How to grow a pineapple

Pineapple has its origin in South America where it has got the name "pina" meaning pine cone in Spanish which the fruit vaguel Pineapple has its origin in South America where it has got the name "pina[.]

Pineapple has its origin in South America where it has got the name "pina" meaning pine cone in Spanish which the fruit vaguely resembles The English added "apple" to associate it with juicy delectable fruits South American Indians called it "ananas" meaning "fragrant excellent fruit" which became the basis for its scientific name "Ananas Cosmosus" In Thailand, where its largest amount of production takes place, the fruit is called "Supparot" Pineapple is a distinctive-looking fruit with a sweet and juicy flesh People all over the world enjoy it for its refreshing and delicious flavor, but pineapple also has many health benefits It is rich in vitamin C and fiber, and it also helps aid digestion Pineapple can be prepared in many different ways to make full use of its flavor © Copyright 2002-2004 Rick's Woodshop Creations All Rights Reserved How To Grow A Pineapple Pineapple is one of the world's most unique and exotic tropical fruits, yet it is possible to grow it in a temperate zone under controlled conditions; with the most difficult part of the process just getting it Pineapple rooted Although you may not be able to grow as Recipes!! large a plant as is grown on a plantation in Hawaii, the following information should enable you to grow a healthy, attractive pineapple for your home And it makes a fun family project for the kids! With some patience, you can even grow a new pineapple from this plant It takes about two to three years, though, and even then some plants are difficult to get to produce new fruit However, I've searched the web and have provided below the best techniques for improving your odds of harvesting a ripe & delicious pineapple that will fill your house with its aroma To make full-sized pineapples, the plant will ultimately need to get about six feet across and six feet tall But, you can grow it as an interesting indoor plant and even get it to produce fruit (albeit small fruit) without letting it take over the living room :-) Here is some interesting trivia about your pineapple The pineapple is a member of the bromeliad family As such it is related to Spanish moss and some interesting ornamental plants sold in many nurseries These ornamentals are interesting in that they absorb water and nutrients from a water-tight reservoir formed where the leaves come together, or by interesting absorptive hairs which cover the Spanish moss and similar bromeliads, allowing them to draw water and nutrients from the fog and dust in the air The pineapple, however, uses its roots like houseplants with which you are familiar and should be easy to grow if you treat it like a normal houseplant that needs bright light There seems to be no definitive site given for the original discovery of pineapples in the new world It is thought they may have originated in the northeastern area of South America, near what is now known today as Guiana There are several different pineapples besides the grocery store variety For example, an Ananas nana is one of the smallest, about eighteen inches tall and grows in a sixinch pot One of the showiest pineapples is Ananas bracteatus, tricolor When mature it is about four to five feet in diameter and about the same height It flushes a brilliant pink at the base of its white and green striped leaves It also has pink recurved spines so caution must be exercised when working around the plant Our commercial pineapple, Ananas cosmos, var Smooth Cayene is the one most people are familiar with, but only in a can, as a fruit STEP ONE - Obtain a Pineapple From the local grocery store, choose a mature pineapple that has healthy, firm, green leaves (not yellow or brown) and with a fruit skin that is golden brown (not too green) (actually, I'd recommend growing two pineapples in the not unlikely event that one of them dies) Inspect the base of the leaves for small grayish spots which are scale insects If these are found, the crown should be discarded and one selected which is free of these insects Try to find one that is ripe but not overripe Test for ripeness by gently pulling on a leaf If it pops out with ease, the fruit is overripe (To make the most use of the pineapple, click here to buy a pineapple corer like the one pictured here It's an inexpensive but ingenious little gadget that cores and slices all in one step; just click on the link to buy one for your kitchen) To see it work, click here STEP TWO - Prepare the Crown Grab hold of the entire top set of leaves Twist hard and it will come out with a bit of stalk (If the top has been cut off you will need to remove all of the excess fruit flesh, otherwise it will only rot and may kill the whole plant) Any adhering flesh should be trimmed off its base, or it might rot after planting After trimming, carefully slice small, horizontal sections from the bottom of the crown until you see root buds that appear as small dots or circles on the flat, cut surface (see picture) The root buds are where the roots will eventually emerge and exposing them will facilitate quicker root formation If roots are already present, not cut these