Yay! Pineapple Seeds and Other Tidbits

Category: Container Gardening | Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2014 3:28 pm

I was nibbling away on a freshly cut pineapple this morning when I came across five seeds. Yes, seeds. In a Pineapple! I mean, I knew, as a fruit, that Pineapples should have seeds somewhere along the way but it was an abstract thought like Banana seeds. You know they must exist but you never think of them in the same context as the fruit due to the commercialized habit of offering some produce without seeds.

So, you can imagine my shock when I saw those little brown pips this morning.

I am so going to grow some pineapple!

According to the New Crop Resource Online Program's info on Pineapples, it is suggested the seeds be immersed in sulfuric acid for a brief period to eat away at the seed case, thus increasing the speed and probability of germination. Ain't nobody got time (or money) for that. :-D

Instead, I'm going to experiment. Two seeds, I'm going to take a nail file to. One seed I'm going to grow as normal. The remaining two seeds will be grown after being kept moist. This is going to be so much fun.

I'm hoping all the seeds grow to maturity. I'm also going to have another look at the skin of that pineapple to see if I can find more seeds.

My reason for buying the pineapple was to grow the crown and, it's currently sitting in a pint container in an inch (4cm-ish) of water with my fervent hopes that it'll root and grow to its full potential.

In other news, I finally got a sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) and I plan on sprouting that as much as possible considering how small it is. I'm hoping to take my very large container and grow a few different things in it, sweet potatoes being one of those things.

I previously grew Sweet potatoes successfully via a container in 2002/2003, planting in April of 2002 and harvesting in February of 2003. The reason for the late harvest was because I didn't expect it to be more than an ornamental plant given I was growing it in my window. Imagine my shock when, on watering it, I saw the telltale salmon colored root popping up from the dark potting soil.

It was most delicious. :)

My Nasturtiums and Radishes are growing. The Nasturtiums look great with multiple true leaves. The radishes, don't look as well but they're getting leaves finally. Somehow, I don't think this cultivar's twenty two day harvest expectation is going to be met though. Instead, I will grow it for beauty's sake.

My Spider plants, Orange trees, Snake Plant, and Aloe Vera are growing very well. I don't know what my fern is doing. I'm at a loss for words on its growing behavior. The center is growing just fine with vibrant green leaves. The outer part of the plant looks like WWXVI hit it hard. If I only knew what kind of fern it is, I could remedy this with appropriate pruning, watering, fertilizing or howling at the moon.

My evil...erm I mean future plant plans involve planting a good number of seeds in currently existing plant pots as well as newly purchased pots. I have Cinnamon Basil, Coleus, Lemongrass and Geranium seeds as well as a lot of ambition in my hopes that I can somehow grow them all.

The Cinnamon Basil, I've had a lot of success with in the past but this is my first time buying it from a new grower. Previously, I bought it from Seeds of Change but this year, they didn't have it, so I got it from Park Seed Company instead. I had so much good production with this variety that I'm sure, regardless of merchant, it'll grow true and produce a bountiful crop.

The Coleus I grew four years ago grew very well. I got that from the local Box store's garden department. It was Burpee's brand but I forgot the varieties except that it was a mix. I'm looking for equal to greater success now that I've grown them at least once. This time around, I am growing Rainbow Mixed Colors.

I haven't grown Lemongrass since High school, nearly sixteen years ago. Like with Nasturtiums, I ate it before it could reach it's full potential. Much to my shame. This time around, I'm hoping to grow a full pot of it. These seeds are Burpee also.

The Geraniums I'm planning on growing are Border Mix and they're also produced by Burpee. This is another plant I grew in High school Horticulture shop but I grew mine from greenhouse cuttings rather than seed. This is my first attempt at growing them via seed. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that these will reach their full potential.

Last edited: Sun Mar 16, 2014 5:08 pm

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Green Fingers wrote on Tue Apr 15, 2014 9:20 pm:

hello xantedeschia, how are your pineapples doing? Update/pics please :)

xantedeschia wrote on Wed Apr 16, 2014 12:11 pm:

Hi, Green Fingers!

I haven't started the pineapple seeds yet but the top cutting didn't root, so I threw it out. It was half brown, so I didn't expect much.

Still, it would have been nice to have a clone of that pineapple. It was delicious!

I'm going to try to upcycle a chocolate covered matzoh container for the pineapples and get more pots for a date seed I remember having.

As to pictures, I will do my best. My phone (Samsung Galaxy S3) is a problem child.

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