Decorative pineapple in the house can add beauty and exotic to any interior. Therefore, if you want to diversify the situation, grow this plant at home. This copy will be pleasing to the eye throughout the year and will decorate any room, and if you look after it and take care of it, it will delight you with small decorative fruits a few years after planting.
Botanical certificate of the plant
This is the only plant from the bromeliad family that is edible. It is also widely used in home floriculture and successfully grown by many people at home. And all thanks to the spectacular appearance of the plant.
This genus of plants was first described by a European botanist back in 1735. The homeland of the green bush is Colombia, Paraguay, Venezuela, Brazil.
The genus unites 8 different species found in natural conditions and successfully grown in greenhouses, and some of them even migrated to the home windowsill.
Only two of the entire species variety of pineapple are suitable for indoor cultivation. These are crested pineapple (Ananas comosus) and bract (Ananas bracteatus). In nature, these plants grow up to 100 cm in height, and in diameter reach 200 cm.
Home grown plants do not reach this size. With good care and an optimal climate, they grow to a maximum of 70 cm.
Household Pineapple Care Rules
Guided by simple rules, growing a decorative pineapple at home is quite realistic, and let the tropical pedigree not scare you. It is enough to remember what the main care is, and focus on the details. Using simple recommendations, monitoring the condition of the plant is easier than being in the dark.
Temperature mode
It is a heat-loving plant, therefore, the room where it is grown should be warm, and the temperature throughout the year should not drop below 16 ° C. The optimum temperature for the normal course of the life cycle, characterized by stability at any time of the year - 22-25 ° C.
Indoor light
Pineapples are very photophilous, therefore it is best to keep them in a well-lit place, for example, on a windowsill. In the autumn-winter period, flower growers recommend organizing additional lighting in the form of artificial light (fluorescent lamps). The backlight should last up to 8-10 hours.
Irrigation system
In the summer, decorative pineapple needs active and plentiful watering. At the same time, note that the next portion of water is applied only when the soil dries after the previous watering. To do this, use warm water (30-35 ° C), settled for at least one day.
From the last weeks of autumn to the end of winter, reduce the frequency of watering. At this time, the plant needs water the least and is satisfied with small portions of moisture, which is enough for the normal development of decorative pineapple (in the photo below you can see how such a plant looks).
In warm weather, in addition to traditional watering, connect the spraying, conducting it regularly, and do not forget about the warm shower.
Transplant mixture
The plant is planted in an acidic soil mixture (pH 4.0-5.0) and loose soil. The composition of a suitable mixture includes:
- humus;
- turf land;
- coarse sand;
- chopped peat.
All ingredients are mixed together in a ratio of 2: 3: 1: 3, respectively. The substrate should be characterized by the property of friability and water permeability. For planting pineapple, it is better to take a wide and low pot, because the root system is not deeply developed and concentrates on the surface of the soil.
Remember that a pineapple transplant is necessary only if absolutely necessary, namely when the root system is no longer placed in the pot. Without a visible need to disturb the plant is undesirable.
Pineapple Fertilizer
The complex pineapple care system in the pot includes fertilizers, which almost no healthy living indoor plant can do without. Enough 1-2 feeding per week. For this, a nitrogen-containing complex is better suited, which is easy to find in a specialized garden center or use mullein infusion.
Cropping and shaping the crown
The plant takes shape itself, because pruning is not a prerequisite. The only thing you should not forget is the removal of dried or damaged leaves. In doing so, try not to affect healthy tissue. To do this, use special neatly pointed garden shears.
Flowering and fruiting of decorative pineapple
On one peduncle an inflorescence of many flowers is formed. The flowering process lasts for 1.5-2 weeks, until the inflorescence begins to form a fertility, over which an apical rosette is formed, which is periodically pinched, since the rosette slows the development of the fetus.
The flowering period lasts from May to July, but sometimes atypical flowering is observed, starting from December. Only adult plants that have reached the age of 3-4 years enter this period.
The fertility is quite compact and looks similar to a bump. Mini-pineapple ripens after 3-5 months and during this time acquires an amber-yellow color. Although this process is different personality.
The fruits of homemade pineapple reach a weight of 0.5-1 kg and taste even superior to store items. On top of the fruit, a shortened shoot is formed, which is also called the Sultan. It looks very impressive and attractive and will certainly fit into any modern interior.
The flowering process can be stimulated by bringing the beginning closer by carefully caring for the decorative pineapple. A bag filled with ripe apples that emit gas (ethylene) is placed in a pot with a plant, which helps to accelerate the growth process.
Methods of propagation of pineapple at home
Home decorative pineapple is propagated by rooting the top of the ripe fruit or by separating the basal rosettes. During the transplantation, they act as follows: carefully cut the top (sultan) and, having waited until it dries a little, plant it for rooting. This process will be faster (2-4 weeks) if the container with the rooting sample is placed in a warm room. In addition, decorative pineapple care includes regular hydration.
Some of the experts recommend covering the young plant on top with a special cap, using a glass jar or an ordinary plastic bag for this.
Some pests, diseases and problems encountered during cultivation
If you don’t know how to act in the event of a problem associated with a disruption in the life cycle of the grown decorative pineapple at home, check out simple recommendations:
- The tips of the leaves dry out - critically low humidity. The plant is hygrophilous, therefore, observing such signs, take care of the humidification of the air in the room.
- Mold on the walls of the pot and the plant itself. This happens due to excessive heavy watering in the winter season. In this case, the mold is removed by wiping the surface with a napkin, and watering is made more scarce.
- Small light spots on the leaves indicate that the plant is affected by pests - false shields. For prevention, the leaves of the plant are wiped with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
- The decay of the root system occurs when the pineapple is uncomfortable, and the climate is too wet and cold for him. In this case, experts recommend removing the lower part of the trunk to healthy tissues, and root the rest to remove a new plant instance.
- Slow pineapple growth is observed when the plant is in a cool room (while the temperature of the soil should not be too high). To restore plant growth, put it in heat and pour only warm water on it.
Decorative pineapple in a pot is extremely rarely infected with harmful insects, which characterizes the bush as a species of exotic plant resistant to insect pests.
What are the benefits of pineapple?
The benefit of pineapple is that digestion improves due to its properties, pineapple juice is truly called a natural vitamin stimulant, and the compounds contained in it help to cleanse the body of toxins.
Scientists are still debating on the topic of pineapple belonging to fruits or vegetables. But this is not so important, because this fruit, in appearance resembling a lump, is so tasty and attractive that, just looking at it, you forget about the disagreements and disputes that it causes.
Now you know what kind of decorative pineapple care is needed at home, and you’ll definitely figure out how to ensure a comfortable stay and development for the plant. Keep the plant in comfortable conditions - and you will grow on your windowsill not just an ornamental plant, but you will also be able to see how the flowering and formation of the fetus proceeds.
Subject to the useful information provided in the article, the cultivation of exotic ornamental plants becomes possible at home. Decorative pineapple, care of which is not difficult, will become a real decoration of the house.