A fan of exotic plants at least once comes up with the idea of own-growing pineapple. Not every florist knows how to grow pineapple at home from the top, creating him a comfortable environment for growth and fruiting in a city apartment or house. In fact, it is quite possible for a person who does not have much experience in plant breeding.
How to plant pineapple at home?
To understand how to plant pineapple at home and how to grow it, you need to know what natural conditions are familiar to him. Pineapple is a herbaceous plant of dry and warm plains, similar to a bush with hard leaves, from the center of which grows a flower spike. On it also the fruit which we habitually see on regiments of supermarkets is fastened.
Planting pineapple at home can occur in several ways:
- "Palm" (apical leaves) of ripe pineapple;
- "Children" (lateral shoots) from an adult plant;
- seeds.
Growing pineapple at home from the top
Pineapple is capable of giving lateral processes. You can drop them directly into the pot with a suitable primer and grow pineapple from them. It's fair to say that you need to find someone who can get hold of such "children", because not everyone grows pineapples on his windowsill! Is it possible to grow pineapple from the top? Without a doubt, it's possible! Buy a ripe pineapple, separate this "palm" from it, plant it in the ground, and eat pineapple for your own pleasure.
How to plant a pineapple from the top?
Before you can enjoy your own pineapple on the windowsill, you should learn how to grow pineapple, avoiding mistakes. First you need to find a suitable for this purpose pineapple. It is better to buy pineapple for planting in summer or early autumn. The fruit should be ripe and exude a delicate aroma, its skin is golden in color, the leaves are green, elastic. Do not take pineapple if its leaves are withered or frost-bitten, gray "dusty" in color, have spots (which may indicate damage to their pests).
How to cut pineapple for planting?
The easiest way is to prepare the planting material by literally removing the "tuft" of leaves from the fetus. Algorithm of actions:
- Put on gloves to protect the skin of your hands from prickly leaves.
- Tightly grasp fingers of one hand closer to the base all the leaves completely.
- Hold the fetus firmly with your other hand.
- Slowly, but confidently turn the tip, as if you unscrew the screw.
It is important not to overdo it. Of the ripe fruit, the tip should be unscrewed without problems, but if it does not work, then it can be cut with a sharp clean knife. Here's how to properly cut pineapple:
- Stepping away from the tuft 4-5 cm, make a cut.
- Holding the knife under 45 °, cut out the leaves together with the root-spine from the pulp. Do not damage the core!
- Make sure that the pulp is completely cleaned from the spine, otherwise planting will begin the decay process.
How to grow pineapple from the top?
Germination of pineapple begins with the preparation of the top. The easiest way to grow a pineapple at home from the top:
- Remove the lower leaves (2-3 cm), exposing the growth points of the future rootlets on the stem of the plant. Then, when you plan to put the tuft right into the water, you can not dry it, but pre-treat it with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
- As a vessel for germination of the cuttings, take an opaque container (you can use an ordinary cup).
- The water must be at room temperature, clean, stand-by. Change the water every two days, not allowing it to grow cloudy. Watch the water level.
- Lower the petiole into the water follows the height of the growth points of the rootlets, while not immersing the leaves of the tuft in the water.
- The container with the handle should be placed in a warm, bright place, protected from direct sunlight, temperature drops, drafts and pets. Approximately in 7-10 days priklyucing roots. When they are stronger and grow by 2-3 cm, the plant can be planted in the ground.
- Before planting, remove it from the water, dry it on the paper towel for several hours, treat it with ash or activated charcoal, then proceed to planting.
How to root the top of a pineapple?
Another way to grow pineapple is to root the prepared top without first germinating in water. The top is cut from pineapple by the above algorithm. The base should be dried before planting for a couple of weeks, by hanging the "palm" with the leaves down, so that the wounds on the cuttings are tightened. Before the planting, the flower growers process the petiole with ash, which is broken by activated charcoal for decontamination and prevention of decay.
Prepare a small pot of clay. Lay it into the sphagnum loosely, make a groove in the moss and lightly press the base of the tuft. Place the pot with the seedlings in a bright, warm (23-25 ° C) room away from direct sunlight. Rosette leaves regularly sprayed from the spray gun. You can cover the plant with a transparent cap to create a microclimate. Do not overhydrate! If young leaves appeared in the center of the rosette - the plant was rooted and ready to be planted in a permanent place.
Planting pineapple in a pot
So, we have a sprout with roots. In which pot plant a pineapple, sprouted one way to create a suitable living conditions for the plant? In the pot must be a drainage hole. First, take a pot a little larger in diameter than the crest, about 15 cm. Do not immediately take a large container. It is better to do the transshipment later, by increasing the size of the pot to the required size. Since pineapple roots are located close to the surface, very deep capacity is not required.
We proceed to landing:
- Prepare the earth. For a couple of days before planting, disinfect it by pouring a solution of potassium permanganate or boiling water. At the time of planting, the soil should be slightly moist, but not wet.
- At the bottom of the pot, place a drainage of expanded clay, vermiculite about a third of the height of the container.
- Fill the pot with prepared soil, in the center make a groove, the size of which allows you to freely place the roots and stalk to a height to the level of the leaves.
- Place the tuft in a pit, trying not to damage the roots. With one hand, hold the seedling, and the second carefully gently fill the space around the petiole, gently pressing the ground with your fingers.
- To make the plant still, you can fix it with wooden or plastic sticks.
- Pour the plant with a little water or sprinkle the soil from the spray gun.
Pineapple ground
Land for planting pineapple is on sale - it is a primer for planting bromeliads. You can also make the soil itself, mixing in proportion
- peat - two parts;
- river sand - one part;
- forest land (or turf land) - three parts
Pineapple in a pot - how to care?
When the plant has new green leaves, we can assume that the first stage is completed. However, for the decorative pineapple in the pot to grow and develop without problems, he needs the right care:
- Location - very bright place, without direct sun.
- Temperature regime - 23-27 ° С
- Watering is plentiful, but not frequent. Between watering the soil should dry up.
- Feeding - every two months of complex fertilizer .
- Spraying from the sprayer everyday, pineapple loves moist warm air.
That's all the wisdom, how to grow pineapple at home from the top! You can create a whole plantation on the windowsill, surprising the guests and making home the fragrant pineapple fruit. Observing simple rules of care, it is possible to get a beautiful, strong, amazing exotic plant from seemingly useless leaves, which, as usual, go into the trash can.