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Propagating Pineapple: A Sweet Guide for Tropical Fruits

By Author Lauren Juarez

Posted on  - Last updated:

There’s nothing better than slicing into a juicy fresh pineapple. The sweetness and tanginess pair well with many other fruits, desserts, and savory dishes. Did you know you can grow your own pineapple plant from a fresh store-bought pineapple?

With this guide, we will show you all the ways you can propagate a pineapple for free at home. It takes some commitment, but the rewards are oh-so-sweet!

propagating pineapple

How Pineapples Grow

Before propagating pineapples, it’s a good idea to know just how pineapples even grow.

Pineapples are tropical fruits that thrive on warm temperatures and humidity to grow their fruits. But once you have grown the pineapple plant and it then flowers and fruits, that’s it. The plant will only give one fruit, and then it will die.

Because they’re tropical plants, if you want to grow your pineapple plant outdoors, you must live in a warm and sunny climate.

But you don’t have to live in a tropical oasis to grow or propagate your own pineapples. Pineapples can grow perfectly in containers indoors. And the process is relatively simple at that.

Keep reading to see just how easy it is to propagate pineapples at home.

Types of Propagation Methods

pineapple crown winter

Propagating Store Bought Pineapple Tops

This is probably the first pineapple propagation method that comes to mind, and it’s considered a beginner method. You may have seen online videos of people popping their pineapple tops into a glass of water.

And it is that simple, kind of.

Although it is the most straightforward method, it is the slowest in terms of growing the fruit from start to finish. If the top propagates and grows roots, it takes a minimum of 24 months to flower. After that, it takes at least six months or more for the fruit to mature.

So, don’t plan on a pineapple harvest anytime soon. But it is a great project to start indoors and the plant is stunningly beautiful.

Tools Needed:

How to Do It:

Slice off the top of the pineapple how you normally would when cutting it to serve. This time save the top and remove the bottom leaves, leaving some of the stem exposed.

Let it dry out for about 2 days or more if you live in an overly humid environment.

Once dried out, plant it into soil, water, and let nature do the rest!

Keep it by a sunny window with temperatures indoors above 70 degrees fahrenheit.

You can propagate pineapple by placing it in a glass of water and then into the soil but this is not necessary and just adds another step to the process.

Propagating Pineapple Suckers

Pineapple suckers are small plantlets that grow between the top leaves of a mature pineapple that is still on the plant. They look like miniature pineapple tops.

The benefit of planting the suckers is they take less time to propagate and less time to mature than the pineapple tops. Plus, these need to be removed anyway since they take up much-needed energy from the growing fruit.

Of course, you need to have a growing and maturing pineapple to do this, but once you have one, this is the second easiest way to propagate another pineapple.

Tools Needed:

How to Do It:

With cleaned sharp pruning shears, clip the sucker as close to the base as possible and then remove some of the smaller leaves near the bottom.

Unlike the pineapple tops, you can transfer the sucker right into the soil and give it a bit of water, just enough to moisten the soil slightly.

Keep it by a sunny window with temperatures indoors above 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Do not try to propagate pineapple suckers in water, as they will instead rot, rather than root!

Propagating Pineapple Slips

Pineapple slips look much like pineapple suckers, but these grow on the bottom of matured pineapples closer to the stalk.

Not all pineapple varieties will grow pineapple slips, so this is the last and most challenging way to propagate pineapple simply because you may find it hard even to see a slip in nature.

Like suckers, you need to have a fully matured pineapple plant that produces slips to propagate this way. But if you do, you’re in luck!

Tools Needed:

  • Pair of durable gardening gloves.
  • Medium-sized container.
  • Potting soil.
  • Water.

How to Do It:

Once you notice the pineapple slips, you’ll need them to reach 4 to 6 inches in height to propagate.

Once you have snapped them off with your fingers while wearing gardening gloves, as they tend to be sharp, directly plant them into the soil with water.

The slips tend to be the fastest when propagating pineapples but are harder to get your hands on. Most pineapple varieties, even ones you can purchase from the grocery store, won’t produce slips.

This is why it’s an excellent pineapple propagation method but is the hardest to do.

Pineapple Plant Care

So, you have successfully propagated a pineapple.

Congrats!

Now it’s time to learn all about caring for your new plant addition.

Soil

Pineapples are incredibly easy to care for, and one of the reasons is that they can grow in nearly any soil type.

As long as you have basic run-of-the-mill soil, they will thrive. It’s even found in the wild that pineapples can grow in nutrient-deficient soil without problems.

Watering

Once again, pineapples are pretty lenient on the watering. As long as the soil isn’t soupy, they will do just fine.

Like most plants, don’t let the soil completely dry out. Maintain moist soil and your pineapple plant will be fine.

Fertilizing

Pineapple plants get all their nutrients through their leaves, unlike other plants that get it through their roots.

If you’d like to help and give your plant a boost, you can use natural fertilizers like fish emulsion or seaweed extract. Never put heavy chemical fertilizers on a pineapple plant, as this will burn the leaves.

Light Conditions

Pineapples prefer a bright, direct light when growing, so a sunny windowsill would be best. If planted outdoors, they will also do well in filtered light if they get direct sun during the day.

Temperature

In short, pineapple plants need a warm temperature to mature. These tropical plants prefer temperatures around the mid-’80s but cannot go below 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Humidity

Without 70 to 80 percent humidity, the pineapple plants’ leaves can start to brown and crisp up. Of course, if you have these plants indoors, you can either use an indoor greenhouse or make sure to give the leaves a gentle misting of water to prevent this.

Frequently Asked Questions: Propagating Pineapple

Pineapples

What is the best propagation method for pineapples?

Short answer: vegetatively. Using the suckers of a pineapple plant produces a quicker result and a healthier plant.

You can always use the crowns or tops of an already matured and cut pineapple, as discussed, but you will always get better results with the pineapple suckers.

Will a pineapple top root in water?

Yes, a pineapple top or crown will indeed root in water, most of the time. It’s not 100 percent guaranteed, but it can.

But, you’re actually just adding more work for yourself as the crown can be planted right into soil, eliminating the need for it to root into water altogether.

How many times will my pineapple plant fruit?

Once. All matured pineapple plants will flower and fruit once in their life cycles. But with these easy-to-follow pineapple propagation methods, you’ll never run out of pineapples!

Should I be using rooting hormone on pineapples?

You can, but in this case, it isn’t all that necessary. Pineapples get most, if not all, their basic nutrients from their leaves, so adding rooting hormone powder cannot hurt the plant, but it may not help either.

Propagating Pineapples: The Best Methods Step by Step

Propagating and caring for pineapples is a simple process that can be done either indoors or outdoors. Pineapple plants are fuss-free and, when taken care of properly, yield a delicious tropical fruit for you to enjoy.

Learn more about pineapples on our pineapple page, where you can read up on care tips, varieties, and more!