Pineapple Propagation

Many people like to have gardens to grow their own food, but who ever heard of growing pineapples? Most kitchen scraps can be used to grow new plants. Potatoes, onions, celery, carrots, and avocados to name a few. But don't forget about the pineapples.

My family loves pineapple, so when they were on sale I grabbed two. They were in a visible spot on the kitchen counter for a couple of days, which was like a beacon to my 3-year old. He touched and played with the pineapple until one afternoon I heard, "Mama, I boke it." The pineapple head popped off. It was twisted off cleanly, which gave me the idea to propagate it. I had my 4-year old son twist off the other pineapple head. Next, we filled two styrofoam cups with water and set the heads in the cups. The lower leaves of the pineapple head kept the bottom suspended in the water. We set the cups in a south facing window and waited and waited. Finally, about two months later roots started emerging. 

The boys checked their pineapples regularly and changed the water when needed. They liked this chore because they could touch the tops and pretend the sharp leaves poked their little fingers. I would hear a lot of ouches followed by giggles. 

It took a lot of patience for them to eventually see something happening, but it worked. The roots were fun to look at, and it gave me a chance to explain their purpose. Eventually, each pineapple head had new leaf growth, which I explained that the leaves soak up the sun for food. The boys were more impressed with the new leaves than anything because they were sharper and didn't have any brown on the tips. This made them better for the pretend ouchies. 

The next step is for them to be potted. We haven't done it because if we are gone at all in the near future, they can't be watered everyday. If they stay happily suspended in the water, they are self sufficient.