Since it is quiet here, I’ll give you an update on my pineapple!
I posted the blossom two months ago, it has turned into a proper fruit. I expect it to grow twice this size before harvest. On the left you can see the dried-out stem of the first fruit. The new stem branched off sideways. I have squeezed in a stone from below to keep it upright. The fruit will soon need support from above, or risk toppling.
The leaves are a bit of a hazard, sharp and pointy as the fruit crown. I’m cutting the tips before they reach eye-level.
Growing next to the pineapple is a young cotton plant (hopeful) and the top of an avocado (dying).
I don’t keep track, but I’d say about 3 years from store-bought pineapple (fruit with crown, cut off the bottom leaves) to flower.
I have harvested several already. I don’t know what I’m doing right, but I consistently get a flower and a fruit. I think it’s the warm and sunny location.
Anyway, here is what I do: Water every 2 weeks (pineapples are specialized to survive dryness and store water in their leaves, so not too much I guess). The tap water is a bit hard here, and I read you should filter it so I always do, but never tested without. Standard soil, a few stones as drainage in the bottom (I doubt this matters a lot). Do not put the plant on the balcony on a sunny summer day, when I did it wilted within 2 days and didn’t recover. I guess it really hates cool nights. The pot size has a big influence, the size in the photo seems to be optimal, with a smaller pot I get smaller leaves and a smaller fruit (600g instead of 1100g).
And before you take my advice, I should mention that many plants have wilted in my care at that window. Just not pineapples.
Thank you!