar of water. After the acetylene release reaction, 100 g (1 stack) of liquid is poured into the rosette of leaves where the growth point is located. After 3-4 days the procedure is repeated. Then you just need to make sure that the soil in the pot is constantly moist before flowering begins. After 1.5-2 months, a peduncle will appear in the center of the rosette.

Another way to stimulate flowering is exposure to ethylene, which is released by rotten apples. They are laid out in a pot around the plant, the entire “composition” is covered with transparent plastic bag, which is secured with an elastic band on the pot.

From the moment the peduncle appears, nitrogen fertilizing is replaced with a solution of vermicompost or humus. To do this, in the evening, pour 200 g of humus into 1 liter of boiling water, cover and leave overnight in the bathroom or on the windowsill. In the morning, add 100 g of herbal infusion (quinoa, nettle) to the solution and pour it under the plant. Feeding pineapple with ash is strictly prohibited!

Pineapple flowering lasts one week and does not require pollination. The flowers (about 150 of them) are located on the cone, blooming evenly from bottom to top and spreading a delicate, subtle aroma. Over time, an infructescence forms in place of the peduncle. As soon as it starts to grow, they again switch to nitrogen fertilizing. It takes 4-7 months from flowering to full maturation of the fruit. The apical rosette that appears above the fruit retards its development, so its growth point is pinched several times (the first time - immediately after flowering). After some time, the fruit becomes amber-yellow in color. The weight of a home-grown pineapple fruit can range from 500 g to 3 kg. The taste and aroma of pineapple “from the windowsill” is better than store-bought. Homemade pineapple does not cause a burning sensation in the mouth, as it is fully ripened.

Growing pineapple in greenhouses

Growing pineapple in a greenhouse is much easier than in a house or apartment, since in isolated conditions it is more convenient to regulate humidity and temperature throughout the year. To plant young plants, take light soil and spread it in a 30 cm layer. The plants are placed in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of 1 m from each other. From November 1 to March 1, a moderate temperature is maintained in the greenhouse - no more than 15 ° C. Plants are not watered or fed. They can bloom even without carbide stimulation. When the temperature rises to 20 °C, the pineapple begins to be fed daily. Ashes (ash) are not used. During the period of fruit ripening, plants are shaded from direct sunlight and the temperature in the greenhouse is lowered to 25-27 ° C so that the juice in the fruit does not turn sour due to the heat. On plantations, for this purpose, pineapple leaves are tied under the fruit or the fruit is covered with hay or straw.

Pests and diseases of the crop

In protected soil, pineapple plants practically do not get sick. Sometimes scale insects settle on the leaves. But since they are very tough, the scale insect cannot cause much harm to the plant. The pest is removed using a kerosene-water emulsion. To prepare it in 1 liter warm water dissolve 1 tbsp. a spoonful of kerosene and 1 tbsp. spoon washing powder or 20 g of laundry soap. Moisten a gauze swab with the resulting solution and wipe the pineapple leaves with it.

The main disease of pineapple is wilt (heart rot). To prevent its occurrence, plants are regularly sprayed with a light pink solution of potassium permanganate once a month. In the cold season, when the air temperature in the room drops below 20 ° C, spraying is stopped immediately, otherwise excess moisture will cause rotting.

Pineapple varieties

When choosing a pineapple variety for growing in protected ground, you won’t have to rack your brains for long, since in our latitudes the assortment of this crop is small. There are many varieties of pineapple with varying characteristics, but most are only grown in certain regions. The most popular varieties are Cayenne, Queen, and Spanish Red. The fruits of these pineapple varieties have a dessert taste and can be eaten fresh or used for processing.

Cayenne is the oldest and most widespread variety. Developed by the Maymur Indians in the upper reaches of the Orinoco River. In 1920, this pineapple variety was introduced first to France and then to England. 100 years later, from England it spread to all continents. Its popularity was ensured by the high yield and excellent taste of the fruit. The fruits are cylindrical in shape, weight ranges from 2.0 to 3.6 kg. The leaves are almost spineless.

The plants are durable, rarely damaged during harvesting and can produce a second crop, which is formed on ratuns. Quinn is a widespread ancient variety of pineapple. early date maturation, which is resistant to unfavorable growing conditions. Plants of this variety have spiny, hard leaves and virtually fiber-free flesh of a beautiful dark yellow color. The Queen variety is valued for the dessert taste of its fruit. Despite its compact size, the weight of the fetus can reach 0.5-1.3 kg.

