Pineapple – Dividing and Growing

Q: I have a three year old pineapple plant. It has three babies growing from the bottom of the plant. Should I repot the babies?

A: Interesting! A pineapple usually doesn’t make offsets until after it flowers.

Despite that, I think the babies will root and grow just fine for you. Pull the whole big plant out of the pot and shake as much dirt from the roots as you can. You should be able to clearly see the attachments between the offsets and the mother plant. Use a sharp knife or garden pruners to clip the connections.

Fill three pots with a damp 1:1 mixture of sand and potting soil. Press the bottom of each baby firmly into the soil. Find a container slightly bigger than your pots. Fill it halfway with water and immerse the pot so that water comes up from the bottom, wetting the soil.

Put the plants in a very bright window for winter. Water only when the top of the soil feels dry. Take them outside to a spot with bright shade beginning in late April. By mid-May you can put the pots into full sun.

Fertilize every four weeks by filling the watering container with diluted liquid fertilizer (Miracle-Gro). The plants will grow quickly. You may have to move them into larger pots to keep them from tipping over.

It takes approximately 16 months for a pineapple to flower. You’ll have to take your large plants indoors again for winter.

Take them out again as described above and hopefully in the second year they will bloom and produce a pineapple in the center of each one.