Europeans got acquainted with pineapples in the middle of the 16th century. At that time, the duration of travel was very long and the ability to deliver pineapples from their homeland, Brazil, was not feasible. However, the impressions of the fruit were so strong that it began to be mass grown in various greenhouses and greenhouses. And despite today's progress, this topic is very relevant. Let's take a look at how you can grow pineapples at home today.
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Description of culture
pineapple plantation
Pineapple is a valuable fruit crop, although it is actually a grass. It is eaten in a wide variety of forms, but for most consumers it is primarily a dessert dish widely used in the confectionery industry. Due to its composition, pineapple has many valuable properties: it improves digestion, cleanses the intestines, thins the blood.
Inflorescence of pineapple grown indoors
Since the history of cultivation of this crop in artificial conditions has been going on for more than one hundred years, it will not be difficult to repeat its cultivation in a pot on a windowsill. This process is not fast, however, the result is worth it. And with the right formulation of the question, the cultivation of pineapples in an unusual climate for them can even be put on stream.
Pineapple is a perennial herbaceous shrub that currently grows almost all over the world in tropical and equatorial climates.
Plant height rarely exceeds 60-70 cm
But its leaves can be a fairly large structure, with a diameter of more than 2 meters. All leaves are large, long and juicy; teeth are located on their sides. Water accumulates in the leaves, so pineapples were originally classified as succulents.
The main feature of the pineapple is its fruit, or rather the fruit, which in a ripe state is light brown or golden in color, similar to a large cedar cone. The mass of such fruits sometimes reaches 2 kg, which implies the presence of a sufficiently thick and strong stem to hold such a mass. Leaves are necessarily present on top of the fruit, and they do not form in it, but are part of the growth cone that has grown through the fruit.
The taste of an unripe pineapple fruit is very unpleasant and harsh: the acids contained in it can even burn the mucous membrane of the human oral cavity. Therefore, you should not eat unripe pineapples; as the fruit ripens, its acidity decreases to acceptable levels.
Pineapple seedling with leaves sprouting through it
Most currently bred pineapple varieties do not have seeds. This is easily explained in terms of consumer properties: the plant does not waste energy on the formation of seeds, and all its nutrients enter the pulp of the fruit.
As a rule, seeds are found in cheap or generally wild varieties of pineapple. This does not mean that their taste will differ for the worse: the division into "wild" and cultivated varieties refers only to the size and growing conditions, while the composition of the pulp remains almost unchanged.
In terms of the content of potassium in the form that is necessary for the heart muscle, pineapple can compete with a banana. But one of the main components of pineapple is the bromelains contained in it - substances that promote the breakdown of proteins, thanks to which pineapple is used in preventive medicine to improve the absorption of protein foods.
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Soil and container
Since the root system of the pineapple is shallow and not too powerful, the plant needs loose and nutritious soil. It should pass water and air well to the roots of the plant.
The composition of the soil for growing pineapple can be as follows:
- sod land - 1 part
- humus - 1 part
- peat - 1 part
- sand - 1 part
- perlite - 0.5 parts
The pot, taking into account the characteristics of the root system of the plant, should not be too deep, but the larger its width, the better. A layer of drainage, consisting of pebbles or expanded clay, should be about a quarter of the height of the pot.
Suitable size pineapple pot
Usually, plants are not immediately transplanted into a large pot. For the first six months, pineapple can be grown in a small container. Transfer to a large stationary tank is carried out by transshipment.
Thermal and light modes
Pineapple prefers well-lit areas, but without direct sunlight. It can be placed on the southern, western and eastern windows. Shading the plant is recommended during particularly hot hours. The plant is photophilous; year-round, despite the periods of rest present in it, lighting in our climate should be plentiful and be at least 10-12 hours.
In winter, the use of fluorescent lamps is mandatory.
The deciduous rosette of the plant should be equally developed. To ensure the necessary symmetry, the pineapple pot can be rotated around its axis: the plant normally tolerates such manipulations. A sign of a healthy plant are the tight and water-filled leaves of the lower tier, the oldest of all pineapple leaves.
Pineapple that lacks light
- The temperature in summer can range from +22°С to +30°С.
- In winter, the recommended temperature corridor may be somewhat less - from +20 to +22°С.
- The plant can significantly slow down the growth rate and fall into "hibernation" for 2-3 months if the ambient temperature drops to +18°C.
- You should not allow this if you want to wait for flowering.
Watering
Pineapple should be watered infrequently, but plentifully - it is enough to do it once a week, regardless of the time of year. The water temperature should be several degrees higher than the air temperature in the room.