off Remove as little tissue as possible to avoid cutting into young stem tissue Next, strip off some of the lower leaves, exposing up to about an inch of the base of the crown (the stalk will root but the leaves will rot - see photo) They will come off in sort of a spiral fashion The idea is to bare the stalk The small brown-colored bumps below the leaf scars are root primordia (baby roots waiting to grow) and there may even be a few short roots at the base of the crown Try not to damage these After trimming and stripping, place the crown upside down in a cool, dry & shaded place for about a week (5 to days) before rooting If conditions are very dry, only a couple days may be necessary This will permit the cut end and the leaf scars to heal and prevent rot STEP THREE – Root the Crown Dip the stalk in water then lightly dust the stalk with a common commercial rooting compound containing a mild fungicide The most common reason for failure, at this point, is when the stalk is planted it rots rather than roots Anything you can to prevent this will be of value Fill a shallow dish or container that has adequate drainage holes (such as an aluminum pie plate that you poked holes into) with a starting medium such as vermiculite or coarse sand to within a halfinch of the rim Then lay the crown in the medium, imbedding it an inch or so (with half the stalk below the surface and half the stalk above the surface) Don't put the entire stalk in the soil In other words not plant the stalk in a vertical position Then place in a bright, not sunny, spot and water daily, keeping the medium just barely moist by daily misting - never soggy If humidity is very low, put a clear plastic bag loosely over the top and remove the bag when new green leaves appear This will create a mini-greenhouse effect, and keep your plant from drying out until it grows roots If this bag gets really foggy, so that you can barely see through it, open it up and let the plant air out for a couple of hours If you don't see any moisture forming on it at all, then you should add a little more water to the soil Roots should appear in two to four weeks STEP FOUR – Plant the Crown Once roots appear, plant the pineapple (this time in the vertical position) in a fast draining potting soil such as a Bromeliad or Cactus Potting Soil mixed with a third perlite An eight-inch porous clay pot with bottom drainage is ideal and don't let the plant dry out It will take six to eight weeks for the stalk to really start sending out strong roots Do not rush this process or fertilize at this point After about two months, you should see some new growth beginning at the top of the plant This is a sign that it has grown new roots and is supporting itself as a new plant Gently tug on the plant to see if new roots have formed If they are present, they will resist your tug If absent, the top of the pineapple will pull from the soil revealing the absence of roots If there are no roots, replace the pineapple top in the soil and wait longer If the base looks like it is rotting, start again with a new pineapple top and fresh potting soil Repeat the process, but be sure not to over water The first thing you will notice is that the original leaves of the pineapple will begin to turn brown and new leaves will begin to grow at the center In the next few weeks all the outer leaves will die and can be removed, as the new leaves begin to grow It is best to allow the plant to grow, removing the dead leaves over the following year During this time the pineapple should be watered no more than once a week If roots have developed with the new growth, it is a sign that things are going well After one full year of growth, repot the plant STEP FIVE – Repot the Crown Repot the pineapple in a twelve-inch porous clay pot with a well-draining potting soil such as a cactus potting soil Be sure there is good drainage since pineapples not like "wet feet." Provide drainage by placing a curved piece of broken pot over the hole in the bottom of the pot Over this, add about a half an inch of coarse gravel or small stones, and then add your soil up to an inch from the top, patting down the soil gently to firm it up Tamp the soil firmly around the base of the crown at planting Avoid getting soil into the central leaves of the crown Rot is commonly caused by over watering or the soil not draining properly The plant should only stop growing during the winter months It will put out new growth all during the early spring and summer well into fall If the plant stops growing during its growing season, take the plant out of the pot and examine the root structure carefully They should be firm and solid If necessary, wash off the old potting mix and repot into fresh mix As the pineapple continues to grow, you may need to repot it into an even larger pot if it gets root-bound General Care & Feeding Light and temperature A pineapple is a tropical plant and frost or freezing temperatures will kill it If you live in a temperate climate, your pineapple must divide its time between your house and your porch or garden Pineapples like to get at least hours of bright light each day During summer, set your plant on a sunny porch or bury the pot in your garden Do not take your plant out of the house until all danger of frost is past When you