The disadvantages of the variety include the low ability to reproduce by ratoons and slips; their survival rate is two times lower than that of Cayenne. Spanish red is a productive variety, resistant to heart and root rot. The plants are powerful, tall, with spiny leaves. The fruits are spherical, large, transportable and long-lasting. The pulp is light yellow, fibrous, with a pleasant aroma. The taste is sour due to the reduced sugar content. Disadvantages of the variety: many large slips form at the base of the fruit, the thin stalk does not hold the fruit well.

In addition to these varieties, many local varieties are grown in each region. For example, in Latin America - Persambuco, Abacca, Vermello, San Miguel, Cabezona, in Malaysia - Singapore, Sariwak, Selangor, in China - Tu-chung, Jin-pan, etc.

Pineapples, which first came to Europe in the 16th century, quickly came to the taste of the local nobility. Travel in that era was extremely expensive and lengthy, so plants native to the Brazilian plateaus began to be grown in greenhouses and greenhouses. Russia did not lag behind the European powers. Here, for more than a century, outlandish “bumps” have been almost industrial scale grew up in St. Petersburg and even further north, on Solovki. But steamships that appeared in the 19th century changed the situation, and juicy fruits began to be brought from South America.

This still happens today, but still interest in growing pineapples at home does not wane. Despite its overseas character, the plant turned out to be quite picky, and a viable and fruit-bearing bush can be obtained even from a tuft cut from a fresh fruit.

In nature, the crop grows up to 60–80 cm and consists of a small stem studded with long sharp leaves, a fibrous root and infructescence formed at the top of the main shoot that elongates after flowering. It is thanks to this fruit, which hides the juicy pulp under the keratinized skin, that the plant has become one of the most valuable agricultural crops not only on the South American continent, but also in Africa and Southeast Asia.

In warm tropical climates, the rosette of pineapple leaves can reach a diameter of two meters. It will not be possible to achieve a plant of this size in an apartment, but in 2–4 years, with due attention and care, an edible, aromatic fruit will grow on the pineapple at home. And although you will have to be patient to achieve success, the unusual development of the plant is worth the effort and time spent.

To grow pineapple, you can use seeds or cuttings formed on the stem of an adult plant. But the easiest way to grow pineapple at home is from the top, cut from ripe fresh fruit.

How to grow pineapple from seeds at home

Propagation by seeds is considered the most difficult and time-consuming method. Firstly, you can only get seedlings from purchased seeds. In fruits sold in supermarkets there are either no seeds at all, or only their whitish immature rudiments can be found.

A pineapple seed suitable for germination has a somewhat flattened semicircular shape, reaches 3–4 mm in length and is colored a brown or reddish shade of brown.

Before planting, the seeds are placed between layers for 18–24 hours wet wipes and, having covered, put in a warm place. Then, when they swell a little, they are planted in a damp mixture of purified peat and sand. To ensure that small seeds germinate without difficulty, they should be buried no more than 1–2 cm.

The containers must be covered with film or glass and kept warm. It is the temperature provided to the seeds that will determine their germination and the timing of the appearance of the first shoots:

• At normal room temperature, germination can take from 3-4 weeks to one and a half months.
• If you provide the seeds with a temperature of about 30–32 °C, you can see sprouts in 2–3 weeks.

It is important to support not only temperature regime, but also moisten the soil in time, and also do not forget about feeding the seedlings. To do this, at intervals of 15–20 days, crops are fertilized with complex formulations, including basic nutrients and microelements.

When several leaves appear on young rosettes, they are picked, transferring them together with a small lump of earthlings into the soil for adult plants. You can make such soil yourself by mixing peat, humus, garden soil and sand. To give structure and a kind of protection against infections, crushed charcoal is added to the soil up to 5% of the volume. And some of the sand can be replaced with perlite.

How to grow a pineapple from the top at home

If you can’t always find seeds of an exotic crop and not everywhere, then growing a pineapple at home from the top of a store-bought fruit is quite possible even without special knowledge. True, it is worth approaching the choice of a delicacy that is destined to provide planting material with full responsibility. The pineapple must be fresh, with green, elastic rosette of foliage, without signs of spoilage, cold damage or wilting. When examining, you need to pay attention to the growth point of the rosette; if it is rotten, dried out or simply missing, it will be extremely difficult to get a new plant.

