How to grow Pineapple in Australia

Where to plant

Grow pineapples in full sun in light, free-draining, acid soil. They grow in a range of soils as long as drainage is good; soggy soil causes root and heart rot. A raised bed or mound helps in wet areas. They grow fastest with warm days around 30°C and nights around 20°C, and slow right down in cool weather.

Pineapples tolerate dry spells, as they store water in their leaves, but grow best with regular rain or watering.

• North Queensland and Darwin: ideal. Plant in the wet season; fruit forms from about November to March.
• South East Queensland: grows well in a sunny, frost-free spot.
• Northern Rivers: coastal gardens, or a pot you can move under cover. Light frost in the hinterland and the Lismore basin damages pineapples.
• Sydney: marginal. In full sun in a warm spot it can fruit in about two years, but fruit is smaller than in Queensland.
• Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra and Hobart: not suited outdoors. A pot moved indoors to a bright, warm spot in winter is the only option.

Choosing a variety

• Smooth Cayenne types are large plants with large, juicy, pale yellow fruit.
• Rough or Queen types are smaller plants with smaller fruit and deep golden flesh.
• A top from a supermarket pineapple grows the same kind as the fruit it came from.

How to plant

1. Twist the leafy top off a ripe pineapple, or use a slip or sucker from an existing plant.
2. Peel off a few of the lowest leaves to expose the base of the stem, and let it dry for a day or two.
3. Plant it shallowly, just deep enough to hold it upright, in gritty, free-draining mix or soil.
4. Water lightly and keep it barely moist until new roots form, usually within a few weeks.
5. Space plants about 30 to 60 cm apart, or grow one per pot.

Watering and feeding

Water moderately, letting the top of the soil dry between waterings, and water lightly in dry spells. Mulch to keep weeds down and hold moisture. Never let the soil stay soggy.

Feed regularly through the warm months with a balanced or potassium-rich fertiliser at a weak rate. Some of the feed can be poured into the central cup of leaves.

Pruning and care through the year

• Keep weeds down; pineapples compete poorly with them.
• As fruit ripens in strong sun, protect it from sunburn with a paper or shade cloth sleeve.
• After fruiting, the plant produces suckers and slips. Leave a sucker to give the next fruit, or remove them to plant new pineapples.

Harvesting

Pick when the skin has turned yellow or gold from the base upward, at half to full colour, and the fruit smells sweet. Cut or twist it off at the stalk, handling it gently, as bruised fruit rots.

Pineapples do not get sweeter after picking. Keep a whole ripe fruit on the bench for 2 to 3 days, or cut fruit in the fridge for up to a week.

Growing in pots

Pineapples make good pot plants in a container at least 30 to 40 cm wide, in gritty, free-draining potting mix, in full sun. In cool areas the pot can be moved to a bright, warm spot for winter.

Using it

Eat pineapple fresh, in fruit salads and smoothies, grilled, or cooked with ham and other meats. It also goes into cakes, jams, chutneys and puddings.

Propagation

Pineapples are grown from the leafy tops of fruit, from slips (small shoots that form below the fruit) and from suckers that grow from the base of the plant. Suckers and slips fruit sooner than tops.