My pineapple plant started leaning a few weeks ago and has now gone yellow in the fruit and the stem it was being held up by. I propped it up with a stick and some thread but it still looks like it’s dying.
Should I remove the fruit? Also will it grow a new one? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I have no idea about ornamental pineapples, but at least some edible varieties turn yellow when they are ripe.
After removing my first edible pineapple from the stem, part of the plant died, but what is left appears to be 4 merged plants. The leaves are sharply serrated, so I didn't even try to separate them. No new fruit from the quad pinapple monster yet, but I planted the top from the first fruit in a different pot, and it now has a fruit that I think will be ready soon.
As far as I know, for normal pineapples, each plant only bears one fruit and it's hard to tell if the fruit is ripe. Also, the plant usually dies once the fruit is ready. So, you may as well remove the fruit and replant the crown of the fruit.
Two websites say that you tap it to see if it's ripe
- It is difficult to tell when a pineapple is ripe; size and color change are not reliable indicators of ripeness.
- The “eyes” or scales that run down the length of the pineapple will turn a light pale green color when the fruit is ripe.
- Ripe fruit will make a dull, solid sound when thumped by a finger. Immature fruit will make a hollow thud.
From How to Plant, Grow, and Harvest Pineapples
- Give the pineapple a good sniff to test for the pineapple scent. When a pineapple is ready to harvest, it will start to have a strong pineapple scent. You'll know it's ripe when you catch whiffs of it even when you don't have your nose right next to the pineapple.
- Tap the side of the pineapple and listen to how it sounds. Firmly but gently tap the side of your pineapple your hand while listening closely to the sound it makes. If it sounds solid when you tap it, it's not quite ready for harvest yet.