Growing Pineapple Plants: How do Pineapples Grow

Pineapple is a tropical plant, native to southern Brazil and Paraguay. Growing pineapples in humid areas gives a better yield. However, if proper care is taken, it is possible to grow a healthy crop even in temperate regions. A pineapple plant produces fruit once in a lifetime and thereafter dies.

Climate and Soil Requirements of Pineapple
The pineapple plants grow well in a temperature ranging from 65 ^oF to 95 ^oF. Although it tolerates cold temperatures for a short period during nights, the growth of a pineapple plant gets stunted and fruits become acidic, when it is exposed to lower temperatures for a longer time. Well-drained and friable soil, rich in organic matter, is the best for growing pineapples. Pineapple plants grown at high altitudes bear fruits, that are more acidic than those cultivated at lower altitudes.

Propagation
The production of new plants of pineapples is mostly done by means of crowns. Seeds are not preferred due to their slow growth. Other parts of the pineapple plant like 'slips' and 'suckers' are used in propagation.

While preparing the crown for propagation, its lower leaves are peeled off to expose the 'root primordia'. These crowns are then planted in a potting soil known as 'Bromeliad Potting Soil'. They are grown in pots for some days, before planting them in fields.

Planting
Before planting, the pineapple fields are well-prepared to suit this shallow rooted plant. Crowns prepared for plantation are sown at a depth of 10 cm in double-rows. A distance of 25-30 cms is maintained between two plants, while two double-rows are 0.9-1.8 m apart. Mulching practice is incorporated in pineapple fields for conserving soil moisture, maintaining the necessary temperature of soil and also for controlling weeds. In mulching, the entire field is covered with plastic sheets or bagasse (sugarcane pulp) is used.

Fertilization
The nutrient requirements of the pineapple plant change across different regions. Like any other crop, pineapples too require nitrogen in greater quantities than any other soil nutrient. In Kenya, 472 kg nitrogen per hectare is spread during the first year in 4 equal parts. In acidic soils, the application of magnesium sulfate proves to be beneficial. It is applied at the rate of 327 kg/ha in sandy-clay soils of Puerto Rico. Chelate is actually a chemical compound in which a metal atom is bound by other atoms. Iron, when applied with nitrogen in a chelated form, increases the crop yield as well as the fruit size

Irrigation and Weed Control
For pineapple production, irrigation is required only in the dry months of summer. Manual weeding is not recommended in pineapple fields, since it is expensive and can also lead to soil erosion. The practice of mulching is the best option for controlling weeds.

Flowering
Induction of flowering is undertaken to control the time of harvest and maturity in pineapples. Use of chemicals to control the natural and 'organic' growth of any plant is artificial and unnatural; however, cultivators tend to practice it to avoid excessive fruit production during peak periods. Earlier, ethylene gas was commonly used to control the fruiting process. Today, hormones such as a-naphthaleneacetic acid (ANA) are used. When a pineapple plant is 6 months old, it is treated with hormones.

Pests and Diseases
Care of pineapple plants becomes important in order to protect them from pests and diseases. Controlling nematodes is necessary because, they stunt pineapple growth. 1,3-dichloropropene or 1,3-D is efficient in controlling the nematodes and is applied by a process known as fumigation. In the fumigation process, soil is smoked with the necessary chemical. Mealy bugs which cause the wilting of pineapple leaves are controlled by spraying pesticides. The fire ants which carry mealy bugs from one plant to another, need to be controlled in this case. The root rot disease in pineapples is controlled by improving soil drainage and fungicide application.

Harvesting
Summer fruits of pineapple mature early as compared to the winter ones. To know if summer fruits are ready for harvesting, check whether the pineapple's 'eye' is pale green in color. In winter, fruits which are light yellow at the base are considered ready for harvesting. For pineapple fruits to be 'canned', it necessary to harvest them when fully ripe.

The pineapple fruit is considered as a welcome-symbol in some communities of the Caribbean islands. Pineapple plants are commonly found at the entrance of houses in these countries. Some people in Europe too, follow this practice of planting pineapples. They also use wooden articles carved with images of pineapple plants. Thus, along with their commercial value, pineapples have also attained cultural value in different parts of the world. So, we hope this brief information on growing pineapple plants was helpful.