first remove your plant from your house, keep it in a semi-shaded spot for several days to prevent sunburn During cold months, keep your plant in the house Bring it in early in the fall, by mid-September Place it near a window or sliding-glass door for maximum sunlight At night, move it away from the window to prevent freezing The pineapple prefers a temperature of 65 - 75 degrees F (minimum of 60 degrees) If the room is warm enough for you to be comfortable, the pineapple will be at the right temperature You can also grow your plant indoors, for example in a basement, by using "Plant-Gro" fluorescent light tubes This light can also be helpful if your windows not let enough sunshine into the room where you are keeping your plant You should keep the light on for between 12 and 14 hours per day When the plant gets large enough to bear a fruit you should reduce the day length to 10 to 11 hours until the inflorescence appears in the center of the plant You can then return to longer days Watering and fertilizing The pineapple plant is miserly with water, requiring only about 20 inches of natural rainfall per year, if well distributed You need only wet the soil once a week, and when the plant is indoors, it is best to apply all the water to the soil When outside, spray the leaves in addition to wetting the soil so that the cups at the bottom of the plant are filled It is also important that it never completely dries out Then again, it must never sit in soggy soil During its growing season, it will appreciate more water than in the winter months Fertilize carefully and only about once every month or two during the growing season If using a solid plant food, scatter it on the surface of the soil and wash it in by watering A liquid (foliar spray) fertilizer can also be used Pour the solution into the base of the leaves and on the surface of the soil Take special care not to pour the solution into the center of the plant as the young leaves may be injured Follow directions under "small shrubs" given on the label of the products you use Pests and diseases As house plants, your pineapple will be subject to a minimum of pests and diseases if given proper care The pests most likely to attack your plant are mealy bugs, scale and mites All can be removed by washing the leaves with soapy water, rinsing after with clear water Or, spray with an insecticide Be sure to follow the directions on the label when using insecticides The only disease you would likely encounter would be heart rot caused by fungi In heart rot, the central leaves turn black and are easily pulled out of the plant When heart rot occurs, the plant can sometimes be saved by pouring a fungicide into the heart (center) of the plant If this stops the infection, a side shoot will start growing This shoot will then become your plant and will eventually flower and form a fruit Or you can remove it and begin a new plant Flowering and Fruiting Although the pineapple plant is attractive in and of itself, most growers want their plants to flower and fruit In Hawaii, a crown takes about twenty to twenty-six months to produce a ripe fruit However, it may only take twenty months, and you will see some surprises along the way When your plant is at least 24 inches tall and twelve to fourteen months old, an inflorescence bud will begin to form in the center of the leaves You will not be able to see the developing fruit until about two months later when it will surprise you with a bright red cone emerges from its center After twenty months come the flowers Bright blue flowers open row by row, starting at the bottom, over about two weeks (flower development in Hawaii typically occurs in late December or January when the days are short (about 10.5 hours) and the nights are cool (55 to 65 F; about 13 to 18 C)) Each flower only lasts one day, but there are many to enjoy When the petals of the last flower have dried, the fruit begins to develop After three to six months from this period, your fruit will begin to ripen When the fruit is golden halfway up, your pineapple is ready Surprisingly enough it will be just about the size of a can or pineapple, or a bit larger If your pineapple plant is at least 24 inches tall and has not flowered by the time it is twenty to twenty-four months old, you can "force" it with a few different techniques that trick the plant into putting its energy into flowering instead of making new leaves Forced Fruiting It is best to force the plant to flower during the winter months when the days are cooler and shorter as this is when a pineapple is accustomed to making fruit The first technique is to lay the plant and pot on its side between waterings This interferes with hormones in the plant, causing the production of another hormone, ethylene, which induces flowering A second method of inducing flowering is to place the plant in a bag with two ripe & bruised apples for two weeks Move the plant to a shady location during this time, and then move it back to its sunny spot The ripening apples produce ethylene gas that will induce flowering in the pineapple A third method is to place a small lump of calcium carbide about the size of your little fingernail in the center of your plant and pour a quarter cup of water over it This will release acetylene gas that will force