What can I do to save my homegrown pineapple plant

Question

Looks as if my homegrown pineapple plant has heart rot Roots seem ok.I have cut off the tips of leaves that are brown but the centre is very black and new growth coming through is quite blackened.I do keep it inside but it does get sun

Answer 1

You should prepare yourself for bad news on this one. Pineapple is a dry land epiphyte that grows in dry conditions and receives much of the water and food it needs not through the roots but through the leaves and the little cups between leaf and stem. The roots are really only used for anchoring the plant in open ground.

It sounds like someone was too kind to it and kept it wet underneath. Immediate action would be to dry out the core as much as possible. Expose it to air, break open the cluster of leaves if necessary and leave it to thoroughly dry out. Once dry, examine the pieces to see if further vertical slicing can save a few pieces that might produce pups and eventually new plants. But rot in a pineapple is really not good news at all.

You might get different brighter suggestions, but for now get rid of any wetness and let it dry out.