Plant Of The Month: Pygmy Pineapple

The Pygmy Pineapple is such a cutie, and he’s going to love showing off in your home, as visitors will be amazed you are growing a PINEAPPLE. In fact, most people probably think pineapples grow on trees, or even underground, such is our oft-reported disconnect with food and where it comes from.

Whilst not a true pineapple, the Pygmy Pineapple is a miniaturised version, which grows wild in Puerto Rico, and has recently taken the Dutch auction houses by storm, thanks to its suitability as a contemporary, fun indoor plants!

You probably won’t want to cut your pineapple off to eat it. But, just to warn you before you do, as it’s much smaller, the flavor is much more acidic, and unquestionably prickly. The fruit is ripe after around 2 months. The pineapple is a bromeliad. Many Bromeliads grow on other plants, and are known as epiphytic. However, the pineapple is terrestrial, and grows from the soil.

Your Pygmy Pineapple is a tropical plant, used to a much warmer climate than dear old England, so make sure you place it in a well-lit position and a warm room. Water just once a week, and you can actually use the central rosette to administer the water! Just fill to the brim once and that’s enough. Your Pygmy Pineapple will perform even better with a dose of feed every 8 weeks too, you’ll find various potions in your local garden center- make sure you provide iron, nitrogen and zinc for best results.

You’ll find your pineapple plant’s topknot will look good for a fair few months in the home, but what do you do when it fades? Well, if you’re up for the challenge you can actually start a new plant from it, just cut it off and root it into the soil. Your original plant may decide to give you a new pygmy pineapple too, although it looks just as good without, thanks to the silvery foliage.

On it’s larger cousin, that silver, tough foliage is used in a number of unique ways around the world. In Taiwan the fibre has been used to make underwear for farmers, whilst in Borneo it is a useful thread. In the Philippines it’s used to wrap cigars!