It is preferable to use boiled water
On particularly hot summer days, the leaves of the plant must be sprayed with a sprayer., however, you should not be overly zealous in this - there should be enough moisture so that it does not stay on the leaves for more than a day. It is not recommended to carry out a similar procedure on cloudy or cold days in order to avoid plant disease.
top dressing
The period of active vegetation of pineapple lasts from mid-April to the end of October. At this time, the plant is in dire need of top dressing, but top dressing of the plant in the winter is excluded. It is recommended to use purchased liquid organic and mineral fertilizers for flowering plants. Usually organic fertilizers alternate with mineral fertilizers, and the frequency of their application is from 7 to 15 days.
Feed preparation
Foliar top dressing of pineapple is allowed when fertilizers are applied to the leaves by spraying them from a spray gun. At the same time, fertilizers should not be allowed to fall on young leaves - only foliage of 1-2 tiers is sprayed.
Sometimes the feeding regimen may change; it depends on the size and condition of the plant. So, for example, small-sized plants require lower concentrations of fertilizer; respectively large - large.
Flowering stimulation
If everything goes as it should, the fruiting process of a pineapple occurs within 2-3 years after it forms a rosette of a dozen leaves. However, this is sometimes not enough. You can apply the stimulation of flowering by fertilizing with liquid organic fertilizers: it can be both purchased funds and manufactured independently.
Forming pineapple flower
- As an example of such a stimulant, you can use ordinary chicken manure, dissolved in water at a concentration of 1 to 20.
- If from the beginning of the growing season 2-3 times a month to use such a tool, then after 10-12 weeks of such a practice, flowering can be expected.
Another way of stimulation is chemical. In the mass cultivation of pineapples, a special stimulation of the plant to flowering is usually used with the help of catalysts - vinegar or acetylene. At home, such a technique, although it is extreme, but with its help you can get a positive result.
Pineapple inflorescence. Flowers in it are arranged in a spiral.
To do this, within a few weeks from the beginning of the period of active growth, the inside of the plant rosette, especially near the growth cone, is watered with an acetylene solution. You can get a similar product by mixing 1 liter of water and 10-15 g of calcium carbide.
If there are concerns about the fate of the plant with such a procedure, you can use its more gentle version - a jar of water is placed next to the plant, into which small pieces of calcium carbide are thrown during the day.
At the time of gas release, it is recommended to cover the plant and the jar with acetylene released with some kind of film or bag. As an option, use a greenhouse or an enclosed space for the duration of these procedures.
decorative pineapple flower
You can also use a very light version of stimulation: it is known that apples release ethylene during storage. Therefore, it is recommended to close the pineapple in an airtight room (the same greenhouse) and spread apples around it for several days.
With a sufficient amount of catalyst and normal care, the flowering of the plant will begin by mid-summer.. At first, an inflorescence appears at the pineapple, after about a month - the first ovaries. The fruit itself matures for about six months.
During this period, you can slightly increase the feeding of the plant (an increase in concentration of not more than 30%). However, with the end of the active growth season, in early November, any top dressing should be stopped.
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Growing from seeds
They are either absent altogether or not yet developed enough to sprout, since such pineapples are harvested before they are fully formed. Therefore, the only way in which such a scheme is feasible is to buy pineapple seeds in specialized stores.
pineapple seeds
Seeds that can be used for planting have a flat teardrop shape and small (up to 3-4 mm) sizes. Their color is brown or dark brown, while the unripe seeds found in pineapples are predominantly white or light brown.
Before planting, the seeds must be soaked for a while in water.. To do this, use a wet rag or gauze. Seeds placed between layers of wet tissue are placed in a warm place for a day.The seeds should swell a little; those that do not swell should be discarded. Sometimes swelling can last up to two days, but no more, because in this position they can die.
Planting is carried out in a moist soil mixture consisting of peat and sand mixed in equal proportions. It must be prepared in advance, thoroughly mixed and kept at a temperature above + 100 ° C for about half an hour. Then it is desirable that the soil mixture is kept in the air for about 2 weeks, covered with gauze or mesh.
The depth of planting seeds is 10-15 mm, sowing is done in a checkerboard pattern, the distance between adjacent seeds should be at least 3-4 cm. After that, the seed container is covered with a film to create conditions similar to greenhouses. It must be installed in a warm place. Seed germination is possible at temperatures not less than +25°C.
