Propagating a Pineapple Plant

The pineapple plant – officially called Bromelia Ananas – is a striking houseplant and a tropical surprise. While propagating by offshoots is difficult, you can grow your own pineapple plant from the top of a fresh pineapple. It takes a bit of patience, but it’s a fun and satisfying process.

Choose a ripe, healthy pineapple. Twist off the crown or cut it off using a sharp knife.
Gently remove all fruit flesh from the base of the crown to prevent rotting.

Peel off a few of the lower leaves from the crown. This keeps the base dry and clean while it sits in water. Leaves that touch the water can rot and slow down root development.

Insert four toothpicks in a cross shape into the crown and rest it on a glass.
Make sure only the very bottom touches the water. Place the glass in a warm, bright spot without direct sunlight.

Change the water every week and clean the glass when you do. After a few weeks, roots will begin to grow.
Wait until the roots are at least ten centimetres long before transferring the plant to soil.

• When: best started in spring or summer

• Light: bright spot without direct sun

• Water: refresh the water weekly and clean the glass

• Patience: it can take six to eight weeks before you see roots

• Preparation: always remove fruit flesh and lower leaves to prevent rot

Yes, you can. The crown contains a growth point that can grow into a new plant. Growing an actual fruit takes a lot longer and doesn’t always work indoors, but growing the plant itself is definitely possible.

These tips are based on our own experience with growing pineapple plants. We test every method in our plant studio and only share what works well for beginners too.

Want to learn more about propagation? Take a look at our other step-by-step plant guides.