At home, when growing pineapple, the fruit is cut off with a sharp, clean knife. top part, capturing not only the leaf rosette, but also a section of the fruit three centimeters below. If the pineapple is completely ripe, you can carefully unscrew the rosette, tightly holding the tuft with one hand and the fruit with the other.

When the future planting material is received, all remnants of juicy pulp, which can become a source of rot, are carefully removed from the rosette. Short lower leaves removed to obtain a cylindrical cutting up to 3 centimeters long.

The sections must be treated with a saturated solution of potassium permanganate, crushed charcoal, or, which will speed up the appearance of roots, with an epin solution.

To protect the cuttings from rotting, it is recommended to leave the pineapple to dry for a day or two before rooting. Moreover, it is better to hang the socket so that it does not come into contact with any surfaces. A video on how to grow pineapple at home will reveal all the subtleties of the process and clearly show all its stages.

Rooting is carried out by immersing the part of the cutting, cleared of foliage, into water. To hold it at the desired level, you can use a cardboard circle or toothpicks, as shown in the photo.

When the first roots have appeared on the pineapple, the rosette can be planted in the ground, and you should not bury the young plant above the lower tier of leaves. The substrate around the seedling is carefully crushed and compacted, trying not to slightly damage the numerous roots.

Further cultivation of pineapple at home takes place under a film at a temperature not lower than 20–22 °C. If it is possible to warm the air and soil to 25 °C, in about a month new bright leaves will appear in the center of the rosette.

While the pineapple plant is acclimatizing and rooting, it is important:

• protect from contact with condensation drops on the socket, causing mold development and rotting of leaves,
• regularly moisten the soil,
• ventilate the plantings, preventing the plant from cooling.

The pot with the pineapple plant is placed in a lighted place where the outlet will not be threatened by direct rays of the sun.

Propagation of pineapple by root cuttings

If there is already an adult pineapple plant in the house, you can propagate it using the daughter shoots formed at the bottom of the stem or under the fruit, which are easy to break off and root. As planting material You can use cuttings that have already produced several rows of leaves and reached a length of 15–20 cm.

Like the rosette on the top of a pineapple, the stem can be unscrewed or carefully cut off with a sharp blade. The cut area should be sprinkled with coal chips, and then the cutting should be treated in the same way as growing a pineapple from the top at home.

If the basal rosette already has root buds, it can be immediately planted in light soil made from a mixture of peat, perlite and ready-made substrate for indoor plants.

How to care for pineapple at home?

Caring for a homemade pineapple consists of providing all conditions for the growth and development of the plant.

• For pineapple, it is important to select and maintain loose, nutritious soil.
• Create acceptable lighting, temperature and humidity conditions.
• Pineapple needs well-organized watering and fertilizing.

When planting a pineapple and caring for it at home, you need to remember that the plant does not have a very powerful surface root system:

• The soil must be permeable to both moisture and oxygen.
• The pot must have a decent drainage layer.
• The container itself should not be deep, but pineapple works very well in wide pots.

It is best to grow the light-loving southern pineapple at home on southern, western or eastern windows. At the same time, in summer time When the sun is hottest, it is better to shade pineapples on the south side, but in winter the plants need lighting, which extends daylight hours by 6–8 hours.

In a healthy specimen, young foliage has bright green tint. And the leaves from the lower rows are not dry and withered, but bluish, tight and juicy. With a sufficient level of light, the rosette is formed symmetrically.

The lower air temperature limit for pineapple at home is 18 °C. in such air the plant goes into hibernation. And for active development, the air must be warmer. In spring and summer optimal temperature can be between 22 and 30 °C.

Caring for a homemade pineapple includes regular, infrequent, but abundant watering, for which you take warm, settled water at ambient temperature.

On hot days, plants are irrigated, but wet foliage on cold days inevitably causes disease and wilting. The same effect should be expected if the pineapple is exposed to cold air from open window, or there is a drying effect of a hot battery.

From mid-spring, when active growing season begins, and until October, pineapples are fed at home during the maintenance period. The schedule is organized depending on the condition of the plant, but more often organic matter and mineral fertilizers are applied once every 1–2 weeks.

In winter, feeding is canceled, watering is reduced, and the temperature is also reduced.

How to make a homemade pineapple bloom and care for it?

The time for fruiting in pineapples begins 2–4 years after the formation of the rosette. True, even with industrial plantings, fruits are obtained by treating the plants with acetylene or acetic acid. At home, when growing pineapple, such methods are not very acceptable, but even here you can force the obstinate plant to form an inflorescence.

