How to Grow Pineapple
Ananas comosus
Pineapple is a tropical bromeliad that needs a heated greenhouse in the UK with temperatures above 15C year-round. Give bright direct light, water sparingly, and allow compost to dry between waterings. Feed fortnightly with a balanced liquid fertiliser during the growing season — foliar feeding works well. Each rosette fruits only once, so grow on the suckers for future crops. Avoid waterlogging at all costs as pineapple roots rot easily.
In your Leaftide garden 
- Height
- 100 cm
- Spread
- 80 cm
- Spacing
- 30 cm
- Harvest
- June - July
- Light
- Full sun
- Water
- Low
- Feed
- Liquid feed fortnightly in growing season
Yearly Lifecycle
Care Essentials
Feed fortnightly with a balanced liquid fertiliser during the growing season (April–September). Foliar feeding works well as pineapples absorb nutrients through their leaves. Stop feeding from October to March.
Watch For
- Mealybug at the base of leaves and in the rosette
- Scale insects on leaf surfaces
- Red spider mite in low-humidity conditions
- Heart rot from water pooling in the rosette
- Root rot from overwatering
Care Requirements
Light
Full sun; heated greenhouse essential in UK
Needs bright direct light. In the UK, grow in a heated greenhouse or sunny conservatory with maximum light exposure year-round. Supplement with grow lights in winter.
Watering
Let compost dry between waterings; reduce in winter
Water sparingly — pineapples are drought-tolerant bromeliads. Allow the compost to dry out between waterings. Reduce watering significantly in winter. Avoid waterlogging at all costs.
Fertilizing
Liquid feed fortnightly in growing season; foliar feed effective
Feed fortnightly with a balanced liquid fertiliser during the growing season (April–September). A foliar feed works well as pineapples absorb nutrients through their leaves.
Overwintering
Minimum 15°C; heated greenhouse over winter
Maintain a minimum temperature of 15°C. Keep in a heated greenhouse or warm conservatory. Reduce watering and stop feeding from October to March.
Harvesting
Harvest when golden and fragrant; grow suckers for next crop
Fruit is ready when it turns golden-yellow and smells sweet at the base. Twist or cut the fruit from the stem. Each rosette fruits only once — grow on the suckers for future crops.
Growing Tips
Water sparingly
Allow compost to dry out between waterings; pineapples are drought-tolerant bromeliads that rot in wet soil.
Foliar feed works
Apply foliar feeds as well as root feeds; pineapples absorb nutrients efficiently through their leaves.
Grow the suckers
Each rosette fruits only once; grow on the suckers that form at the base for your next crop.
Warmth and light
Maintain a minimum of 15C year-round and provide maximum light, supplementing with grow lights in winter.
Pests & Diseases
Pest Mealybug
Identification: White cottony masses at the base of leaves and in the leaf rosette, sticky honeydew
- Dab with a cotton bud soaked in methylated spirit
- Introduce Cryptolaemus ladybird as biological control under glass
- Spray with fatty acid or plant oil-based insecticide
Pest Scale Insects
Identification: Small brown or white bumps on leaf surfaces, sticky honeydew
- Wipe off with a cloth dipped in soapy water
- Introduce parasitic wasps as biological control
- Spray with plant oil-based insecticide
Pest Red Spider Mite
Identification: Fine webbing on leaf surfaces, stippled yellowing leaves, tiny mites visible with a hand lens
- Increase humidity by misting regularly
- Introduce predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis
- Spray with fatty acid-based miticide
Disease Heart Rot Phytophthora nicotianae
Symptoms: Central leaves turn brown-black and pull out easily, foul smell from the centre of the rosette
Treatment: No cure once established. Remove and destroy affected plants
Prevention: Avoid water collecting in the leaf rosette. Ensure good drainage and air circulation
Disease Root Rot Phytophthora spp.
Symptoms: Yellowing lower leaves, soft mushy base, plant collapse
Treatment: Remove from pot, trim rotten roots, repot in fresh free-draining compost. Reduce watering
Prevention: Use very well-drained compost. Allow soil to dry between waterings. Ensure pots have good drainage
Spacing & Planting
| Plant spacing | 30 cm |
| Row spacing | 80 cm |
| Mature height | 100 cm |
| Mature spread | 80 cm |
Herbaceous perennial bromeliad. Plant in double rows. Can be chemically induced to flower year-round. Ratoon crops from suckers.