Topic: It's that time of year again.

[ACE]

I  have just made myself a nice fresh pineapple smoothie, with a bit of coconut juice, a splash of white rum, crushed ice, and another splash of rum. So tell me again how do I get this pineapple top to grow.

[Hyacinth]

Ask EJ - our resident pineapple expert 8) :)

[honeybee]

Will be keeping a close eye on the reply as I have a keen interest to have a bash myself.

Sounds like a pina colada that Ace  :P

When we got back from Jamaica last summer,wishing to continue the lifestyle that we had learned :P I dashed to Lewis's and bought a smoothie maker and we carried on surviving on pina coladas for as long as the duty free jamaican rum allowed us  and we continued to smile for a long long time after our hols - 'Yeah mon'  :D

[ceres]

I've got 2 growing in their second year.  First trick is to make sure you get a good top at the shop.  Sometimes they have had the middle removed.  Look for the freshest greenest one with tiny leaves in the middle - forget about getting a good pineapple!  Cut or pull the top off and leave it to dry out for a week.  Then pull the bottom few rings of leaves off exposing the stem.  You should see little white roots curling around the stem.  Pot it up, put it in a bright place then wait.  When it has rooted you'll see new green leaves growing in the centre or possibly, as one of mine did, an offset developed on the parent.  In summer water when it dries out.  In winter, be very sparing with watering.  It can go outside in summer but at first until it grows more roots, it's wobbly in the pot so don't put it in a windy place.  It needs to come back indoors before it gets too cold.  They can fruit grown this way, a flower develops in the middle and grows up on a stalk.

But I'm not sure ACE should be left in charge of a pineapple after all those pc's.

[PurpleHeather]

http://www.rickswoodshopcreations.com/Pineapple/pineapple.htm


The above gives the details. Step by step, with photos

[ACE]

Sounds like a pina colada that Ace  :P

Great ain't they. I was talked into buying a Vita Mix, very expensive, but makes a really good smoothie. peel the pinapple and chuck the lot in stalky bits as well, hand full of ice cubes, coconut milk, liberal amounts of bacardi and whizz it for 30 seconds. Dip the glass rim in lemon juice then castor sugar.

Then sit out in the rose arbour and enjoy. Bob Marley on the ipod. MAGIC!

OOPS! Just spotted the link on preview, thanks Purp, burp, Heather

[PurpleHeather]

Actually I always thought that growing pineapples from the tops was a joke until I read the link and saw the pictures.

Might try it myself.

Where do you get banana seeds?

[saddad]

A few varieties of bananas can be grown here, but not the "Cavendish" clone which is what we think of as a banana, I think the small pink one does best... they are much the same once you peel them!
  ;D

Who knows, when I retire and can really play in the dirt...  ::)

[Arumlily]

Can I grow pineapple in a greenhouse? Or will they get too big and might not be suitable?