Subject: Re: Pineapple Tops
From: [email-masked] (Giles C. Darvell)
Date: 1 Jun 1994 00:32:42 -0300
Newsgroups: bionet.plants

The trick in successfully propagating a pineapple top is not allowing it to rot.
Fill a regular tumbler or glass three quarters full with clean water.  Then mount
the pineapple top so the the bottom barely touches the surface of the water.
You may have to adjust the volume of water accordingly.  The water should not
be left to stagnate and should be changed every three or four days.  Keep the
plant out of direct sun.  Roots should start to show within two months but
don't be discouraged if it takes longer.  As long as the pineapple top is green
there is potential for rooting.  If the lower leaves start to turn brown and shows
signs of rotting then they can be peeled off.  Sometimes new leaves will sprout
out from the top before roots appear - this is a good sign.  Once 4-6 healthy roots
appear it can be transplanted into a 4" pot using a soiless growing medium.
Once planted the plant should be watered sparingly until the root system has
established itself and then it can be treated as a regular house plant and put
into higher light.  Typically pineapple plants don't make attractive houe plants
but they are a curiosity if nothing else.

Good Luck

Giles 

P.S. - I own and operate an Interior Plantscape company and will be only too happy
to answer any questions of relevance if I can.