Becomes a good stimulant regular feeding plants with liquid organic fertilizer. If a pineapple receives this feeding twice a month during the entire growing season, then after 2–3 months you can expect flowering. Some experts advise pouring water for several days inner part sockets with a solution of acetylene obtained from a liter of water and 15 grams of carbide.

A similar effect is achieved by placing a jar with a small amount of water and a piece of smoking carbide next to the pot. During the procedure, it is better to cover the pot with a bag or place it in a greenhouse. Ordinary apples, which emit ethylene during storage, can also provoke the plant. To do this, fresh apples are laid out next to a pot standing in a greenhouse for several days.

Most often, to activate flowering, gardeners use fumigation of the plant with regular smoke. This procedure should last 10–15 minutes and be repeated 2–3 times every week.

2–3 months after treatment, with proper care of the pineapple at home, first an inflorescence appears, and then, 30 days later, an ovary. Fruit ripening lasts from 4 to 6 months, after which you can try your own pineapple.

How to grow pineapple at home - video

If you want to grow some kind of food in your apartment exotic plant, then choose pineapple for growing. Growing pineapple at home is not difficult. And the result will exceed all your expectations. In just 3-4 years you can get fragrant fruits.

Preparing pineapple for planting

For planting, you can use the top of the pineapple - the tuft. If you are buying a pineapple specifically for planting, then pay attention to both the fruit itself and the tuft. First of all, the crest should not be frostbitten. Most often, winter pineapples have already been exposed to the cold. Therefore, pineapples purchased in summer or early autumn are best suited for propagation. Choose a pineapple based on its tuft. It must be intact. The inner leaves should be green and juicy.

Using a sharp knife, very carefully separate the tuft from the infructescence at the place where they connect. We try not to touch the flesh. We remove 3-4 rows of lower leaves, so that the “stump” is freed to a height of approximately 1 cm.

There are 2 ways to process a slice:

1 way: The tuft is simply dried in a vertical position for 2-3 weeks. During this time, the cut heals and moves into the root formation zone. maximum amount nutrients.

Method 2: The cut of the tuft is treated with a pink solution of potassium permanganate, then the cut is sprinkled with ash and dried for 5-6 hours.

Preparing the substrate for growing pineapple

1st view:

We prepare the following mixture: take 3 parts turf soil, 2 parts leaf soil, 2 parts high-moor peat, 2 parts birch sawdust, 1 part coarse sand. Mix everything thoroughly. Heat the mixture in the oven or steam it.

2nd view:

We prepare a basic mixture of 1 part turf soil, 2 parts leaf humus, 1 part sand, 1 part peat. Additionally, for the top layer of 3 cm, we prepare a mixture of sand and leaf humus in the same ratio.

3rd view:

Take equal parts of large river sand and peat. A few days before planting, this substrate should be poured generously with boiling water. This procedure disinfects the substrate and gives it the necessary moisture.

4th view:

You can simply buy a substrate for bromeliads, which includes pineapple, in a specialized store. In general, the soil for planting pineapple should be well permeable to water and air, with an acidic pH of 4-5.

Preparing a container for planting pineapple

Select the capacity small size. Its diameter should be slightly larger size crest. The volume of the container should be no more than 0.6 liters. You can choose normal flower pot suitable size. We lay a 2-3 cm layer of drainage at the bottom of the pot. Pebbles or karamzit will do. Then we lay the soil substrate, leaving 1.5-2 cm short to the edges of the pot.

How to plant a pineapple

In the center of the pot we dig a hole with a diameter slightly larger than the tuft, the depth of the hole is 2-2.5 cm. Pour a little charcoal into the hole. This will protect the edges of the socket from rotting. We insert the tuft into the hole. We dig in a few sticks, 2-4, along the edges of the pot, and tie a tuft to them with threads to secure it. Sprinkle the earth and the tuft with water and cover with a cap made of glass jar, plastic bottle or a plastic bag. Place the pot in a warm, bright place, but not in direct sunlight.

The optimal temperature for rooting is 25-27 degrees. In winter, the pot can be placed directly on the radiator by placing a board under it. Rooting occurs after 1.5-2 months. Its sign is the appearance of new leaves. The “mini-greenhouse” can be removed after 2 months.

