Author Topic: Pineapples--The Half Pot Experiment  (Read 5586 times)

TheWaterbug

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 370
    • Palos Verdes, CA, Sunset 23/USDA 11a, Elev. 783'
    • View Profile
Pineapples--The Half Pot Experiment
« on: September 08, 2017, 05:57:11 PM »
Los Angeles is cooler and considerably drier than the regions where pineapples normally grow. Mine grow, but they don't get very big (the plant or the fruits), and they take a long time to fruit (2.5 - 3 years). I'd been growing them in terra cotta pots, filled nearly to the rim with soil.

A friend suggested that I use black plastic pots, filled only halfway with soil. His theory goes as follows: the black plastic collects heat and creates a "humidity well" near the base of the plant, which keeps it happy. Pineapples are allegedly shallow-rooted (despite my photographic evidence to the contrary!), so having a half-filled pot doesn't hurt them.

I decided to try this, so I took 4 propagules of approximately equal size from Kona Sugarloaf plants, and I put two of them in half-filled black plastic and two of them in filled terra cotta. Here's a size comparison, with one cu ft of soil in each:





And here are 2 of the 4 propagules, planted. I added more soil to the terra cotta pots to top them up:






All 4 plants are on a timered watering system with a fertilizer injector and Spot Spitter waterers. Check back in 2 years to see how this goes!
« Last Edit: September 08, 2017, 06:02:55 PM by TheWaterbug »
Sunset 23/USDA 11a, Elev. 783', Frost free since 8,000 BC. Plagued by squirrels, gophers, and peafowl, but coming to terms with it!

simon_grow

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6729
  • USA, San Diego, CA, Zone 10a
    • View Profile
Re: Pineapples--The Half Pot Experiment
« Reply #1 on: September 08, 2017, 06:10:14 PM »
Nice experiment. I've been able to drastically increase the rate of growth for my pineapples by giving them slow release fertilizer in between the leaves and making sure I water them properly. I have some Kuai White Sugarloaf tops that I planted several months ago and they're already about a foot tall.

Simon

BajaJohn

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 160
    • Mexico, Baja California Sur, Loreto, Hot Desert
    • View Profile
Re: Pineapples--The Half Pot Experiment
« Reply #2 on: September 08, 2017, 06:46:11 PM »
I can't see how that would work since humid air is lighter than dry air. You will quickly lose any humidity. I wonder if your friend was thinking of the pots made of polythene sheet where you can fold the top of the pot around the stem of the plant to avoid losing moisture? I guess you could add a top to your pots to reduce loss of humidity and also shade the soil from the sun to prevent it drying. Another experiment I guess!

simon_grow

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6729
  • USA, San Diego, CA, Zone 10a
    • View Profile
Re: Pineapples--The Half Pot Experiment
« Reply #3 on: September 08, 2017, 11:12:10 PM »
Pineapples don't like wet feet so planting them in the terra cotta planters helps wick away excess moisture. If you put a plastic pot on concrete, it does something similar but probably not as efficiently. Another thing to consider is that the plants should be stepped up gradually to make more efficient use of the water and nutrients in the soil.

Here are some pictures of my Kuai White Sugarloaf tops planted in a small black plastic container. It was ripped off the top of a pineapple fruit and planted into the soil after drying for 1-3 days. It was planted on 05/05/17 and it is now 20 inches tall and 26 inches wide.





 Here is my tissue cultured White Sugarloaf from WellSprings gardens. Tissue cultured plants grow relatively slow from my previous experience but with the slow release fertilizer, they are growing exceptionally well. I planted these plugs on 04/13/17 and they are now 10 inches tall and 15 inches wide.





Simon

Mugenia

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 232
    • People's Socialist Republic of California USDA Zone 10
    • View Profile
Re: Pineapples--The Half Pot Experiment
« Reply #4 on: September 09, 2017, 02:06:33 AM »
I am planting my pineapples into the ground where's semi-shad and moist. I am letting nature takes care of it. I will find out in about a year.


fyliu

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3216
    • Burbank/Covina, CA 10a
    • View Profile
Re: Pineapples--The Half Pot Experiment
« Reply #5 on: September 11, 2017, 02:28:24 PM »
I am planting my pineapples into the ground where's semi-shad and moist. I am letting nature takes care of it. I will find out in about a year.
There used to be pineapple plantations in LA when we were a big agriculture area.

Natures probably doesn't want pineapples to grow, depending on your location. I had one in ground for more than 2 years and it didn't grow much. It was already a decent sized plant when I got it. Eventually I decided it's not worth it and threw it in the trash. That was in my early fruit growing days. Same with dragon fruit in the ground. 3 years and the cutting actually shrunk.

