Planting Pineapples

Home >> Home & Garden >> Planting Pineapples

Planting Pineapples

Pineapple is a member of the family Bromi-liaceae, was propagated vegetatively in im-proved forms by the Central and SouthAmerican natives long before the discovery ofthe continent by Europeans. Then it was rapidlyspread throughout the world and is now growneverywhere in the Tropics, to which it is adapted.In the United States it can be grown only in thewarmest areas of the Fla. peninsula, and in well-protected garden sites along the southernPacific coastal strip. It is a principal crop ofHawaii, and a minor one in Fla.

The plant is a herbaceous, perennial mono-cotyledon. it has a short stem or stalk, coveredby the narrow swordlike leaves in a tight spiral;the stem, at the time of floral differentiation,

bears numerous flowers in a tight spiral justbelow the growing point, which continues andforms a spiral of smaller leaves above theflowering portion of the stem, known as thecrown. The plant is about 3 ft. tali, and if notcrowded it will spread 4-5 ft. or more with age.

The exact hardiness ii-nits for the Pineappleare not truly known; in the open it has beenseriously damaged at temperatures cf 32' F.,but under lathe or cover, plants have beenreported to withstand as low as 25' F. for shortperiods. However, fruit is injured by a fewhours below 41' F.

Three parts of the plant are commonly used inpropagation. The crown, borne on top of thefruit; slips, which develop at or near theflowering stalk, and shoots or suckers, whichdevelop in the axils of the leaves, or frombelow ground. Taken from the mother plant,usually after the harvest, they are dried for aweek to a month before planting. They arcplanted upright in dibbled holes 4 to 6 in. deep.Slips are usually preferred, then suckers, andcrowns last. An alternative method is to takethe leaves from a stem, cut it into 2 or 3 portions,burying these in the soil 5 or 6 in. deep.

Planting distance in multiple plantings variesconsiderably, but the plants can be grown closetogether, as 22 in. x 22 in. in beds of severalrows.

The primary concern in developing qualityfruit of good size is to keep the plant growingvigorously. Up to 7o or 8o 'leaves should bedeveloped before flowering to secure good fruitsize; this can be obtained only with heavyfertilization. On sandy soils a pound or more ofa 6-6-6 formula applied at 3 or 4 evenly spacedapplications through the year are generallyneeded. In addition, extra nitrogen in the winterand summer is often used. A fertilizer whichcontains other elements, such as magnesiumand trace elements, will probably give excellentresults, as pineapples suffer many micro-nutrientdeficiencies.

Foliar feeding is particularly easy with thePineapple, for the basal portion of each leaf isadapted to absorb water andnutrients. Aspray of I lb. of urea, 12 oz. of potassiumsulfate, 8 oz. of calcium nitrate and 4 oz. of ironsulfate, magnesium sulfate, and calgon, plus ateaspoonful of borax, and a small amount ofcopper sulfate per to gal. of water sprayed onthe plant at biweekly intervals will satisfy itsrn ineral needs.

Pineapples are not too particular as to soil,except that it must be well drained; light sandysoils are best, but will recuire greatest fertiliza-tion. Watering should be shallow, with mulchesrecommended to keep down weed competitionand hold water near the surface of the soil. The

Pineapple Family

Pineapple does well in full sun if maximumtemperatures are not too high; it can also begrown quite satisfactorily in partial shade. Itshould not be planted exposed to winds, as theheavy fruit and shallow root system make itparticularly subject to blowing over.

As the inflorescence appears, the flowersopen from the base toward the tip, taking about20 days to complete. The petals are violet orpurplish, and wither after bloom. All pine-apples are self-incompatible (will not set seedwith their own pollen) so that the fruit on anisolated plant or a field of the same varietydevelops without seed forming. The edibleportion of the fruit is made up of the fusedbract, corolla and ovarian portions of theflower, the petals and stamens having dried anddropped, and is a sorosis. If cross-pollinated,hard, bony seeds form in the ovary, deep in the flesh.

The Pineapple may be induced to bloom rather easily by spraying the central growingpoint with naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) atabout o ppm. It seems to be a little moreeffective if applied during cool weather, andhence might be used as a spring spray to insurefruit development through the best part of thesummer. It should not be used unless there aresufficient leaves on the plant to bring the fruitthrough in best condition and size. Com-mercially it is used primarily to induce all of theplants to bloom at the same time, so that harvestis simpler. The single flower cluster emergesfrom the basal rosette of leaves and matures15 to 32 months from planting. If, after harvest,the original plant is left in place, floweringoccurs annually in the so-called ratoon cropswhich follow. Ratoon crops have more than asingle fruit, but not more than 2 or 3 should beavowed to develop. The plant will exist formany years, although in commercial practiceIt— fields are taken beyond the first or secondratoon crop, because the fruits tend to besmaller and less perfect.

Temperature affects the time of first fruitingto a marked degree. Slips planted in the fallseldom fruit until the second summer follow-ing. Crowns will probably take somewhat longerto develop a good plant than slips. Drought andadverse weather during the year may delay theappearance of the inflorescence the nextseason, or cause it to be smaller than normal.Time from flowering to ripening is lengthenedby cool weather. Thus, though fruits usuallymature in summer, they may be delayed untilexposed to damaging winter temperatures.
There are numerous varieties of Pineapple.`Cayenne' is the main commercial variety ofHawaii, and is sometimes used in Fla., but`Red Spanish' and `Abachi' are preferred there.

The latter has a rich flavor and is yellow fleshed;`Red Spanish' is more acid and less sweet, withyellowish-white flesh. Nematodes may devitalize the plant ;fumigation of the planting site will bebeneficial. Mealybugs, thrips and mites alsoattack the plant, especially the former. A waterspray of malathion will control mealybugs;sulfur dusts most thrips and mites. Control ofants will minimize mealybug attacks. Weeds are perhaps the greatest enemy ofPineapple. Paper and black polyethylene sheets,or mulches may be used beneficially to keepweeds down in a close-planted bed. Hoeingshould be as shallow as possible.

Other Gardening Articles:

Home :: Contact Us :: About Us :: Privacy Policy :: Terms of Use :: Site Map