Subject: Re: Pineapple Tops
From: [email-masked] (The Jester of Xanadu)
Date: Tue, 31 May 1994 22:58:02 GMT
Newsgroups: bionet.plants

Wile E One ([email-masked]) wrote:
: Does anyone have any tips on how to maintain fresh cut pineapple tops
: as an indoor plant.  

First, be sure that you want a large, space-sucking houseplant, or that 
you are in a more temperate climate. Take the pineapple tops (from a 
store-bought pineapple) and cut off the fruit so that the leaves and half 
an inch of the fruit remain. (See my first attempt at ascii art below) 
Next, take a spoon and gouge out all of the fruit from the base of this 
part. Leave the pineapple top sitting on a couple paper towels in the sun 
for two weeks. Do not get it wet. It will rot if wet. After two weeks, 
plant it in potting soil. Pineapples have more need for root systems and 
moist soil than do other bromeliads. Make sure the soil is moist, but not 
wet, and put a bit of water in the center (misting is beneficial at this 
point). It takes several years before the plant is the full four feet 
across with a flower spike. Mine was well on its way when California got 
hit by "the big freeze" a few years back (Pineapples can't go down below 
freezing).

                \\|//  \
                \\|//   >---- Leaves
                 \|/   /
                 *^*   <----  1/2" of actual fruit     

              Fig. 1 
           Jeff's first attempt 
           at ascii art (a pineapple)

Hope it helps.

Jeff Kirby