TheWaterbug

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 370
    • Palos Verdes, CA, Sunset 23/USDA 11a, Elev. 783'
    • View Profile
Re: Pineapples--The Half Pot Experiment
« Reply #6 on: September 15, 2017, 08:44:16 PM »
Pineapples definitely grow here in Los Angeles; I've harvested 4-5 so far, and I have 7 in various stages of fruiting right now. But it takes forever, and the fruits aren't very large.


I'm just trying to get the best out of them that I can, and a local friend swears by this method, so I thought I'd try it.


I'm also all ears on the best way to fertilize pineapples. I have everything on a timered drip system, and I have Add-It fertilizer injectors, but I keep reading that pineapples are foliar feeders. That's part of the reason I put in Spot Spitters instead of the drippers I normally use.
Sunset 23/USDA 11a, Elev. 783', Frost free since 8,000 BC. Plagued by squirrels, gophers, and peafowl, but coming to terms with it!

fyliu

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3216
    • Burbank/Covina, CA 10a
    • View Profile
Re: Pineapples--The Half Pot Experiment
« Reply #7 on: September 16, 2017, 02:21:30 AM »
I meant nature as in the desert doesn't like pineapples. Even the ground in some places don't like pineapples, like my parents' front yard. That's why I had to grow them in pot, and water them, and protect them against frost in the winter. I've had severe frost damage to a plant and another dead from frost before.
I think you folks near the coast don't have these issues. It's like Hawaii, everything just grows.

barath

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1114
    • Southern California, USDA Zone 10b
    • View Profile
Re: Pineapples--The Half Pot Experiment
« Reply #8 on: September 16, 2017, 03:14:24 AM »
I meant nature as in the desert doesn't like pineapples. Even the ground in some places don't like pineapples, like my parents' front yard. That's why I had to grow them in pot, and water them, and protect them against frost in the winter. I've had severe frost damage to a plant and another dead from frost before.
I think you folks near the coast don't have these issues. It's like Hawaii, everything just grows.

I'm surprised about the pineapple frost damage in Burbank -- I don't get frost damage on my potted pineapples here in the East Bay in Northern California.  How cold was it when the pineapples got damaged?

RodneyS

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 756
  • Cerritos, CA (Zone 11a)
    • View Profile
Re: Pineapples--The Half Pot Experiment
« Reply #9 on: September 16, 2017, 01:52:22 PM »
I rooted a Gold pineapple crown from the supermarket, and it does just fine potted






Pasca

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 112
    • Los Angeles, California, 9B
    • View Profile
Re: Pineapples--The Half Pot Experiment
« Reply #10 on: September 16, 2017, 10:06:09 PM »
It seems that a lot of the pineapple growers here in S. California prefer pots, at least by gleaning the inputs in this thread.  I started mine in pots and they are doing fine after 1-2 years.  I have been thinking about putting them in the ground.  Based on the opinions in this thread, I think I will just repot mine in larger pots instead of putting them in the ground.  I am in the San Gabriel area for reference.

fyliu

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3216
    • Burbank/Covina, CA 10a
    • View Profile
Re: Pineapples--The Half Pot Experiment
« Reply #11 on: September 19, 2017, 01:03:59 PM »
I'm surprised about the pineapple frost damage in Burbank -- I don't get frost damage on my potted pineapples here in the East Bay in Northern California.  How cold was it when the pineapples got damaged?
I think the lowest temps in Burbank last winter was in the high 30s. But it depends on the cloud cover. We don't have a lot of moisture here except during the winter rain season. It sounds protective except the clouds can clear up right after a rain and it can get cold. Putting the plants under a tree canopy will protect them.

It seems that a lot of the pineapple growers here in S. California prefer pots, at least by gleaning the inputs in this thread.  I started mine in pots and they are doing fine after 1-2 years.  I have been thinking about putting them in the ground.  Based on the opinions in this thread, I think I will just repot mine in larger pots instead of putting them in the ground.  I am in the San Gabriel area for reference.

Having them in pots allows you to move them under something during the winter to protect against frost damage. I first heard of this method from Adam, who suggested putting them in 3 gal pots is good. Larger pot might be better for the plant/pineapple size, but smaller pot is easier to move around and you can fit more plants in the same space.