Caring for pineapple at home

Pineapple is a light-loving plant. Therefore, the optimal temperature for growing pineapple in summer is 28-30 degrees, minimum 25 degrees. In winter, the temperature should be maintained at 22-24 degrees, at least 18 degrees. If this minimum is reached, the plant will simply die. Overcooling of the root system can also lead to plant death. Therefore, you should not place a pot of pineapple on a cold windowsill. Daylight hours for growing pineapple should be 12 hours. Therefore in winter time If there is a shortage of pineapple at home, it should be illuminated with a fluorescent lamp.

Pineapple requires moderate watering. The water used is melted water or rain water; it can be replaced with boiled or settled water. Before watering, the water should be acidified with oxalic or citric acid to pH 5-6. Citric acid can be replaced with lemon juice. The acidity of water can be checked using universal indicator litmus paper. You should water your pineapple at home only with water heated to 30 degrees. Water must be poured into the outlet. Watering should be moderate, as waterlogging the soil can lead to rotting. The soil should dry out slightly between waterings. It is also necessary to frequently spray the leaves with warm water. It is useful for pineapple to have water in the axils of the lower leaves. Additional pineapple roots absorb it perfectly.

Pineapple feeding

During the growing season, which lasts from the end of February to September, pineapple needs to be fed every 10-15 days. The best fertilizer is an infusion of cow or horse manure. A complex of mineral fertilizers such as “Azalea” is useful. It must be applied in an amount half as large as that required by other plants. Be sure to water and spray the pineapple with a solution 1 or 2 times a month iron sulfate. It is prepared at the rate of 1 g per 1 liter of water. It is also acidified. It is strictly not recommended to feed pineapple with alkaline fertilizers such as lime or wood ash.

Pineapple transplant

Pineapple at home must be replanted every year. The roots of the plant should not be allowed to grow too much. Each year the size of the pot should increase slightly. The pineapple root system is small. For an adult plant, a pot with a volume of 3-4 liters is sufficient. For transplantation, the transshipment method is used. They carry it out very carefully, trying not to destroy the clod of earth. The depth of the root collar is increased by 0.5 cm.

Stimulation of flowering

Pineapple at home proper care can bloom in 3-4 years. By this time, the length of the pineapple leaves has already reached 80-90 cm, and the diameter of the rosette is 10 cm. But sometimes the pineapple needs to be forced to bloom. There are several ways to stimulate flowering.

1 way:

The simplest stimulant is ethylene. To obtain it, dissolve 1 teaspoon of calcium carbide (it is used in gas welding) in 0.5 liters of water. Close the jar and leave for 24 hours. After this, drain the settled liquid, leaving sediment and impurities. 50 g of this solution is poured into the center of the outlet every day for a week. After such stimulation, flowering is guaranteed within a month and a half.

Method 2:

Fumigation. We put a plastic bag on the plant. Place several lit cigarettes or smoking coals near the pot for 10 minutes. Be careful, take precautions fire safety. We fumigate 2-3 times every 7-10 days. After 2-2.5 months, the pineapple blooms.

3 way:

Place the pot in a large plastic bag. We also place 3-4 ripe apples or tomatoes there. This method is simple, but does not always lead to flowering.

Flowering and fruiting of pineapple

Flowering lasts approximately 2 weeks. As soon as flowers appear, we replace fertilizing with organic matter with fertilizing with a complex of mineral fertilizers. Kemira, Agricola or other fertilizers for flower crops are good. The fruit ripens in 5-7 months. The main indicator of maturity is a strong sweet smell and sufficient weight of the fruit. At home, pineapples can reach 0.3 - 1.5 kg.

At the base of an adult plant, lateral layers - “babies” - often appear. There can be up to 20 such children. They can be seated in the same way as the crest. Over time, you can get a real pineapple plantation to your joy and the envy of your friends.

Pineapple is a popular tropical plant that can easily be grown at home. An additional advantage, in addition to the exotic appearance, serves its unpretentiousness. However, there are several rules regarding correct landing and caring for this crop.

Methods for planting pineapple

In nature, pineapple reproduces by seeds and root layering, but at home you can easily get good plant from the top.

Tops

If you want to plant the top of a pineapple, then be careful when purchasing the “mother” fruit. Such fruit must be ripe. Carefully inspect the top. It should be fresh, without rot or defects and with a healthy, bright green core.

