Pineapples

Pineapples can be grown very easily from cuttings of pineapple that have been bought and eaten. Simply let the cut off crown dry out for several weeks and remove any excess leaves around the base. After the wound has sealed it can be pushed firmly in place into a container of clean potting soil and allowed to slowly develop roots. All varieties can be propagated in the same way. As they do not like wet feet the cuttings only need to be watered once a week or ten days. The plants will produce fruit within eighteen months to two years. There are limited varieties currently available to consumers. The stock for these new varieties being developed still has to be propagated to significant numbers for production before they will be commercially available sometime in the near future. It is often difficult to tell whether the fruit is ripe or not. There is a common misconception that a ripe pineapple can be ascertained by plucking a leaf from the crown, but this has nothing to do with the ripeness. The qualities that reveal the ripeness are to do with a bright, fresh looking fruit that has a quarter to half colour. Underneath, the stem should be fresh rather than dry and withered, and at the top the leaves should be firm and fresh. There should be a good aroma and a resonant sound when the fruit is tapped, which means that the fruit is not over ripe inside.