your plant to flower To improve your chances of success, it is best to treat your plant in the evening after the sun goes down and temperatures are cooler (Calcium carbide may be obtainable at a welding shop, garden store, pharmacy or toy store.) Two to three months later, the plant should form a flower spike in its center Harvesting your pineapple When your fruit is about six months old, about four months after flowering has occurred, changes begin to occur The color of the shell changes from green to rich gold The color change of the shell occurs first at the bottom of the fruit and moves upwards During this change, the fruit becomes sweeter and the color of the flesh changes from white to yellow The fruit will weigh from two to four pounds When the fruit is golden half way up it can be picked and eaten, though if you wait until it's fully ripe it will be worth the wait! Once the fruit develops, it should last on the plant for several months What Next? Over the previous year, there may have been a few new plants to emerge from the lower foliage Let these grow as large as possible before you remove them to start the process all over again using the same method as with the original mother plant In addition, there may be one or more shoots, suckers or slips (see picture) that you may have noticed after harvesting the fruit that are growing from the mother-plant stem Slips and shoots grow most rapidly while attached to the mother plant, so it is best to let them grow for several months after the fruit is removed After these branches are about 12 inches long, you can cut or break them off close to the stem and grow your slips, suckers and shoots in the same manner you did your crown In the case of slips, there may be a small knob at their base This should be cut off Because they are larger, slips and shoots will produce a fruit in less time than to takes for a crown If you want your original plant to produce another fruit, leave one or at most two of the shoots on the plant to produce a second, or ratoon, fruit Excess shoots can be cut off and potted Continue to feed and water your plant as you did when it was first planted In Hawaii, it takes about one additional year to produce a first ratoon fruit If the plant remains healthy, it may even be possible to produce a third crop, called a second ratoon You can also grow another plant Recommend ed Varieties Agroclimati c Requireme nt Cultural Practices Pest Manageme nt Yield Manageme nt Cash Flow BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION Common Name : Pineapple Family : Bromeliaceae Scientific Name : Ananas comosus L The pineapple plant is a herbaceous perennial, monocot, 0.8-1.5m high with a spread of 1.0-1.5m The long pointed leaves usually with needle tipped and generally sharp The plant forms a rosette of waxy leaves The leaves may be all green or variously striped with red, yellow or ivory down the middle or near the margin The inflorescence consists of 100 to 200 flowers, which are hermaphrodite Each flower sits in the axil of a bract and secretes nectar, 5-10 flowers open everyday, from the base up, over a period of 10-20 days Both pollens and ovules are functional, but set no seed unless cross-pollinated Fruits of compatible strains may contain up to 3000 very hard seeds The fruit is compound and is formed by fusion of the parthenocarpic fruitlets with the bracts and the central axis of the inflorescence It takes 4-6 months to ripen RECOMMENDED VARIETIES The recommended pineapple varieties are Sarawak, Mauritius and Josapine, their characteristics are shown in Table Table The characteristics of recommended pineapple variety Variety General Characteristics Sarawak Fruit size ranges from 2.0-2.5 kg cylindrical to conical shape; flesh pale yellow to yellow Sugar content varies from 14-17% total soluble solid (TSS) and a citric acid content of 0.6-1.2% Mauritius Fruit size small to intermediate, about 1.0 – 1.5kg with deep golden yellow flesh and good aroma Sugar content ranges from 14-17% TSS Josapine Fruit size intermediate, about 1.5-2.0 kg, cylindrical; flesh golden yellow with a sugar content ranging from 15-17% TSS AGROCLIMATIC REQUIREMENT The pineapple requires a yearly rainfall of 1000-1500mm without prolonged drought, a temperature of 21oC to 32oC and adequate sunshine for optimal growth and production Pineapples can growth in a range of soils from alluvial to acid sulfate soil and peat soil with good drainage The preferred pH range on mineral soil is 5.6–6.0 and on peat soil is 3.5 to 4.5 CULTURAL PRACTICES Planting Materials Pineapples are propagated vegetatively These are aerial sucker, grown sucker, slips and crown Mass production of planting materials can be obtained through varies technique such as quartering of sucker or crown and tissue culture Planting System The recommended spacing of pineapple is 90 x 60 x 30cm in twin-row system The distance between the twin-row is 90cm, between rows is 60cm and within rows is 30cm, giving a density of 43,500 plants per hectare Planting distance with 120 x 60 x 30 cm with a density of 37,000 plants per hectare is also practiced The wider 120cm between twin-rows spacing allows better movement in field maintenance Manuring The recommended fertilizer program for pineapple planted in mineral soil is shown