Add a touch of tropical warmth to your home!
Also known as Dwarf or Miniature Pineapple plants, they have smaller and bitterer fruit than the pineapples we’re used to seeing in the supermarket. You can eat them, but we wouldn't necessarily recommend it!
As a bromeliad, the Ananas comosus produces a single ornamental fruit at the centre of a crown of delicately coloured foliage. When the pineapple drops off, it's unlikely to produce a new one, but you should get pups in the soil which you can re-pot and grow into whole new plants.
Key Benefits of Pineapple Plant
Studies have shown that the Pineapple is one of the most purifying plants by night. It can improve sleeping conditions and even reduce snoring!
How to care for a Pineapple Plant?
- The Pineapple plant likes bright light and can survive in direct sunlight, but too much of it will burn its leaves.
- It will thrive outdoors in the warmer months, in the winter. Keep your plant in a well-heated room preferably above 15 ºC.
- During the growing season let the top 2 cm of soil dry between watering. It will need less water in the solder seasons and survive with dryer soil.
- The Ananas comosus will enjoy a mix of orchid compost and peat-free multi compost soil.
- If you notice dry leaves, they can be cut back.
- Dust can be removed with a small brush with soft bristles.
- Feed it during the growing season with a weak liquid fertiliser every fortnight and once a month in the colder months.
- Once the pineapple has matured, the plant will die but it will produce baby plants that can be re poted and propagated.
The Pineapple plant
Over the last year or so, the desire for these statement plants has swept across Europe and Australia, but availability goes up and down, so don't hesitate when you see one!
The Pigmy Pineapple is grown more as an ornamental plant, the fruit it produces is edible but very bitter!
Where is it from?
Pineapple plants grow wild in South America, with Puerto Rico being a prime exporter.
Who is the Pineapple plant?
A member of the bromeliad family, in its natural tropical habitat, it grows on the ground and is pollinated by hummingbirds.
Is The Pineapple Plant the Right One For Me?
Pineapples are very tough plants. They are drought tolerant and don’t need much water to survive. If you are a forgetful plant parent, you can add a thick layer of compost to the soil to cut down evaporation.
It survives in tropical, warm climates as well as rainy and cooler areas with the correct care.
Is it toxic? It can be a little toxic to pets and children if ingested, causing throat irritation and stomach upset.
How tall do they grow?
They grow to about 5 feet in height with a 3 to 4-foot spread.
Fun Fact: My foliage is used to wrap cigars in the Philippines.
A quirky plant that will help improve your sleep quality and give your home a tropical touch! Get your Pineapple plant now!