How To Grow Pineapple Plants Indoors For A Tropical Harvest That Never Ends

Unless you live in the more tropical regions of the United States, in USDA Hardiness Zones 10 through 12, it's unlikely that you'll be able to grow pineapple plants (Ananas comosus) outdoors long enough for them to produce their fruits. If they're grown from the crown, it can take around two years before the plant will flower and fruit. However, if you want a little challenge and love experimenting with different species indoors, you can grow one or more of these plants inside your home. They actually make nice houseplants, and if you provide them with exactly the right conditions and have a little patience, you might be able to harvest a delicious tropical fruit from your own pineapple plant. You'll also find that pineapples are fruits that will thrive in your greenhouse garden, if you have one.

Of course, for a harvest that never ends, you'll need to grow successive plants so there's always one that's ready to flower, as each specimen will produce only one fruit before it dies. But to help with your continuous harvest, the plant will produce offsets before its demise. You can propagate these easily by cutting them off and potting them up.

What are the right conditions for pineapples to flower? These plants need six basic things: warmth, light, water, humidity, fertilizer, and time. If you can provide your plant with all of these correctly, there's no reason it shouldn't fruit when grown indoors. To get started, you'll want to know how to grow a pineapple plant from the fruit, or you might be able to find plants at your local garden center or nursery.

As tropical plants native to South America, pineapples love warm temperatures that range between 68 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit. If you keep your home heated during winter, your plant should do just fine. Of course, if you're lucky enough to have a heated greenhouse, your plant is going to be super happy. As with many other types of fruiting plants, sunlight is important, so you'll need to position your plant near a sunny window or in a sunroom. Otherwise, using a grow light might be your only option. For successful fruiting, your plant will need an LED that reproduces sunlight in the red spectrum.

As a member of the bromeliad family, a pineapple plant likes the soil to dry out between waterings but still needs consistent moisture to thrive. It also appreciates adequate humidity, so misting your plant regularly will help to keep it happy. When growing your pineapple in a pot, it's important to provide it with nutrients regularly. You can use a slow-release fertilizer by following the instructions on the pack. But once the plant starts to flower, you may want to switch to a weekly liquid feed until the fruit is ready to harvest. 

The final requirement is time, so you'll just have to be patient and enjoy your plant until it's ready to reward you with a juicy, sweet fruit. Make sure the fruit is fully ripe (golden yellow) before you harvest, as the immature green fruit can be toxic. And if you're moving into a new home, you might want to learn about the Chinese pineapple ritual that is meant to bring good luck.