Suitable tops can be found in late spring, early autumn and summer. Tops from “winter” pineapples are not suitable - they are often exposed to cold temperatures, freeze and therefore will not be able to develop into a good plant.

For further cultivation the top with a healthy green core is suitable

The planting process includes several stages. First you need to remove the top. This can be done in two ways:

1. Carefully cut off the top, capturing 2-3 cm of pulp.
2. Grab the fruit with one hand, the top with the other and twist it several times.

The top of the pineapple can be cut off or twisted

Then you need to prepare the top for planting. Try to do all the work carefully, otherwise the workpiece will rot:

1. Completely clear the top of any remaining pulp.
2. Remove the lower leaves to form a light-colored cylinder 2–3 cm long.

   Leaves from the bottom of the top should be removed

3. Disinfect the cuts to avoid rotting:
   1. Prepare a bright pink solution of potassium permanganate (1 g of powder per 200 g of water) and place the top in it for 1 minute. Then rinse and dry.
   2. Sprinkle the sections with activated carbon (you need to crush 1-2 tablets).
4. After processing, dry the top for 5–7 days in a vertical position (cuts should not touch surfaces) in a dark, dry room at room temperature.

   Pineapple tops are dried in a vertical position

5. Perform rooting (optional):
   

After preparatory work you can start planting the tops in the ground:

1. Prepare a small pot (200–300 ml) and make drainage holes in it.
2. Pour drainage (expanded clay, fine gravel) onto the bottom, and then soil:
   
3. Moisten the soil and make a hole 3 cm deep in the center.
4. Add 0.5–1 tbsp. l. charcoal.
5. Carefully place the top into the hole and straighten the roots.
6. Sprinkle the planting with soil, compacting it slightly, and water again.

   The soil needs to be slightly compacted after planting.

7. Cover the planting with a plastic bag so that the leaves do not touch the film, or place it under a glass container, and then place it in a warm, bright place.

   The microclimate under a glass cover will help the pineapple take root faster

Flower growers who grow pineapples recommend pouring boiling water on the soil 2 days before planting to disinfect it and ensure the required level of humidity.

The appearance of new leaves indicates that the top has taken root. Until this time, keep the workpiece under cover, first providing it with small (10 minutes 2 times a day), and then longer and longer airings until the cover is completely removed. Water sparingly. Experienced flower growers It is advised to moisturize not only the soil, but also the rosette. Do not allow condensation to get on the leaves, wipe or change the film.

For all work and for further watering, only soft water- stood for 24 hours, thawed, rained or boiled.

Seeds

This method is rarely used, since commercially available pineapples contain almost no seeds. In addition, in stores you can often find hybrids whose seeds do not carry the properties of the mother plant, so it is recommended to take material only from proven plants, for example, from those that were themselves grown from seeds and gave good results.

Sowing pineapple seeds

In pineapple, the seeds are located in the pulp just under the skin. If they are dark brown in color and feel firm to the touch, they are ready to plant. Carefully remove the seeds using a knife and rinse in a solution of potassium permanganate (1 g per 200 ml of water), then remove and dry paper napkin and start sowing activities.

Pineapple seeds suitable for planting are dark brown and hard.

Stages of preparation and planting:

1. Soak. Place moistened material (cotton cloth or cotton pads) at the bottom of the container or on a plate. Place the bones on it and cover them on top with the same material. Place the workpiece in a warm place for 18–24 hours. The seeds should swell a little.
2. Sowing in the ground. Fill the planting container with a mixture of peat and purified sand (they should be taken in equal parts), moisten the soil and plant the seeds at a distance of 7–10 cm from each other, deepening them by 1–2 cm.
3. After sowing, be sure to cover the container with film or glass and place it in a warm place.
4. The time for emergence of seedlings depends on the temperature: at 30–32 o C, the seeds will germinate in 2–3 weeks; in colder conditions, sprouts will appear no earlier than in 30–45 days.

Shoots usually appear within 3–4 weeks, and the temperature should not be lower than 30 o C. Ventilate the plantings regularly (10 minutes 2 times a day) and water the soil as needed. If you sowed the seeds in a common container, then after the third leaf appears on the seedlings, separate them into separate containers:

1. Prepare pots with a volume of 0.5–0.7 liters. Make drainage holes in them and fill 1/3 with crushed expanded clay or fine gravel.
2. Add soil (turf soil (2 parts) + humus (1 part) + sand (1 part)).
3. Moisten the soil well in the container with the sprouts 2 hours before picking.
4. Before picking, moisten the soil in containers and make holes 2 cm deep in it.
5. Carefully remove the sprout, keeping a lump of earth on the roots, and place it in the hole. Sprinkle with soil, compacting it slightly.
6. Cover the containers with film and place in a warm, bright place.