TheWaterbug

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 370
    • Palos Verdes, CA, Sunset 23/USDA 11a, Elev. 783'
    • View Profile
Re: Pineapples--The Half Pot Experiment
« Reply #12 on: September 19, 2017, 01:34:49 PM »
Here is my tissue cultured White Sugarloaf from WellSprings gardens. Tissue cultured plants grow relatively slow from my previous experience but with the slow release fertilizer, they are growing exceptionally well. I planted these plugs on 04/13/17 and they are now 10 inches tall and 15 inches wide.


Yours are growing way faster than mine. But I haven't been fertilizing the way you have. Perhaps I should start. What do you use, and do you apply it to the leaves and cup?


I presently have my pineapples on the same drip system as some other plants, and I feed them through an Add-It proportional fertilizer injector. But it all goes into the roots.
Sunset 23/USDA 11a, Elev. 783', Frost free since 8,000 BC. Plagued by squirrels, gophers, and peafowl, but coming to terms with it!

TheWaterbug

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 370
    • Palos Verdes, CA, Sunset 23/USDA 11a, Elev. 783'
    • View Profile
Re: Pineapples--The Half Pot Experiment
« Reply #13 on: September 25, 2018, 04:57:46 PM »
Check back in 2 years to see how this goes!
Here's an intermediate update at the 1-year mark (photos were taken on Sep. 8th, almost exactly a year after planting):










n=2, and YMMV, but the two plants that are half-potted in black plastic are definitely larger than the ones fully-potted in the terra cotta.

I'm going to adopt this as my new default method of planting. The black plastic pots are only $0.10 more than the terra cotta ones, have a larger full volume (if you use it), and are much lighter to schlepp around.

If I ever want to use these plants for decorative purposes I could always just pull them out and re-pot them in terra cotta during the fruiting phase.
Sunset 23/USDA 11a, Elev. 783', Frost free since 8,000 BC. Plagued by squirrels, gophers, and peafowl, but coming to terms with it!

fyliu

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3216
    • Burbank/Covina, CA 10a
    • View Profile
Re: Pineapples--The Half Pot Experiment
« Reply #14 on: November 19, 2018, 06:54:33 PM »
Thanks for the update. It's always cool to see experimental results. It'll be a more concrete result when you compare the fruit sizes.

So do all the pots get the same amount of water? Meaning the full pots have half the soil moisture of the half pots?

I know there's so many factors involved and there's only so much a home gardener can do to test which one matters. Keep up the good work! Let's see if the plants with larger soil volume will catch up.

FV Fruit Freak

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 643
    • USA, Southern California, Fountain Valley, 10B
    • View Profile
Re: Pineapples--The Half Pot Experiment
« Reply #15 on: February 05, 2020, 06:17:01 PM »
I am planting my pineapples into the ground where's semi-shad and moist. I am letting nature takes care of it. I will find out in about a year.

Any updates on your in-ground pineapple experiment?

Does ANYONE else have pineapples In the ground here in Southern California? If so, how are they growing?
Nate

sc4001992

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3900
    • USA, CA, Fullerton
    • View Profile
Re: Pineapples--The Half Pot Experiment
« Reply #16 on: June 22, 2021, 03:18:23 PM »
I planted my pineapple in ground after 1 yr and it grew fine, even had a small fruit. I have planted most of my pineapples in ground after it gets to full in the 1gal pots with no problem in Fullerton CA. I also have some in pots that are same age and it seems the ones in the ground gets fruits faster (2-3yrs) than the ones I leave in pots. Probably because I don't fertilize either plants (in ground or pots) so the ones in pots suffer.

pineislander

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2199
    • Bokeelia, FL
    • View Profile
Re: Pineapples--The Half Pot Experiment
« Reply #17 on: June 22, 2021, 07:12:32 PM »
Nice experiment. I've been able to drastically increase the rate of growth for my pineapples by giving them slow release fertilizer in between the leaves and making sure I water them properly. I have some Kuai White Sugarloaf tops that I planted several months ago and they're already about a foot tall.

Simon
Simon how much fertilizer do you use per plant? Osmokote/Nutrikote type? Exactly where between the leaves have you been using it? I have heard of a grower here in Florida using a few rabbit feed alfalfa pellets in the leaves.

spaugh

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5126
    • San Diego County California
    • View Profile
Re: Pineapples--The Half Pot Experiment
« Reply #18 on: June 22, 2021, 08:06:30 PM »
I think you will have better luck using water soluable fertilizer on the pineapple plant than osmocote.  When I fertilize my plant I either scratch in some avocado fertilizer into the dirt around them or more often make water soluable salts in a watering can and drench the core of the plant with a few ounces of normal strength 20-20-20 (1tsp per gal).  The key is to just use a small shot on each plant.  Like 6 liquid oz of mix per large size plant. 

