Propagate Pineapple Crowns with Efficiency

Propagation of pineapples by crown cuts is definitely one of the most common and economical ways for home growers to grow and enjoy the fruits of their labor. It just makes sense to save your money with this quick and easy method.

Pineapples grown at home in the bright sun yield some of the sweetest fruit you’ll ever try. I should know, I have successfully grown several varieties of pineapples here and sell live plants locally at affordable prices. Other vendors sell pineapple plants for upwards of $20 or more and you can typically find fresh pineapples at your local grocer for $1. You’ll find the plants live here locally in Lexington, KY for just a few dollars.

So how do we grow them with such success? Most people trim up the core top that’s attached to the crown and let them root in water. This can work but you may run into issues such as rotting, having to clean water routinely, and then transferring to soil. This takes time and doesn’t have the highest success rate. I often see folks complaining of the slowness and the rot issues, so let’s alleviate all of the confusion and outline the best way to grow your own pineapples!

The first step as with every method is removing the crown. Easy enough!

Now that we have the crown, we need to trim the exposed core back. Way back! Don’t be afraid, once you see the next steps you’re going to facepalm realizing that you’re about to shave potentially months off your typical rooting process. 

Alright, we’ve taken at least an inch off, this will vary by variety and maturity. At this point, surely there’s not enough left to root in water! Of course not! We’re not going to placing this in water. Begin peeling leaves off in order as they appear on the crown. This will be about 8-12 leaves typically but may differ. This is what you’ll see.

Now those little squiggly things attached to the crown between the leaves are roots. Yup. I know, I was blown away when I first came to this conclusion years ago. Pineapple crowns are already rooted! Once you e exposed these roots, and you've ensured the core is gone, you’re ready to stick the crown right in soil, give it a watering, and water every week in a sunny spot. Your pineapple plant will be rooted and ready in a third of the time as typical methods. 

Enjoy your new plants! Enjoy saving that money! 

if you have any questions, or if this article has helped you out, feel free to leave a comment! I do my best to get back to everyone.