Do pineapple tops ever form roots?
Q I have tried several times and in several ways to grow a plant from a pineapple top. How should I do it correctly? Jenny Bolton, Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire A It is possible to grow a new pineapple plant using the tuft of leaves at the top of the fruit.
Using a sharp knife, cut the tuft off with about 1cm of fruit attached. Dip the cut surface of the cutting in a fungicide solution and leave it somewhere warm to dry for a few days.
Then insert the cutting into a pot of proprietary cuttings compost, covering the fruit part and ensuring that the base of the lowest leaves is just in contact with the soil. The pot will need to be kept somewhere bright, but not in full sun, and with a minimum temperature of 70°F (21°C). It should root within a few weeks and can then be potted into the same mix used for the parent plant.
Once a cutting is established, it will tolerate all sorts of conditions, including neglect, so long as it has the right temperature: 60-80°F (16-27°C) is ideal.
Plentiful water and fortnightly liquid feeding through the growing season will produce foliage and plants shouldn’t need repotting more than once a year – they do better in as small a pot as practicable. Use really free-draining compost – peat-based with additional grit.
It is more difficult getting the cutting to fruit, though placed somewhere bright, warm and with plenty of water and nutrients there is a good chance that a fruit will appear. Under the right conditions (warm and humid) it will take five-seven months for a fruit to reach maturity. It is ready to eat when it starts to turn yellow.