I am looking for help on rooting pineapple stems. I have started two tops in water and they are doing well with root system. Both of the plants have shoots coming off the sides and I am not sure how to take them off without destroying them. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I can take digital picture and upload it if that will help.

A picture always helps.

I hope you can see the shoots off the side of the mother plant I rooted. I am afraid if I take the shoots off I will lose the new growth. Any help would be greatly appreciated. The pictures are of two separate plants. Thank you

I have not done this, and was hoping someone, who had, would answer.
My own thought would be to try and cut down so the new shoot and root came away.

I have a similar problem with an amaryllis.

I've not done it but until someone more knowledgeable responds here's my two cents. Pineapples are bromeliads, if you've ever separated a bromeliad pup from the parent it would be much the same. I'd take it out of the pot and see if the pup has some feeder roots yet, pull gently and see if you can work it away from the parent. If not, plant them both in a larger pot so the pup isn't contorted. I've grown several pineapple tops and gotten fruit from them but I've not had one make pups before fruiting.

Thank you Jonna and Caroline. I will look to see if the pup has roots yet. Both plants are still in water so if the pups have roots then I will try to work it away. Another question I hope you can help with please, do I place the pot in direct or indirect sun light. I live in San Diego County, which is inland which can get relatively hot, like today it is 95 degrees.

Pineapples like direct sun, I grow mine on a white rooftop in full sun here in the tropics. In fields they are not shaded at all. I'd say they can easily take full San Diego sun as long as they get sufficient water. Spray them like a brom so there is some water in the leaves and don't let them sit in soggy soil. They like humidity so the only thing that might be difficult for them up there is how dry it is, spraying them in the mornings should take care of that.

It used to be dryer here but not any longer. We have had horrible humidity for the past three weeks here. We have usually about one week of humid weather during the summer but, not this year. I started planting my plants in dirt today. I have taken the old leaves off one of the plants with the pups and planted them in one pot still attached to the mother plant. The other plant with pups I am going to try to divide it and leave enough roots on both to see how they do. My third plant did not grow the pups so I just removed the dead and dying leaves and planted a healthy green plant. We will see how this goes. TRrial and error. At least I can buy more pineapples and start over if I have to. Thank you for your help

Are you in the path of the monsoons that come across towards AZ? I used to live in Palm Springs and know that area sometimes gets high humidity from the monsoons but mostly they are south near the border in eastern San Diego county.

I will take a pic of my remaining pineapple, it's one of those 'honey' pineapples, called Miel here. It hasn't formed fruit yet although the regular one that I planted at the same time fruited the beginning of the summer and is now gone. I agree, you can always try again with another one and you get to eat the bottom of it too! I may not grow more of them, they take up a lot of room on the roof with their spikes and the fruit is cheap and available all year at the produce stands, seems like I could use the space for something else. It was fun though to see the little pineapple fruit growing. I only got a few bites of it because a bird found it before I thought it was completely ripe.

Good luck with your pineapple, it will be a fun experiment if nothing else

We have been in the path of the monsoons this year, really hard hit by them. I can't wait for the temp to go back to normal for this area. I will be happy if I get a plant, the wild Mexican parakeets will devour any fruit that hopefully will grow. My neighbor has a huge fig tree and the wild ones just devour all the fruit and then move on to their next source of food. They make such a racket, I am glad to see them leave the tree. The hit it the same time, every day, twice a day. I will post a picture when the plant takes hold and post it. Thanks for your help

wild Mexican Parrots, not parakeets. Sorry

Love to see your actively growing pineapple! I did a similar attempt sometime rooting it in water then changed it to water gels, after which I stuck it in a soil. I used to have a thread here, but it got moved to somewhere..anyhow, I think if you have viable roots for the new ones, you can attempt to separate it, but till then, keep it attached to the mommy plant, eventually the mommy plant will decline as with any bromeliad.

I have seen pineapple plantations in the Philippines, where it is in constant high humidity, and always rains there with the moonsoon rains, and the plant thrives well. So your San Diego weather should be good for it, just give it good drainage.

My pineapple is ever so slow growing, still alive I think, but my humidity here is really bad, so dry here, have moved the container nearer our fountain, hopefully it will feel better.

Hi neighbor, well in California anyway.

I am making my first attempt, so far so good. Rooted 3 tops in water, and just planted all three in soil yesterday. I left the two plants with the pups attached to the mother plant but, I did remove all the dying leaves from the mother plant so, I just have the two new shoots above the soil. I hope htey survive my not so green thumb, maybe a little not so green. I have had luck with re-potting spider plants and cactus plants.

The pups on the pineapple bromeliad look large enough to separate. They say to wait til they are 1/3 as tall as the mother plant. I have transplanted both smaller aand larger in size with success. Good luck!! Keep us posted.

I am not having a good score with my plants starting in P so far ...pineapple and plumeria ...luckily we are in another heat wave...got to get those two show some more life before cooler fall temps set in !!!

Spider plants are like weeds..hard to kill those My succulents and cacti are doing fine as well.

Do post later on how your pineapples further develop! That will be so exciting to see!

Another question that I just thought of yesterday. The winter here is pretty mild in San Diego County, specifically El Cajon, we can get a freeze for about two weeks. Should I bring the new plants indoors or will I be able to just cover them during a freeze period.

I have killed spider plants previously and cactus/succulents. They were easy for me.

I can't help with freeze info I'm happy to live where it never gets below 60°F and only that cold in the dead of winter in the few hours before dawn. I have to bundle up in sweats if it gets as low as 70° and I use an electric blanket on the really cold nights.

I did remember to take a couple pics of the pineapple I still have growing on the roof.

Such a lovely photo Jonna!! Like 3dna this will be the first winter of my pineapple...hoping it will survive as well..I plan to leave it outdoors as much as it can, if it really gets that cold, I will hide it inside the growcamp with my 'chids

I did have them when I lived in Marin and had a sheltered deck, it had a clear roof but only 2 sides and on the nights it was supposed to get below freezing I would hang plastic on the open sides. The pineapple slowed way down in growth but didn't die. I never got fruit on that one however.

Great pictures Jonna, I hope mine make it to half that size at least. I will check around the local area to see if I should cover them or bring them indoors for the frosty period here.