A quick guide on how to grow a pineapple indoors. It’s not crazy difficult but you’ll need lots of patience!

The pineapple (Ananas comosus) is a tropical perennial plant, a bromeliad, native to South America. It is prized for its sweet fruit that can be eaten fresh or used in cooked dishes.

Pineapples contain high amounts of manganese and vitamin C and, according to scientists with Colorado State University, there are 2.2 grams of fiber in one cup of the fruit.

Growing a pineapple indoors  is easy but it won’t actually produce a pineapple for 20 months or longer.

Supplies you’ll need to grow a pineapple indoors

• Gloves
• 12-inch planting pot (we love this one, at Bloomist.com and here’s a less expensive pot at Amazon.com)
• Potting soil
• Sand
• Pineapple (organic is best!)
• Houseplant fertilizer
• Insecticidal soap
• Fungicide

Getting the pineapple ready to pot up

This guy is spikey and the leaves are very sharp, so slip on some sturdy gloves before starting the planting process.

Mix together equal parts of potting soil and sand and pour it into the planting pot. Water it until it is saturated and water runs from the drainage holes. Allow the soil to dry completely.

Hold the pineapple in one hand and gather the leaves in the other hand. Twist the leaves until the crown breaks off the pineapple.

Peel off the bottom leaves, working your way around the crown. Around three-fourths of an inch up the stem you will begin to see root buds or even small roots ringing the stem. Stop peeling the leaves at this point.

How to plant the pineapple

Plant the pineapple crown in the soil up to the bottom leaves. Pack the soil around it so that it sits firmly in the soil.

Place the planted pineapple crown in a sunny spot. The ideal temperature for the for it is 60 degrees F.

Ongoing  care while the pineapple is rooting

Fertilize the pineapple plant with a liquid houseplant fertilizer, at the rate suggested on the package, at the first sign of new growth. Fertilize again three months after that.

Water the pineapple plant bi-weekly. Water the soil at the base of the plant until water runs out of the bottom of the pot.

Manage any pest problems with insecticidal soap, according to package directions.

Use fungicide if your pineapple plant shows symptoms of heart rot. This is a fungal disease that will cause the interior leaves to turn black.

Pour the fungicide, at the rate suggested on the label, into the center of the plant. You will know that it has stopped the disease when a new shoot begins growing out of the side of the pineapple plant.

Your pineapple plant can take 20 months, or more, to produce a ripe pineapple.

Mention of a fertilizer, fungicide or pesticide, or use of a fungicide, pesticide or fertilizer label, is for educational purposes only. Always follow the product’s label directions attached to the container you are using. Be sure that the plant you wish to treat is listed on the label of the pesticide you intend to use. If growing edibles, check the label for the number of days between pesticide application and when you can re-enter the area and/or harvest your crop.