Pineapple harvest

[Alain Fournier]

I have grown a pineapple here in Quebec City. This is the first pineapple I have ever seen on a plant. And I don't know anyone who knows anything about growing pineapples. The fruit is now about half the size of a pineapple as sold at the grocery. The fruit is getting a little heavy and it is starting to lean over. Should I let it lean all the way to the ground or should I use a stake to keep it upright?

I'm not sure if I should expect my pineapple to grow quite as big as one that would've grown in the tropics. So, does anyone know what is the best way to know if a pineapple is ready to be picked?

When, I will harvest it, what do I do, do I just pull on the fruit or do I cut it off with a knife? I hope to get more pineapples from the same plant.

Does anyone have any other suggestions?

Thank you.

Alain Fournier

[how]

Hi, You should stake the fruit to keep it upright. Put a stick in the soil and tie the crown to it. Usually fruits grown from crowns will be somewhat smaller and not as sweet as the original. But the one that you got the crown from was not nearly as ripe as the one you are growing will be. A really ripe pineapple is much better than supermarket and they do not ripen any more when picked. Tap the base of the fruit daily and when it falls off the stem it is very ripe. When you pick the fruit do not throw the plant away even though each plant produces only one fruit and dies. The plant is capable of producing more plants. The great news is the reason to grow a pineapple from a crown is to get ones grown from ratoons which may grow around the base of the spent plant. Pineapples grown from ratoons will generally be larger and sweeter than the original. Enjoy -_- how

[Alain Fournier]

Thanks for your answer. I would like to grow a ratoon from my plant. But I don't know if that would be possible. This is a potted plant in my living room. I don't think it could grow ratoons in its pot. I will try to transplant it into the garden after picking the fruit but I will have, at best, only a few weeks left before freezing will kill the plant. Unless, do you think I should try to keep it alive for 8 months in its pot and wait until next June to put it outside to grow ratoons? I would then have 4 months of freeze free time to grow ratoons.

Alain Fournier

[how]

Hi, Pineapples grown from crowns do well in pots indoors, full sun is not required. Ratoon plants can take full sun but IMHO it would not be productive to give it few weeks of sun as the nights may be too cool. The eight months indoors and four outside is not long enough to fruit. Leave the plant where it fruited and wait and see if ratoons appear.

shows other parts that may be used to get another pineapple and one or more of these may appear.

HTH -_- how