Germination time will range from 1 to 1.5 months. At the same time, it is necessary to keep the soil moist and air it once a day, lasting 10-15 minutes. To speed up the process of spitting and seed germination, you can increase the temperature in an impromptu greenhouse to + 30 ° C. In this case, the first shoots will appear in about 3 weeks.
Another important requirement for pineapple seeds is their top dressing at the stage of hatching. It is carried out once every two weeks with a complex fertilizer for flowers or succulents, which has a liquid consistency or dissolved in water. At the same time, in order not to "burn" the seeds, a single recommended dose is reduced by about 3-5 times.
pineapple sprout
Picking pineapples and placing them in individual containers occurs after they have 3-4 leaves. The first pot for pineapple is chosen small, the plant will spend about six months in it.
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Usually, quality pineapple seeds are hard to come by. Therefore, vegetative propagation of a plant based on the use of its germinated top is more often used. The advantage of this cultivation is that any pineapple bought in a store is suitable for it.
Future planting material must have a healthy appearance, it must be fresh, without damage and injury.
The rosette should be well formed and free of wilted, injured or rotten leaves. Particular attention should be paid to the top of the growth cone - the so-called growth point. It should contain a few germs of leaves, and also be free from injury and rot.
At home, it is necessary to cut off the top of the fruit with a growth cone with a sterile knife so that a piece of the fruit 2-3 cm long remains with the leaves.
Cutting the growth cone with a knife
The next step is to remove all pieces of fruit pulp from the outlet., because when germinating the root system, they can be a source of rot. Also at this stage, the leaves of the 1st and 2nd tiers are removed in order to obtain a kind of stalk about 3-4 cm long.
After that, the sections and all surfaces that were cleaned of leaves and pulp must be treated with a solution of potassium permanganate or charcoal. Additionally, you can apply a few drops of epin to the cut, this will help stimulate the formation of the root system.
Cut off top with part of the fruit
In order to ensure that the stalk is protected from possible decay, it must be dried for 1-2 days before planting. At the same time, the socket can be suspended so that it does not come into contact with any surfaces or objects.
Drying the cuttings before starting the root formation process
Next, the cuttings are rooted by placing them in water. In order for them to be at the required level, thick cardboard circles or special devices are used. Water in the process of root germination is recommended to be changed every 2-3 days., preventing its stagnation or infection with a fungus. The temperature in the room where the roots germinate takes place should be the same as in an adult plant: from +22°C to +30°C.
Sprouting pineapple roots in a glass of water
With the advent of the first roots, pineapple can be transplanted into the ground. The composition of the soil is similar to the composition of the soil for an adult plant, and the planting depth should not exceed 3-4 cm. The main requirement for this is: the leaves of the lowest tier should not be immersed in the ground. The substrate around the seedling must be very well compacted, while trying not to damage the leaves and roots. The plant should not be watered immediately. After transplanting, the pineapple is covered with a film. The first watering is carried out the next day.
Further growth of the cutting is carried out in an impromptu greenhouse at temperatures of the order of + 22-25 ° C. At the same time, it is desirable to maintain such a temperature not only in the air, but also in the substrate. The plant is watered once a week, and ventilated every day for 10-15 minutes. Somewhere in 5-6 weeks, with successful rooting, the first leaves of a new generation appear on the growth cone.
A pot with pineapple germinated in this way can be placed in a lighted place, but one should not be particularly zealous with this. At this stage, temperature and humidity play a much greater role for the plant, now there will be enough light even on the north window. And even more so, you can not put a pot with a "greenhouse" under direct sunlight.
Improvised "greenhouse" for pineapple, made from a glass cap
After the appearance of the first leaves, it is necessary to start acclimatizing the pineapple. It can last from a month to two, while every day the plant remains without a greenhouse shelter for 10-15 minutes more than the previous one.
During growing under a greenhouse and during the acclimatization period, it is important to ensure that irrigation water or water formed as a concentrate in a greenhouse does not fall on the growth cone. On the other hand, the soil should always remain slightly damp. If it starts to dry out, you need to increase the frequency of watering.
Pineapple three months after planting the top
After the end of acclimatization, the plant will need a lot of light., therefore, as soon as it is freed from the greenhouse, it must be placed in a sunny place and actively watered and fertilized (unless, of course, it is in a period of active growth).
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Reproduction by cuttings
A similar breeding method is used if there is already an adult pineapple in the house, which already has either shoots under the infructescence, or child branches from the central stem. They can be used as planting material if they are broken off (or cut off) and then rooted.
Pineapple with multiple growth cones
Any of the above methods is suitable for growing a new pineapple. The growing technology exactly repeats the one that was used when growing pineapple from the top.