Regarding plants in ground, I put several in the ground a year ago.  They made it through winter but are not growing nearly as well as potted ones in the GH.  Thats pretty much the opposite of every other plant I'm growing.  Pineapples are the most easy thing I have to keep happy in a pot. 



« Last Edit: June 22, 2021, 08:11:57 PM by spaugh »
Brad Spaugh

1rainman

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 461
    • Florida
    • View Profile
Re: Pineapples--The Half Pot Experiment
« Reply #19 on: June 28, 2021, 05:50:56 PM »
Pineapples are one of the few plants (other than cactus) that grow well in pure sand here in Florida. They don't like regular clay dirt. They are most similar to a cactus plant so don't need a lot of water, though they will tolerate large amounts of water so long as they have really good drainage. You can drop fertilizer right in the hole in the center of the plant, generally won't burn it and the best way to get it to the plant though be careful not going over board. They aren't fast growers and normally take a couple years to get fruit but sometimes will get fruit really fast. Kind of random. The one thing they don't like though is cold temperatures (below freezing) which will damage them. I never heard that they like humidity. They seem to grow well in Florida without any care (so long as it doesn't get too cold) and the humidity is really high here though. But I have grown them in pots up north without any problem. If anything I would say they are being over watered though typically that isn't going to hurt them if the drainage is good. They like to be hot and dry and in the sun with only enough water to keep them going and they grow slow. It's like when people try to root a pineapple top in water- it is better to just drop it in some sandy dirt and don't even water it (other than when it rains) and it'll be healthier- run the risk of rotting the thing in water.

Malia

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 110
    • Florida, 10a
    • View Profile
Re: Pineapples--The Half Pot Experiment
« Reply #20 on: June 28, 2021, 07:48:24 PM »
TheWaterbug, I have never done any controlled experiments like yours. But I did one by chance. I have tens of pineapples grown from supermarket fruits. On one occasion, when I was transferring a lot of maybe 15 to pots, I run out of soil. Instead of mixing the remains with backyard soil, I planted the last one in whatever soil was left. Maybe 1/3 of the pot. Surprisingly, the last disadvantaged pineapple grew exceptionally well, I think even best of the lot. It is a pity that I did not mark it somehow when transferring to the ground. I thought it was just a coincidence.

1rainman

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 461
    • Florida
    • View Profile
Re: Pineapples--The Half Pot Experiment
« Reply #21 on: June 30, 2021, 06:23:29 PM »
I should have clarified this. The Pineapple actually drinks and even eats fertilizer out of its center. The dew will condense on blades and run into the middle of the plant. So you can water it by spraying water on the top and the water goes in the middle hole and feeds it. Fertilizer put in the middle usually doesn't burn the plant either. There are a few different plants that drink water in similar ways. That may be why it likes humidity (it can drinks the dew). They like to grow in sand which doesn't hold nutrients or water. Water will sit on top of sand, then pass right through it. It never stays wet and similarly fertilizer just passes through it. This is why most stuff grows poorly in sand. But the pineapple plant will absorb water and nutrients straight into the plant and the hole in the middle acts like a little cup.

Pineapples and Bananas don't seem to burn from fertilizer. In the tropical farms they just dump chemical fertilizer on top of them to make them grow faster.

Francis_Eric

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 616
    • 40 miles west of Chicago Aurora IL ZONE 5
    • View Profile
    • https://myspace.com/undisclosedforthetime/
Re: Pineapples--The Half Pot Experiment
« Reply #22 on: June 30, 2021, 07:46:17 PM »
Rainman Is this to say in pots better to use a draining soil with clover to fix Nitrogen

This experiment is not surprising
people use tree tubes for speeding growth

Although repeating myself I started some mango 3 week earlier
 (sale 19 cents at jewel under ripe with black spots but became ripe  over time-)

The one in the dog food bag with thick plastic started  3 weeks later grew bigger faster thicker
then the ones started just in (the same )potting soil in pot, and was 3 weeks younger
so no coincidence I had a bunch of seeds it out competing all those seeds ..

Now I have No Idea if thick walls  of plastic from a Heavy duty bag
blocking the light would be helpful for Pineapple.

I should try (I have a used perlite  bag that is thick etc.)



MorroBay

  • Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 95
    • Morro Bay CA 10A
    • View Profile
Re: Pineapples--The Half Pot Experiment
« Reply #23 on: July 01, 2021, 09:29:45 PM »
I’m pushing the zones where I live so I often use black plastic or metal water troughs 3/4 filled for more heat transfer to my plants.  Plus it leaves plenty of room to add worm poop or other fertilizer.  Looking great, cool experiment.