How to care for your homegrown pineapple plant. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
If you don’t live in a warm enough climate, pineapples make an excellent container plant. Pick a container that has a lot of drainage holes to avoid standing water. If you planted tops, it can take up to three years for fruits to mature, so unless you live in a tropical area, you’ll need to move your plant inside during the winter. And well before the first frost hits.
As long as you can give it enough sun, you can grow pineapple indoors year-round. Or, give it a supplemental grow light. Pineapple plants, by the way, make cool houseplants.
The first several months after planting, there’s no need to fertilize your plants. Then, you can add a liquid fertilizer. Fish emulsion or seaweed extract are two excellent choices. Dilute the fertilizer and use a watering can to apply it to the soil. You don’t want to use concentrated fertilizers because they will burn your plant.
If you did happen to plant outdoors in the ground but you are expecting a cold snap? No worries. Pineapples have extremely small and shallow root systems. That means you can dig them up and plant them in a container and then move them back outdoors when the right weather returns.
Listen to Cathy Isom’s This Land of Ours program here.