You can get a new plant from the discarded leafy top of a pineapple, and that plant will bear new pineapples. A pineapple plant can be had from the discarded leaves without much care. Here is how.

First cut off the leafy crown from a pineapple along with about an inch of the fruit. Soak this cut piece in water and change the water from time to time. After two weeks you will see root-like growth coming out of the cut part, and it is then ready to plant.

To plant pineapple on a roof or balcony, get one 10-inch pot for each plant. A clay pot is best. Block the holes at the bottom of the pot with small pieces of brick.

Mix 2 parts sandy loam soil, 1 part cow dung, 10-15 grams of TSP and 10 grams of potash, fill a drum or the pot, and leave it soaked in water for 10-12 days. Then loosen the soil a little and leave it like that for another 4-5 days. When the soil becomes crumbly, plant the sapling in the pot.

Plant the sapling upright and raise the soil a little around the base of the plant. Press the soil down firmly by hand so that too much water cannot get in at the base. Tie the plant to a straight stick.

From 2-3 months after planting, regularly give a small amount of rotted mustard oil cake water every 25-30 days. Soak mustard oil cake in water for 10 days, then dilute the rotted cake water and apply it at the base of the plant. Every 10-15 days the pot soil should be loosened a little.

Pineapple plants grow quite slowly. A plant takes about 2-3 years to bear fruit.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.