in Table Table The manuring schedule of pineapple Plant Age Type of Fertilizer 1-7 days CIRP, g/plant 1½ months Foliar fertilizer months NPK 15:15:15, 30 g/plant 4½ months Foliar fertilizer months NPK 15:15:15, 30 g/plant months NPK 12:12:17:2, 30 g/plant Flower Induction Pineapple commences to flower at 15 to 18 months after planting under optimal conditions Pineapple is known to be responsive to plant regulator in flowering induction Therefore, pineapple production can be regulated according to market demands by using plant regulators namely, NAA, Ethephon and Acetylene Only healthy, vigorous plants aged 8-10 months after planting with 35-40 mature leaves are recommended to be used for flower induction In order to obtain good respond, the plant regulators should be applied in early morning or late afternoon and uniform flowering will occur at 48-60 days after the application PEST MANAGEMENT The major insect pest of pineapple includes mealy bug and scale insect; the main diseases are bacterial heart rot and butt rot (Table and Table 4) Table Major insect pests of Pineapple and their control Insect Symptom Control Mealy bug (Dysmicoccus brevipes) The mealy bug start feeding on the base of the plant and causes severe stunting and wilting Leaves of infected plants start to turn yellow and reddish in color; fruits produced generally of uneconomic size Used disease free materials Soak or spray planting materials with malathion at 0.15% a.i Scale insect (Diaspis bromeliae) The insect starts feeding on the base of the leaves, fruit and peduncle Leaves become cholorotic Spray with 0.15% a.i malathion or white oil at 2.0% a.i Table Major diseases of Pineapple and their control Disease (Caused Agent) Bacterial Heart Rot Erwinia chrysanthemi Symptom Heart leaves turn soft and rot Leaves usually filled with gas A few days after initial infection, the whole ‘heart’ can be easily Control Proper and good cultural practices detached from the plant Butt Rot Thiellariopsis paradoxa Causing planting materials (e.g sucker) to rot at the base Lesions are formed and turn to black color Normally occurs where storage condition is poor Soak planting materials in benomyl or bordeaux mixture Proper storage and packing of planting material YIELD MANAGEMENT Pineapple fruit is ready for harvesting as the fruit colors changes Unripe fruit is green or grey and turn to reddish, yellow or light orange when ripen The fruit takes between 115 to 130 days to mature after flowering The main crop yield of pineapple is estimated at 35 – 60 tonne per hectare and the ratoon crops is 15-25 t/ha/year Fruit are harvested by cutting the stalk using a sharp knife A stalk of 5-10 cm long is left for easily handling Fruits are put inside rattan basket or gunnysacks and send to collecting centre for grading and selection Fruits are cleaned and grade according to size and maturity and then send to market or factory The storage life of pineapple fruits is between 3-4 weeks at a temperature of 8-10oC and 85-90% humidity In ambient temperature (2530oC) the storage life is between 4-5 days The pineapple fruits should be distributed immediately after harvesting CASH FLOW The total production cost of pineapple per hectare for the main crop is estimated at RM8,000 The cost does not include the cost of planting material Assuming the price of fruit is RM0.30 per kilogram and the estimated yield is 40 tonnes, the gross income will be RM12,000 Therefore, the estimated return is RM4,000 per hectare PINEAPPLE Dale O Evans, Editor, HITAHR Wallace G Sanford, Professor (deceased), Agronomy and Soil Science Duane P Bartholomew, Professor, Agronomy and Soil Science Description Varieties Flowering Propagation Harvest Production Crop Cycle Cultural Practices Location Soil Disease Insect Pests Description Pineapple (Ananas comosis L (Merr.)) a member of the plant family Bromeliaceae, is believed to have originated in north-northwest South America It was cultivated there, probably for thousands of years, by Amerindians, and essentially all cultivated types are virtually unchanged from the time they were first discovered by Spanish explorers The plant is a perennial herb 50 to 100 cm high.(See footnote to convert from metric to English measure.) It has narrow, tapering, pointed leaves up to 100 cm long arranged in a spiral rosette, crowded on and tightly clasping a central stem Leaf margins are usually lacking spines in Smooth Cayenne while spines are present in clones of the Spanish group In Smooth Cayenne, the inflorescence consists of 100 to 200 flowers arranged in a compact spiral cluster The flowers are perfect, with a floral bract, three short fleshy sepals and petals, six stamens, and an inferior ovary with three locules Commercial clones are self-sterile but cross easily with plants in other groups The fruit is a terminal, cylindrical, compound structure at the apex of the stem and is formed by the fusion of the berrylike fruitlets that develop from the flowers At its apex, the fruit bears a compressed, leafy shoot called a crown The typically yellow fruit flesh is best eaten when sweet and moderately acid; it may contain from 10 to 18 percent sugar and from 0.5 to 1.6 percent titratable acidity Varieties Cultivated types of pineapple are called "clones," because they are vegetatively