How are pineapples grown?

Question

This sounded strange to me but my dad argued with me about how pineapples are grown

He says that a pineapple plant doesn't grow pineapples until someone cuts an already grown pineapple in half and places it around the pineapple plant.. then it will start growing pineapples
I thought maybe that could be possible for reproducing methods of pineapples? Like.. the cut pineapple placed around the plant will release pollen or something and make the pineapple plant fertile?

But then you have to ask the question.. which came first the pineapple or the pineapple plant?

I argued with my father for an hour about this and tried to look it up but couldnt find anything about it.
It still seems absurd to me

My dad also thinks that bottled water gets colder than tap water in the refrigerator lol
They would be the same temperature no
matter what!

http://www.cafepress.com/timid

Answer 1

A. First of all you need to buy a pineapple because it takes one to grow one. The easiest way to grow the plant is to cut off the crown (the leafy top). Strip a few of the basal leaves from the crown. Turn it upside down and let it dry for about a week so that the cut end and the leaf scars can harden before planting.

Plant the crown in an 8-inch porous pot using a good light garden soil with a 30% blend of organic matter. Tamp the soil firmly around the base of the crown and try not to get any soil in the leaves. You should fertilize the pineapple when planted and every two or three months thereafter with a good household plant food.

Patience is the key to successfully growing a pineapple plant. It often takes two years or more for a plant to bear fruit in peak growing conditions. The pineapple is a tropical plant so it can be severely damaged by freezing temperatures. During the summer months, the plant can be placed outdoors without too much worry. During the winter, keep the plant indoors near a sunny window. Water the soil lightly once a week.

Many people have had success with a pineapple house plant. One of the biggest problems is getting the plant to produce fruit. If the plant is two years old and has not flowered (the flower precedes the fruit), you can force fruit the plant by putting the plant and pot into a plastic bag with an apple. Move the bag to a shady spot and leaves it for three or four days.

Put the plant back in the sun. After a few months, a red come should appear followed by blue flowers and eventually a fruit. It takes about six months for the fruit to fully develop.

As you can tell by these detailed instructions, growing a pineapple plant requires patience and time. But the rewards of harvesting your own tropical fruit can justify the months of preparation.





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Answer 2

The pineapple plant comes first. After 2 years the pineapple starts growing. In Hawaii where i live there is a place called the Dole Pineapple Plantation they produce more than 2 million pineapples! But, otherwise if you do not cut the pineapple when it's ripe it would kill the plant because it would attract bugs and other parasites such as nematodes. But your dad is right this is one method of breeding a pineapple plant but you could just let it grow by itself where it would be pollinated by a bee or butterfly. It is like the papaya tree if you are growing a pineapple tree about 7' tall and still does not give any papayas it means that it's a male tree. To make it have papayas you have to stabb the tree with a knife in the center of the trunk, pretty weird but the result: papayas start growing within 1 year.

Answer 3

Pineapples are propagated by planting the "leafy crown" or top of the pineapple (to use much more of the fruit would be a waste), sliced off before one eats the bulk of the fruit. If you live in a warm climate, as here (South Florida), you can stick it in the dirt (not deep, but fairly shallow), water it, and it'll grow.
The other way is, after the full-sized plant produces fruit, it also (usually) has a number of shoots sticking out the sides of the plant. One can break off those and plant them, to produce more plants. It takes around a year and a half, to produce full-size fruit. I have grown about 2 dozen pineapples. My neighbors and I love them--very sweet!
For me, the plant came first: my uncle gave me plantable shoots, from his large plants.

Answer 4

It's only my thought, but I believe your dad is wrong on both counts.