Orlando Pineapple Company

Pineapples are not grown commercially in Florida but are common dooryard yard plants in warm locations throughout the state.

That line is from UF/IFAS Pineapple Growing in the Florida Home Landscape. Read it twice. The grocery fruit is imported. A yard fruit, if you get one, is a project.

A plant that takes years

MG055 prints two clocks. The climate section puts planting to harvest at 18 to 24 months, depending on cultivar, cultural practices, and temperature. The production section lists 18 to 36 months in subtropical climates. Both sentences are in the same paper. The plant matures at roughly 14 to 18 months depending on whether it started as a crown, a slip, or a sucker. It may then flower on its own after cool weather. From flower to picked fruit is another 5 to 7 months.

The crown of a grocery fruit is standard planting material. Twist it off, trim the flesh from the base, and let it air dry in the shade for a day or two. Plant it in clean soil media. Clean media is the paper's main defense against scale. The larger the planting piece, the sooner it fruits. A sucker beats a skinny crown.

Bring the pot inside

This is the plant where a container is not a compromise. The paper treats pot and ground as normal. In the ground, plant in full sun in a spot that does not stay wet after summer rain, at least 5 feet from other trees and buildings. Continuously wet soil raises root rot risk and can kill the plant. In a pot, the advantage is that the plant comes inside when a hard night is forecast.

Optimum growth sits between 68°F and 86°F. Plants do not tolerate freezing temperatures below 28°F. Chilling injury from a light frost shows as red and white flecked, scorched upper leaf surfaces and rotting fruit pulp. Cover outdoor plants. Take container plants inside. A lightweight frost blanket is the version of that you can put on in the dark. Get this.

For the sweetest fruit, harvest when one-third to two-thirds or more of the shell has turned from green toward yellow. You can also cut it at full size but not yet yellow and let it finish at room temperature. Once ripe it holds about a week in the refrigerator. Do not refrigerate immature green fruit. A corer takes the fruit down in one motion. Get this.

The grow page has the crown, slip, sucker, and ratoon list, and the apple-slice trick for flowering. This page is the honest clock. If you want a fruit next month, buy one. If you want a plant, start the crown and wait.