We lost count of our pineapple plants after 120!

Each plant sprouts babies, some as many a 5 or more!

We began by just planting the green leafy top off the pineapples that we purchased and ate.

We were curious to see the process because we had never seen a pineapple grow.

We were told that it took a year or longer to produce a pineapple and that turned out to be correct.

However, once you have a mature pineapple, the baby sprouts produce within months.

Now we have so many we always have fresh pineapple.

We have never been happier! Yummy!

We have learned that it takes about 20-26 months to produce a ripe fruit when beginning from a leafy top.

We just broke off the top and planted it in the yard.

We have found when a plant is about 24 inches tall and 12-14 months old:

• a inflorescence bud will begin to form from the center of the leaves,
• then a bright red comb emerges from the center and
• about 2 months later the fruit will begin to grow and
• will ripen within 3-6 months.

It is cool to see how the pineapple begins to grow from the inside and comes out of the top. Then they sprout babies as begin growing in every direction still coming out from the middle of a sprouted plant.

Once fully grown and ready to pick it is interesting to see how the color of the of the fruit changes from green to yellow,

The color changes from the bottom up.

During this time the fruit becomes sweeter and the flesh also changes from white to yellow.

Once the fruit begins to change from green to yellow you can pick it at any time.

However, it is worth it to wait and pick the pineapple when the entire fruit has turned yellow.

Our original pineapples weigh around 8 to 8.5 pounds and we have noticed that the more a plant produces the pineapples are smaller.

What is your experience growing pineapples?