propagated There are many named clones, classed in four or five groups including 'Cayenne', 'Spanish', 'Queen', and 'Pernambuco', which may represent botanical varieties Commercial production is mostly based on clones in the 'Cayenne' group, also known as 'Smooth Cayenne' because the leaf margins lack spines In Hawaii, strain selections from field populations of 'Smooth Cayenne' are grown almost exclusively Flowering Flower initiation takes place at the terminal axis of the stem This occurs naturally on short, cool days, usually in December in Hawaii The inflorescence is not externally visible for 45 to 60 days, at which time it appears in the center (heart) of the plant Staging development after appearance of the inflorescence is done by estimating the diameter of the opening in the center of the plant with common stages being "half-inch open heart" (1.25 cm) "one-inch open heart" (2.54 cm) The red inflorescence is clearly visible below the opening Once the inflorescence emerges completely, the stages are referred to as "cones," with common stages being early, mid, and late cone While the transition between stages is obviously gradual, in Hawaii, the interval between appearance of the different stages is to days Opening of the first flower occurs several days after the late cone stage, and blue flower petals can be seen at the bottom of the cone-shaped inflorescence Before all flowers have opened, the earliest petals will have begun to dry After all petals have dried, the inflorescence is said to be at the "dry petal" stage Its surface is dull, individual fruitlets ("eyes") are pointed, and a crown has just begun to develop Although flowering occurs naturally only at certain times of year, artificial induction of flowering with chemicals, called "forcing," may be done at any time of year if the plants are large enough (usually at least 1.5 kg fresh weight) This permits scheduling of planting and flowering so that harvests can be spread throughout the year It is also used in "closing out" the crop to assure a complete and synchronous change at the time of natural flowering Forcing is sometimes not completely effective during hot weather Production Three companies dominate pineapple production in Hawaii Large areas are planted on the islands of Maui and Oahu Until the mid-1970s, most of the fruit was canned, but now all production on Oahu is for the fresh fruit market while many of the culls are processed for juice concentrate Fruit is still canned on Maui, and some fruit is also sold fresh There is some small-holder production on the islands of Maui and Hawaii Location Pineapple is produced in Hawaii at elevations below 800 m (2800 feet) with mean annual temperatures ranging from 18.5° to 26°C (65° to 79°F) Good fruit quality is attributed to growing sites having a combination of relatively cool night temperatures, a high percentage of sunny days, and day temperatures ranging from 21° to 29.5°C (70° to 85°F), and not exceeding 32°C (90°F) Because of the rigid, trough-shaped leaves, wind is seldom a problem Drought is tolerated, but vegetative growth is slowed and yields may be reduced when adequate moisture is lacking Alternatively, the vegetative growth period can be extended to compensate for slow vegetative growth since average fruit weight per plant is determined primarily by plant weight at the time of forcing Evenly distributed rainfall of 60 cm per year is adequate for maximum growth Soil Types Pineapple is grown on almost any type of soil, but the crop is especially welladapted to acid soils When soil pH is between 4.5 and 5.5, soil-borne diseases are reduced Soil pH greater than 7.0 should be avoided Good soil drainage is a necessity Where rainfall is high or soils are not well drained, soil management techniques such as ridging must be used to improve drainage Pineapple tolerates low soil fertility, but best production is obtained with high fertility High levels of soluble soil aluminum and manganese are tolerated High soil organic matter and potassium status are desirable Propagation Pineapple is propagated asexually from various plant parts For production purposes, the parts used are crowns, slips, hapas, and suckers, with crowns and slips being most common in the cooler tropics and suckers being more common in the warmer tropics (Côte d'Ivoire, Malaysia, Thailand) The number and proportion of slips, hapas, and suckers produced on the plant vary with clone and climate Special techniques are used for rapid increase of strain selections Rapid increase methods Tissue culture using meristem from axillary buds is possible if callus culture is avoided Plants regenerated from callus tend to be highly variable Growth regulators known as morphactins applied after forcing can cause production of up to 25 slips per plant Two traditional methods are stump (stem) and crown sectioning Plants obtained by sectioning develop slowly, and extra care in field preparation and irrigation is needed to promote rapid growth Stump (stem) sectioning Stumps are harvested after the one-inch open heart flowering stage or after fruit harvest Leaves are stripped off the stem starting at the base, or they are cut off leaving the leaf bases attached to the stump The stump is cut longitudinally into quarters or sixths, which are then