Pineapple Plant
 Believe it or not you can actually grow your own pineapple plant
indoors. The pineapple is native to Brazil, but is now widely cultivated
around the world. It is a type of bromeliad family of plants and
features a thick stem with long pointed leaves. The leaves themselves
can eventually reach six feet in length, but will rarely become that
unruly indoors. Meanwhile, the actual plant usually reaches between two
and five feet in height and spreads out three to four feet in width. At
the time of the harvest, each plant will sprout one to two full
pineapple fruits. In addition to its characteristic fruit, the pineapple
plant also sports colorful flowers. These are generally small and come
in shades of purple and red.
If cultivating a full pineapple fruit is a concern, you will need to
create a lot of space for your plant. This is rather impractical for
most people. However, the plant itself remains a beautiful addition to
any home even without the mature fruit. Under optimum conditions, you
can even get some small fruit on your moderately sized pineapple plant.
Pineapple plants are exceptionally hardy and do not require extensive
care. They should be kept in an area with access to bright lighting at
least 12 hours per day. Additionally, as a tropical plant, pineapples
need to be kept in the warmest part of the home. In general, it is
recommended that they be placed near a south-facing window. However, the
plant is ultimately hardy and can survive brief exposure to even
sub-freezing temperatures. As for the soil, pineapples thrive in
slightly acidic sandy loam with exceptional drainage. It should be
watered regularly, but never allowed to retain excess fluid in the pot.
Finally, the pineapple plant requires minimal feeding and only requires
fertilizer once every two months. |
