Can You Grow A Pineapple Indoors

Can You Grow A Pineapple Indoors | Yes for the plant

Pineapples are delicious, tropical, albeit slightly sour fruits that people around the world have come to love. We’re used to seeing them filling grocery stores during the summer season and providing a wonderfully refreshing treat. 

But, could grow your own pineapple from the comfort of your home?

You can absolutely and easily grow pineapple plants from cuttings of the fruit you have just eaten! New roots will show up in no time, however, growing pineapples to the point where the plant fruits will likely require a garden spot as they require a bit of space.

I still love growing pineapple plants indoors. They are extremely satisfying as they grow quickly and they also make a good little planting project for kids to start growing their own vegetables and fruits.

Types of Pineapples to Grow at Home

Most of us are familiar with bright, sunny pineapples. However, most of us probably aren’t familiar with the many varieties of pineapples out there. 

If you’re going to grow pineapple at home, you’ll probably just want to stick to whatever your grocery store has in stock. Usually, grocery stores stock Smooth Cayenne pineapple. 

However, there are plenty of other types of pineapples, and all of them grow equally well indoors! A few types of pineapples you might come across include: 

  • Common Rough
  • Abacaxi
  • Panare
  • Singapore Red
  • Kona Sugarloaf
  • Mordilona

No matter which type of pineapple you get your hands on, the growing process for cultivating these indoors is pretty much the same. 

How to Grow Pineapple Indoors

Woman Is Holding Pineapple In Her Hands

There are several grocery store fruits and vegetables that you can grow indoors. For example, you can use the avocado pit from your favorite superfruit to grow avocado indoors!

Pineapple works much the same way. As long as you have a grocery store pineapple to get you started, you can start growing this fruit on your own at home. 

Here’s how to grow a pineapple at home from cutting.

Prep the Pineapple from cuttings

If you’ve ever eaten a pineapple you’ve probably noticed that there are no seeds in the fruit. Or, perhaps you haven’t noticed, thanks to the lank of pips and seeds to spit out!

Because pineapples don’t typically contain seeds, you’ll have to plant them with cuttings instead of through seed germination.

If this sounds scary, relax. Planting with cuttings is actually much simpler than planting something using seeds!

To start, you’ll need to cut off the top of the pineapple. Cut the pineapple as close to the spiky green part at the top. You want to avoid leaving too much fruit on the stem as this will rot and cause you problems later down the line. 

What you’re left with should be the spiky, prickly green stem of the plant. This is going to serve as your cutting for the growing process.  

Pare Down the Stem

With the stem of the plant in hand, you need to do a bit more preparation. Using a paring knife, gently cut off some of the bottom leaves on the stem.

You want to leave about 1-inch of the stem exposed. 

You’ll notice that the stem is characterized by small, brown dots. These are actually where the roots of the pineapple will grow so you can begin cultivating your plant. 

After you’ve pared down the stem, place it in a dry spot with direct sunlight and allow it to rest for a day or two. This helps give the stem time to heal so that when you plant it, the pineapple will take root more quickly. 

Pineapple Leaves

Start the Growth in Water

After a day or two, it’s time to start growing the pineapple. 

Get a glass of clean, fresh water. You don’t need a large glass here; just find a container that will allow the exposed part of the pineapple stem to be submerged in water. 

Let the pineapple stem sit in the water and place it in a sunny spot. A window where the plant will receive plenty of direct sunlight is a great choice. 

Allow the pineapple to sit for a few days while the roots take hold. After a couple of weeks, you should notice roots beginning to grow from the stem of the pineapple.

You can keep it alive in water for quite some time.

Transfer to a Pot

As soon as you notice new roots beginning to form on your pineapple stalk, it’s time to transfer it to a pot. This is where the real magic happens. 

To transfer your pineapple, you’ll first need to come up with the best possible potting soil. 

Pineapples like sandy soil – sandblasting sand is great for this – with good drainage. Loam is a great type of soil for pineapples because it allows the water to drain out of the ground fairly quickly. 

Find a smaller pot (about 6 inches tall) and place the pineapple stalk in it. Add the soil and pack it in around the pineapple plant. 

From there, you’re ready to move the pineapple back into a sunny spot in the home and wait! In a few weeks, you should have a beautiful, flourishing plant. 

Pro Tip: you can add a bit of growth hormone to the soil to help speed up the rate at which your pineapple blooms. Just be sure to use one that’s environmentally friendly!

Please note it takes about 18-24 months for the plant to start flowering.

Growing Pineapple fruit

If you live in a tropical or sub-tropical area and are lucky enough to have garden space, you can transfer your pineapple plant to a full-sun spot. The main thing here is not to plant too deep and keep the crow well above the soil.

Pineapples are easy to maintain. They should be fertilized once a year and you will only need to prune the dead leaves. Pineapple fruit takes between 2 to 3 years to come along and the lifecycle of one plant typically lasts 5 years.

Grow Your Own Pineapple at Home

Pineapple In Pot At Home

Growing pineapple plants at home is pretty easy, and you don’t need to have a ton of gardening experience to do it! By implementing these tips and tricks, you’ll be able to start cultivating your own pineapples in no time. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Until a Pineapple Fruits?

Even though you’ll notice your pineapple plant growing healthily pretty fast, you shouldn’t immediately expect fruit. It takes about two years for a pineapple plant to produce fruit that’s large enough to eat!

Can Pineapple Grow in Cold Climates?

Pineapples cannot be grown outdoors in cold climates. Since these are tropical plants, the cold and frost will kill them. However, you can grow them in greenhouses or inside the home if you live in a colder climate. Grow lights should also help to maintain the right temperature.