cut into wedge-shaped sections weighing 15 to 20 g, each having at least one axillary bud The sections are dipped in fungicide and planted bud upward 2.5 cm apart and cm beneath the soil in a well-prepared, fumigated nursery bed The bed may be lightly mulched with straw or compost to help keep the soil surface cool As many as 50 sections may be obtained per stump A section will produce another stump in about two years Crown sectioning Crowns are cut vertically into quarters or sixths, starting at the top and cutting toward the base After drying for one to two days, the sections are dipped in fungicide and sown 2.5 cm apart in nursery beds, with the leaves above ground Plantlets from crown sections should reach the original crown size in a year or less Under semi-sterile conditions, crowns have been microsectioned to produce up to 100 plants Crowns Crowns are currently the preferred planting material in Hawaii They are twisted from the fruit at the time of harvest The wound is allowed to dry ("cure") for one to two weeks or, more commonly in Hawaii, the crowns are dipped in fungicide and planted soon after harvest Without fungicide, the chance of rot is reduced by trimming the crown butt to remove fruit tissue high in sugars Because they are smaller, crowns take longer to reach a given plant weight and are less drought resistant than slips but may have the potential to develop better root systems Crowns should be segregated by source field and graded by weight to minimize variability in the field Slips A slip is a rudimentary fruit with an exaggerated crown Slips develop from buds in the axils of leaves borne on the peduncle (fruit stalk) Because they must grow outward, then upward from under the fruit, slips are curved at the base On slipproducing clones, the number of slips can vary from none, as is common in hot, equatorial zones, to as many as 10 or more, as is observed in the undesirable mutation known as "collar of slips." Some clones never produce slips Slips become visible on the peduncle when the fruit is about half developed When intended for use as planting material, they are harvested two to five months after the plant crop harvest, that is, 10 to 13 Months after slip growth starts When not so used, they are removed from the plant to increase ratoon yield Slips are broken from the peduncle, then cured or dipped in fungicide Slips may be stored butt end up in a dry place for up to one year, but they should be planted within one month of harvest for best results Hapas and suckers Hapas are intermediate in form between slips and suckers They are produced in small numbers on plants grown in Hawaii, but in equatorial regions more hapas are produced than slips They are borne at the base of the peduncle and, like slips, they are easily broken from the plant Hapas are straighter than slips and lack the slip's imperfect fruit structure at the base Suckers develop from axillary buds on the stem The photograph shows a ground sucker, but the shoot referred to in the photo is also called a sucker by growers Suckers can develop from any axillary bud on the stem Growth usually begins at floral differentiation After fruit harvest, suckers are cut from the stem with a knife Because suckers are large when collected, they may flower precociously after planting, increasing harvesting costs For this reason and because the cost of harvesting them is high, suckers are seldom used as planting material in Hawaii Harvest When flower initiation occurs in December in Hawaii, ripe fruit is harvested six to eight months later If flowering is initiated by chemical forcing at other times of the year, the period may be shorter or longer Fruit is harvested by bending it over and twisting to remove it from the stalk 'Smooth Cayenne' fruit is ripe when the individual eyes become flattened and glossy and when shell color turns yellow to yelloworange Color development starts at the base and moves toward the top 'Smooth Cayenne' is harvested when about one-third yellow for canning and when mature green for fresh fruit Harvesting before ripening increases postharvest storage life, although harvesting when ripe is preferable for best fresh fruit quality Cultivars other than 'Smooth Cayenne' may be green, yellow, red, or purple when ready to eat Crop Cycle Before the use of growth regulators to force floral initiation in Hawaii, plants could grow vegetatively for 10 to 16 months Now, pineapple is planted all year round and forced nine to 13 months after planting Duration of the "plant" crop is usually 15 to 20 months from planting to harvest In warmer, equatorial tropical climates, the crop may require only 11 to 14 months: six to eight months for the vegetative phase and five to six months from forcing to harvest When smaller fruit is desired for the fresh fruit market, the crop may be forced earlier than when larger fruit is required for canning The larger the plant at the time of forcing, the greater will be the size of its fruit In general, 'Smooth Cayenne' pineapple in Hawaii produces a fruit equal in weight to the plant fresh weight at flowering After plant crop harvest, one or more suckers continue to grow to produce the ratoon crop Ratoons average about one fruit per plant with the high plant populations currently used in Hawaii Ratoon crops