Sprouts need to be pruned to provide enough space for the roots

Keep the sprouts in the “greenhouse” until they take root (the signs are the same as at the top), providing them with ventilation (20–30 minutes every day). Also, do not forget to water the soil when it dries out.

By layering

You can plant a pineapple this way if you already have a mature plant. Unfortunately, the pineapple bush dies off soon after it produces a crop, and if you want to continue propagating your pineapple, you can do so through layering.

Suitable for planting are cuttings whose leaves have reached a length of 15 cm.

Pineapple can be propagated by layering

Step by step process:

1. Carefully break out the root cuttings.
2. Dry in a vertical position with the rosette facing down for 5–7 days in a dark place at room temperature until tissue forms on the sections. Remember that the layers should not touch any surfaces.
3. Take a 0.3 liter pot and fill it:
   1. Drainage layer - 2–3 cm.
   2. Soil (turf soil (3 parts) + humus (2 parts) + peat (2 parts) + rotted sawdust (2 parts) + sand (1 part)). 1–2 days before planting, pour boiling water over it.
4. Make a hole 2–2.5 cm deep in the moistened soil and plant the cuttings in it, after sprinkling the roots charcoal. Lightly compact the soil.
5. Cover the plantings with film and place in a warm, bright place.

The sprouts must be covered until they take root.

Rules for caring for pineapple

To get a high-quality plant, you need to follow several simple agrotechnical rules, paying special attention to lighting and temperature conditions, since the health and development of the pineapple depends on them.

Lighting

For proper development, pineapple requires about 12 hours of daylight. It is advisable to place the plant in a bright place; partial exposure to direct sunlight is allowed.

In winter, the pineapple must be illuminated with a fluorescent lamp.

The pineapple needs to be placed in a bright place; it needs about 12 hours of daylight.

Temperature

A pineapple - heat-loving crop Therefore, it is necessary to carefully observe the temperature regime, otherwise the plant will not be able to develop properly. In summer, the temperature must be maintained within 25–30 o C, in winter - 18–20 o C. Also try to avoid sudden changes in temperature and drafts (especially in winter when ventilating), since hypothermia negatively affects the health of the pineapple and can cause its death.

Transfer

It is advisable to replant pineapple every year in the summer. annual plant can be transplanted into a pot with a volume of 1 liter, a two-year-old - with a volume of 2-2.5 liters, a three-year-old - with a volume of 3-4 liters. Plant immediately in large capacity It’s not worth it, because the soil can quickly turn sour. When replanting, use the transfer method to preserve the earthen ball and not damage the root system: for this purpose, do not water the soil for several days, when it dries, turn the pot over and remove the plant. Sprinkle with each transplant root collar(the place where the trunk transitions to the root) with 0.5 cm of soil.

Step by step process:

Pineapple does not have a highly developed root system, so it is advisable to choose shallow, wide pots for it.

Watering

There are several features that relate to proper watering of pineapple:

• For irrigation, you need to use water with a temperature of at least 27 o C. It also needs to be acidified by adding citric acid (1/5 tsp of powder per 250 ml of water).
• There is no consensus among flower growers on how to properly water a pineapple, so study different ways and choose the most convenient for you:
  • Watering into the outlet. If you want to water the pineapple in this way, then do it once every 7-10 days, and moisten the soil only when it dries out or place the pot in a tray with a moistened substrate. If the water in the outlet stagnates, then try to remove it, otherwise the leaves may begin to rot. A situation may also arise that the outlet does not absorb water at all. In this case, proceed to watering the soil.
  • Watering the soil. It is carried out less frequently - approximately once every 2 weeks, and it is necessary to moisten all layers of the soil, without allowing stagnation of water, otherwise the roots will begin to rot.
• Every 2-3 days, spray the leaves or wipe them with a damp cloth. If the pineapple absorbs water well, then you can leave a small amount of it at the bases of the leaves of the bottom row so as not to dry out the roots.
• In winter, watering should be done 2 times less often than in summer. It is better to avoid spraying during this period.

