The leafy top of a store-bought pineapple, known as the crown, is a viable piece of plant material used for vegetative propagation to grow a brand new Ananas comosus plant. Instead of being discarded, the crown holds the genetic potential to produce a future fruit. Success relies on specific preparation steps, careful planting, and patience.
Preparing the Crown for Planting
Separate the crown from the fruit by firmly grasping the leaves and twisting the top off. Alternatively, use a clean, sharp knife to slice the top off about one inch below the leafy base. Once detached, remove several layers of the lowest leaves to expose the stem, revealing small, brownish bumps known as root primordia.
This exposed stem area must be completely free of any remaining fruit flesh to prevent rot. The most important preparation step is curing, where the crown is left to dry out for several days, ideally between two days and a week. Curing allows the wound at the base to seal or “callus over,” which significantly reduces the chance of fungal or bacterial decay once the crown is placed in a moist environment.
Planting Techniques and Initial Care
After the crown has cured, plant it directly into a container filled with a well-draining soil mix. A suitable medium can be created by mixing potting soil with coarse sand or perlite, which prevents waterlogging. Choose a pot with excellent drainage holes that is initially small, such as a six to eight-inch diameter container, as this size is adequate for the initial rooting phase.
Plant the crown by burying only the exposed stem base, ensuring that the lowest remaining leaves sit just above the soil line. Firmly press the soil around the base to secure the crown upright. Water the soil thoroughly immediately after planting until water drains from the bottom of the pot to settle the medium.
Place the potted crown in a warm location that receives bright, indirect light for the first few weeks to promote root development. After this initial period, the plant needs a minimum of six hours of bright, direct sunlight daily, and watering should only occur when the top one to two inches of soil feel completely dry.
Long-Term Growth and Fruiting Timeline
Pineapple plants are slow-growing bromeliads, requiring a sustained period of vegetative growth before they can produce fruit. New roots typically establish within six to eight weeks, and new leaf growth from the center of the crown is a clear sign of success. As the plant matures, it will require repotting every one to two years into a container two to four inches larger in diameter, eventually needing a pot of up to 10 to 15 gallons to support fruit production.
During the active growth seasons of spring and summer, the plant benefits from a light, water-soluble fertilizer application about once a month. In temperate climates, the pineapple must be protected from cold, as temperatures below 65°F can slow growth, and freezing temperatures can be fatal.
For most home growers, the plant will take between 18 months and three years from planting the crown to producing a mature fruit. Flowering usually begins when the plant has reached maturity, roughly 18 to 24 months after planting. The appearance of a central flower spike signals the start of the fruiting process.
Once the flowers transition into the single fruit, it takes another four to six months for the pineapple to fully develop and ripen. Each crown will only produce one main pineapple before the parent plant begins to die back, but it will often generate “pups” or offsets that can be used to start the cycle again.