Article by Doreen Coyne, a member of the Richmond Hill Garden & Horticultural Society.
Missing your warm afternoons in the garden? How about growing an indoor plant from something you bought at the grocery store? An indoor plant can be a source of food. With this Gardening Tip, it could be both and indoor plant and a source of food. And with patience once you eat the fruit, you can use it to grow another of that plant.
I’m speaking of the beautiful pineapple!
You can grow your own pineapple right here is Richmond Hill. Here’s how to grow a pineapple from another one. In the picture, you can see the new pineapple growing amidst its parent’s spiky, yet leafy, crown.
1. Start with a complete pineapple that you bought to eat. Before using it, hold the body of the pineapple in one hand and the spiky leaf top near the base of the leaves with your other hand. You may want to wear gloves to do this. Gently twist the leafy crown (as if you were opening a jar) until it separates from the fruity base.
2. Now gently pull off the last inch or so of the spiky leaves so the bottom part of the stem is bare of leaves.
3. Place that base in water almost up to where the leaves remain.
4. Keep the container in direct sunlight. If it is warm outside, sit it on the porch or deck during the day and bring it in at night.
5. Change the water every other day or so and keep the container filled with the right level of water.
6. You will notice roots starting in about a week but lots of roots by 6 to 8 weeks. At that point you can transplant it into potting soil.
Once transplanted, it makes a great leafy green houseplant but it may take 1 to 3 years before it develops a new pineapple. Blooming depends on the production of ethylene. Some believe that putting the plant in a plastic bag with a few apples will produce more ethylene and blooming could start in 2 or 3 months!
For more information about Scrap Gardening check out these sites:
· Gardening Knowhow: Planting pineapple tops
· Gardening Know How: Children’s Victory Garden: Ideas And Learning Activities For Kids
· Monica Mangin’s Instagram (DIY expert) http://www.instagram.com/monicamangin/?hl=en