Top dressing

To feed pineapple, you can use organic and mineral fertilizers. If you want to use natural fertilizer, then in this case, mullein solution is best suited. It is prepared like this:

1. Mix dry organic matter (50 g) with water in equal parts.
2. Leave to infuse, covered, for 7–10 days in a warm, dry place.
3. Before use, dilute the resulting solution with water, taking 1 part mixture to 9 parts water.

You can prepare a solution for several feedings at once and store it in a tightly packed container. closed container. For the season, 2 3-liter jars are usually prepared. For one feeding young plant(2–2.5 years) requires 10–15 ml of solution, for older ones - 20–30 ml, applied at the root into pre-moistened soil. This method of feeding is suitable if it is possible to place a pot of pineapple on the balcony or in a greenhouse for the summer.

You can also feed the pineapple with flower fertilizer (Agricola, Kemira, Azalea), preparing it according to the instructions, but using 2 times less powder than is recommended for feeding other plants. In this case, you should spray the rosette and leaves. It is also better to use a mineral complex during flowering, and then return to organic again. It is undesirable to use lime and ash as fertilizers. You need to feed the pineapple after it is 1.5–2 years old, once every 15–20 days from the beginning of March to the beginning of August.

Stimulation of flowering

Typically, pineapple begins to bloom in the 3rd year after planting. If this does not happen, then you can stimulate its flowering yourself by fumigating the plant with smoke or watering it with a special solution. But be careful: the stimulation procedure can only be carried out with strong, well-developed plants, the leaves of which have reached a length of 60 cm, and the base of the rosette has a diameter of 8–10 cm.

Table: ways to stimulate pineapple flowering

Caring for pineapple in a greenhouse

If you have a heated greenhouse, you can try growing pineapple in it:

1. Prepare the soil. It should consist of a mixture of garden soil, humus, peat in equal quantities and sand (it should be taken 2 times less than any other component). Soil layer - 25–35 cm.
2. Moisten the soil and plant rosettes or cuttings in it at a distance of 1 m from each other in holes 3–5 cm deep.

The main condition is that the air temperature should not be lower than 25 o C, the soil temperature should not be lower than 20 o C.

It is better to grow pineapple in large boxes mounted on stands to place heating devices under them.

Caring for plantings is the same as at home. Try to water the plants with acidified water. citric acid water, the temperature of which is not lower than the temperature in the greenhouse. To stimulate flowering, you can use acetylene rather than fumigation, so as not to harm other plants.

Pineapples can be successfully grown in a greenhouse

Disease and pest control

Pineapple is a plant with a fairly strong immune system, but there are several problems that you may encounter when growing this crop:

• Drying of leaves. This usually happens if the plant is in direct sunlight or the temperature is excessively high. Move the pot to a cooler or shaded area and spray it with water.
• Leaves turning pale. A sign of lack of light, so move the plant to a bright place.
• Rotting of the base. This happens due to high humidity and cold. Place the pineapple in a warmer place and let the soil dry. In the future, carry out moderate watering.

Table: Pineapple Pest Control

Photo gallery: who threatens the pineapple

A special feature of the pineapple bract is the presence of stripes.

The bush reaches a height of 0.3–0.5 m, has many dark green leaves. Suitable for planting at home, does not take up much space, and reproduces well by layering. Prefers porous, well-drained soils. The fruits are small, no more than 7–10 cm long and weighing within 0.5 kg, which can be used as food.

Caena pineapple fruits can be used as food

I didn’t grow anything on my windowsill, but now I want to tell you about the Caena pineapple. This pineapple was given to me in the spring, on March 8th. The pineapple was beautiful, thick, with a beautiful rosette of small red flowers. After some period of time, a small pineapple fruit began to appear, at first green, then began to turn yellow, from the fall of the flowers to the appearance yellow fruit Probably half a year has passed. The pineapple fruit tastes very, very sweet, soft, not like what is sold in the store. Of course, after peeling there was almost nothing left, but my whole family was able to try and appreciate it. The pineapple (green) itself is not tall, 20–25 cm. And the fruit was about 7 cm.

Raspi

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The bush reaches a height of 0.8–0.9 m, forms long green leaves with a bluish coating and spines along the edges. At home it is mainly used as ornamental plant without forming an edible fruit.

Champaka pineapple is often used as an ornamental plant.

Growing a pineapple is not a difficult task; you just need to properly prepare it for planting and follow simple care rules. Follow all the recommendations, and you will get a wonderful plant that will not only decorate your home, but will also delight you with a harvest.