At the same time, there are several recommendations related to the offshoot cultivation of pineapple:
- It is best to take basal daughter shoots for seedlings, since they can have both rudiments of roots and an already partially formed root system and can be planted immediately in the ground, bypassing the stage of water root germination.
- It is rational to use cuttings consisting of a stem only if this occurs at the end of the period of active growth and the tying of a flower on the pineapple has not occurred. The time of the winter period (almost 5 months) is quite enough for the plant to restore the cut growth cone and take root for a new cutting.
- Always when separating cuttings or daughter parts from an adult plant, it is necessary to treat the cut or broken points with charcoal. Despite the high endurance of pineapple, you should not risk the possible appearance of a fungus on it.
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A huge number of different dishes are made from pineapple, most of which, which is generally characteristic of fruits, are dessert dishes.
Ripe, juicy pineapple
The high cost of pineapple at one time made it a kind of symbol of wealth and extravagance (remember Mayakovsky, for example), however, today both canned and ordinary pineapple is a very affordable delicacy.
As an example, consider the recipes for preparing simple pineapple dishes:
Cake "Pancho"
Cake "Pancho"
Pineapple in this cake is used to impregnate biscuits and as a component of the cream. To do this, it is cleaned and either cut into very small pieces, or ground on a grater.
Juice is made from part of the pineapple for impregnation (about a third of the pineapple can be used for this purpose). If using canned pineapple, you can use pineapple syrup.
For the cake you will need the following ingredients:
- sugar - 300 g
- powdered sugar - 270 g
- eggs - 6 pcs
- flour - 250 g
- soda or baking powder - 15 g
- cocoa - 20 g
- fresh pineapple - 1 pc (or canned - 1 can of 800-1000 g)
- nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, cashews) - 150-180 g
- for glaze - chocolate - 100 g, butter - 50 g
The procedure for making the cake is as follows:
- Cooking biscuits. Eggs are beaten with sugar until it is completely dissolved. Flour, pre-mixed with soda, is added to the egg mass and mixed well. One third of the resulting dough is poured into an oiled mold and baked at 180°C for 10 to 15 minutes. Cocoa is added to the remaining 2/3 of the dough, mixed and baked at the same temperature for up to half an hour.
- Sour cream is mixed with powdered sugar. The fourth part of the cream is temporarily set aside, and the rest is mixed with chopped pineapple. Coarsely chopped nuts are also added there.
- A light biscuit is soaked in pineapple juice or syrup and placed on a dish.
- The dark biscuit is cut into small cubes, slightly moistened with pineapple impregnation and mixed with cream.
- The resulting biscuit-cream mass is placed in a slide on a light biscuit.
- From above, the resulting structure is poured with the previously left sour cream and sugar cream.
- The cake is sprinkled with chocolate chips or glazed (melted chocolate mixed with butter).
- The cake is placed in the refrigerator for impregnation for 3-6 hours.
pineapple dessert
pineapple dessert
Simple, but very non-standard and extravagant dish. Ingredients:
- pineapple - 1 pc.
- sugar - 180 g
- vanilla sugar - 1 g
- cinnamon - 1 g
- cream 10% - 50 g
The procedure for preparing dessert is as follows:
- Pineapple is peeled and cut into slices.
- Boil 500 ml of water, add 100 g of sugar and pineapple peel to it.
- Boil the resulting syrup for half an hour, then strain it.
- Add cinnamon to the syrup, bring to a boil and put pineapple slices in it.
- After that, the syrup cools and put in the refrigerator for an hour.
- Arrange the circles on plates and pour over them with syrup.
- Whip the cream with 80 g of sugar and use to decorate the circles.
Pina colada cocktail
Pina colada cocktail
Classic summer pineapple smoothie. To prepare 3 servings you will need:
- pineapple - 50 g
- pineapple juice - 300 ml
- lime juice - 50 ml
- rum - 70 ml
- coconut milk - 200 ml
- ice - 150 g
The procedure for preparing a cocktail is as follows:
- All liquid ingredients are added to the container and mixed well.
- After that, ice is added there and everything is mixed again.
- The cocktail is poured into glasses and garnished with a slice of pineapple. And, of course, tubes.
- Instead of coconut milk, you can use a mixture of syrup and Midori liqueur (100 and 50 g, respectively).
- The classic version uses two types of rum: light and dark (50 and 20 ml), but you can get by with one light one.
How to Peel a Pineapple
Pineapple: description, planting and growing at home, dessert recipes (Photo & Video) + Reviews
