Growing Pineapples
One of the many great things about living in Hawai’i are the fresh Pineapples. In the UK, where I first had Pineapples, they are obviously not … indigenous ? … so they have to be shipped into the country from .. well .. Hawai’i, and as a result they are normally more of a brownish colour … and slightly shrunken and even slightly wrinkled, basically not so fresh. I had no idea what fresh Pineapple was like until I came to Hawai’i and saw the more greeny golden Pineapple and experienced it’s sweeter taste.
Now apparently Pineapples are no more a fruit then say a bunch of grapes is a fruit, a grape is a fruit, but a bunch of grapes is a collection of fruit. In the same way, a Pineapple is a collection of fruit. This of course could be a lie, I read this in a magazine on a plane flying between Hilo and Honolulu, if you can verify the truth of this, or uncover the lie, let me know.
Now I’m going to try and describe how to grow Pineapples, this may or may not go well, I don’t really have much experience of growing Pineapples, I am still working on my first, however most of the following information comes from the local newspaper, the Tribune Herald, which in turn was based on ‘Pineapple Cultivation in Hawaii’ (UH CTAHR Cooperative Extension Service bulletin F&N-7) by D.O. Evans, W.G. Sanford, and D.P. Bartholomew.
The full article can hopefully be found here. The following is edited.
“Pineapples are generally grown from crowns which are twisted off from the top of the fruit. They should be allowed to cure (dry) for several days in an area with good air circulation out of the direct sun. Any fruit attached to the crown should be removed to reduce the likelihood of rot.”
“Good soil drainage is essential and pineapples do best in acidic soil; at a pH of 4.5-5.5 there are fewer soil-borne diseases. Pineapples do not do well in soil with a pH of 7 or higher.”
“The soil should be well tilled to prepare it for planting. The addition of animal manure or compost will improve the soil tilth, add nutrients and may improve the availability of some micronutrients. Water the area well to check the drainage, and if it is not well drained it may be necessary to build a raised bed at least eight inches high. Raised beds can be built with sides to hold the soil or by building a low mound.”
“While pineapples do tolerate drought, production will be much better if supplemental irrigation is provided during extended dry periods. About 24-inches of rainfall is sufficient for good growth and production, but it needs to be well distributed throughout the year. Give the plants a good soaking, especially as the roots develop, but don’t water too frequently, let the soil dry out a bit between waterings. Applying mulch, organic or otherwise, around the plant (but not touching the base) will help to conserve and moderate moisture.”
“Pineapple has high requirements for nitrogen, potassium and iron and relatively low requirements for phosphorus and calcium. It is advisable to test your soil annually to determine the nutrient levels and pH. If you can’t test before planting, add a small amount of a complete fertilizer and work it in to the soil. If calcium is needed, use gypsum as it supplies calcium without lowering the pH, unlike most other calcium sources.”
“For the first five months after planting the need for fertilizer is quite low, it increases sharply in the sixth month and peaks a few months before flower initiation. Fertilizer can be applied around each plant or in a band down the row, or as a foliar application. Foliar applications should be made in low volumes to avoid rundown into leaf axils. The nutrients will be taken up by the green leaf tissue.”
“Pineapple flowers are initiated during cool, short days. They become visible about 45-60 days later depending on location. Fruit is ready to harvest approximately six to eight months after flower initiation, again depending on location. Fruit at lower elevations will mature earlier than those at higher elevations.”
“It takes 15-20 months after planting to get the first fruit. ‘Smooth Cayenne’ is ready to harvest when the individual eyes become flattened and glossy and the skin turns from green to yellow or yellow-orange. The colour change begins at the bottom of the fruit and works its way up. Pick when at least half the fruit has turned color; experimenting to see how ripe you prefer it.”
“After the fruit is harvested, one or more suckers will continue to grow and produce one or two of what is called ratoon crops. Ratoon crops are usually smaller, sweeter, and less acidic than the first fruit of the plant. The first ratoon will be ready to harvest in about seven to nine months after the first fruit.”
Now the real question is, can Pineapple be grown outside of Hawai’i ? and the answer is, I don’t know, however with modern growing techniques, namely artificial environments with lamps and heat sources, I cannot see why not, the fact that the source fruit obtained outside of Hawai’i may not be as fresh does not mean that it cannot be used, remember the part where it said “They should be allowed to cure (dry) for several days in an area with good air circulation out of the direct sun.” ?
If you succeed in growing one in outside ( or even inside ) of Hawai’i. let me know.
Now I’m off to tend to my Green Tea plant …
UPDATE : Instructables guide.
May 5th, 2006 at 10:03 am
A favourite use of pineapple is in cherry pie. Yum. Do cherries grow well in HA?
May 8th, 2006 at 8:54 am
Thats a good question.
The short answer is … I don’t know.
Most plants tend to grow well here, it is warm, wet, and the soil is very mineral rich.
However, I have not seen any cherries for sale at the farmers market, so it is possible that they do not grow here, and there are very strict import restrictions on flora ( and fauna, ) but saying that it might not be the season for them ( though the change in seasons is not very dramatic. )
May 9th, 2006 at 11:47 am
Speaking of which … would you like to share a good Cherry ( and Pineapple ) Pie recipe ?
May 16th, 2006 at 9:47 am
Hmmm, pie and recipe don’t really go together for me; I just make the pie. And I don’t have an oven for playtesting. But here goes: You want to make a really light crust, as much fat as the flour will hold. I make pie crust with just flour, margarine and water- other people would say it needs sugar and salt (they are free to say that, but they are wrong). Handle it as little as possible, use lots of flour when you roll it out. You’ll need enough for a top and bottom crust, and not thin either. I always grease and flour the pie tin, and try to build up the crust rather than trim it neatly at the top. I like pie crust. Preheat the oven, to around 350-375F, or so (is your oven marked in Fahrenheit?). For the filling, I’d guess two thirds cherry to one third pineapple, and maybe two spoonfulls of flour to thicken. But I’d be using canned fruit, and since fresh fruit would be less mushy, you may not need that much flour. Pete’s on a low sugar kick at the moment, and that could be influencing me here, but because the pineapple is so sweet, I’m thinking a spoonfull of sugar would be enough for the whole pie, just check how tart the cherries are. Mix the filling, fill the pie and put the top crust on. Poke a nice pattern in it, and bake, about 45 minutes I think. Just keep an eye on it, and take it out when the crust is brown and the filling is bubbling. Let it cool. Pie is easy, honest.
To relate this to your next post, I’ve heard that recipes can’t be copywrited- lists of ingredients and instructions don’t seem to qualify as texts. I have no documentation to back that up.
May 17th, 2006 at 1:43 pm
Wow !
Cheers Arteth :O)