I started a pineapple top back when there were some threads about pineapples from seed and how to start a top. It is now blooming--it has purple flowers!--- will post pics later.

Congratulations. I'm still waiting on both my seedling and rooted top to flower.

Skeet, as your pineapple is blooming, it must now be about 4-feet across the top from side to side. Is the pineapple in a container or in the ground? - Millet

I grew it in a container since we have mid 20s most winters.

Here is a picture:

Nice looking fruit. A pineapple is not actually a fruit, but is a stem with a cluster of many fruits attached to the same core. Multiple fruit plants have a cluster of mature ovaries from many flowers on a single stem. This is best exemplified by pineapple. The segments seen on the "fruit's" surface are actually separate fruits (pericarps) each derived from a flower having its own ovary. Many such flowers crowd around the flowering stem. At maturity, the pericarps become fused into a single, edible mass. Skeet, after the bloom the fruit will have a general green color. When ripening the pineapple begins to turn yellow/orange. If you leave the fruit attached until completely mature, I'm sure it will be the sweetest and juiciest pineapple you have ever eaten. Store bought pineapple are always picked green, therefore never close to being as good as yours will be. - Millet

Thanks Millet, I had seen pineapples in Hawaii, but they were past the bloom stage--I really had no idea what the flowers looked like! I think it is pretty neat! Are all pineapple flowers purple, or do they have other colors?

THAT IS BEAUTIFUL!!! I THINK I WILL TRY A PINEAPPLE AGAIN NOW THAT I SEE IT CAN BE DONE IN A CONTAINER! WONDERFUL

Hi Skeet, this makes me want to try again. I remember when Gina posted about planting seeds & then I posted a link to how to grow a pineapple top. Mine was about a year old then & it just died last winter. Wonder what I did wrong. Maybe wrong soil.
CONGRATS!

Patty, more than likely you over watered the pineapple. Pineapples do not like to be wet very long. Actually, pineapples may be the easiest of all tropicals to grow. They just take time and space. - Millet

Millet, I bet you are right.
I remember reading on that "other" forum about a guy who grew a pineapple. He gave it away because it was too dangerous to keep in the house. It got so big & the leaves were like very sharp swords. No one could touch it without cutting themselves. Is yours that sharp Skeet?

The people at Del Monte must be doing something right in their selection of cultivars. The rooted top and seedling from their Hawaiian pineapples both have leaf blades that are mostly smooth but have the occasional spine or two. Still, the ones that are present are quite sharp and so best avoided.

The blades on mine are mostly smooth with a few spines near the tip. I haven't had any trouble avoiding them. As for what might have happened to yours, I treated my pineapple and bannana the same and kept them pretty dry all winter--they stay pretty moist during the summer.

This one now has lots of pups coming out. I will probably take one or 2 and start some new plants.

skeet, what size pot is that growing in? Oh, and congrats that looks wonderful.

The pot is about 20-24 inches across, but tapered at the bottom. I will get a measurement next time I am out. I planted it in almost pure composted cow manure, but it had a good deal of pine bark and some clay in the mix.

After reading a pineapple post some time back by Dr. Malcolm Manner concerning the hardiness against drought that a pineapple offset is, I decided to give it a try. Dr. Manners said, that after removing the offset (pup) from its mother plant, it could be laid on a shelf for a year, and would still root. I removed 4 shoots from my plants, and let them lay on their side for perhaps 6 or 7 months. The top 2 or 3 inches of each spear dried, shriveled, and turned brown. I then stuck them in the ground, and 100 percent of them rooted and grew. Currently I have 9 pineapples growing in the ground. All that you have to do to get an offset to grow is simply stick it in the soil (either ground or container). A 5-gallon container is as large as needed for pineapples. Lastly, a home grown pineapple that is not picked until it has matured into a golden color, will be the sweetest pineapple you ever tasted. Most commercial pineapples are picked while still green. - Millet