Ananas comosus var. variegatus
Variegated pineapple, Ananas comosus var. variegatus, (syn. A. comosus var. comosus) is a decorative evergreen perennial within the Bromeliad household suited to cultivation in USDA Hardiness Zones 10 to 12.
Generally listed as A. comosus ‘Variegatus,’ this species shows hanging multicolored, sword-like foliage, pink or purple flowers, and ornamental however unappetizing pineapples which might be extra fibrous than their edible counterparts and fewer juicy.
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In our information to rising pineapples, we cowl methods to domesticate the tasty fruits in your panorama.
Learn on to discover ways to develop and take care of variegated pineapple in-ground and in containers.
Right here’s the lineup:
Decorative variegated pineapples and their edible cousins are terrestrial bromeliads.
Not like epiphytic bromeliads that develop benignly on rocks or timber, like Spanish moss, pineapples develop in soil.
They’re endemic to South America, and our topic species is most prevalent in Brazil.
Fast Look
Frequent identify(s): Variegated or decorative pineapple
Plant kind: Herbaceous evergreen bromeliad
Hardiness (USDA Zone): 10-12
Native to: Tropical South America
Bloom time / season: Summer time
Publicity: Full solar, partial shade; vivid, oblique daylight indoors
Soil kind: Organically-rich, free, nicely draining
Soil pH: 6.1-7.8, barely acidic to impartial
Time to maturity: 1-3 years
Mature dimension: 3-4 ft huge x 2-3 ft excessive (relying on cultivar)
Finest makes use of: Mattress, border, container, houseplant, mass planting, specimen
Taxonomy
Order: Poales
Household: Bromeliaceae
Genus: Ananas
Species: Comosus
Selection: Variegatus
These vegetation provide gardeners a lot visible enchantment, with showy, leathery, variegated grey, inexperienced, pink, pink, white, and yellow sword-like leaves with distinguished spines alongside the sides.
In the summertime, an inflorescence rises from the basal clump of boldly hued foliage.
From its tip, a dense, cone-like cluster of a whole bunch of tubular purple to pink florets erupts adopted by a syncarp or fused bundle of fruits we all know as a pineapple.
On the prime of the small pineapple a fountain of leaves sprouts, replicating the parental foliage beneath.
Traditionally talking, pineapples had been transported from South America to the Caribbean Islands. In 1493 explorer Christopher Columbus encountered them on his “New World” voyage.
By the 1600s, worldwide exportation was underway by way of the mapped waterways. At this time, edible and decorative pineapples make up a big industrial market.
Methods to Develop
For these in Zones 10 to 12, variegated pineapple performs exceptionally nicely when mass-planted in borders and drifts.
Additionally it is an eye catching standalone specimen in beds, borders, and containers.
Growers exterior Zones 10 to 12 can get pleasure from it as a tropical houseplant that continues to be indoors year-round or spends summers exterior.
Mild
Choose a location with full morning solar and shady afternoons for essentially the most vibrant foliage outside.
Houseplants do greatest with vivid, oblique daylight.
Soil
In-ground specimens do greatest with sandy loam that’s organically wealthy and drains nicely. The pH ought to be barely acidic to impartial, 6.1 to 7.8.
For rising in containers, use a soil combine containing organically-rich peat or compost and perlite or vermiculite for vitamins, moisture retention, and optimum drainage.
Premium Potting Soil
I like to recommend Premium Potting Soil that’s out there from the Midwest Fireside Retailer by way of Amazon.
This product incorporates the fundamentals: peat moss, perlite, and vermiculite, all you want for ethereal, non-compacting soil that’s moisture-retentive, nutrient-dense, and well-draining.
Don’t use a product formulated for bromeliads as these are typically soilless substrates for epiphytes, not terrestrials.
Water
Water in-ground specimens within the absence of rain to produce about an inch of moisture per week.
For containers, let the pot nearly dry out earlier than watering once more. You possibly can use a moisture meter as a information.
They want much less water throughout fall and winter. Examine the soil earlier than watering to keep away from oversaturation.
Outside specimens doubtless gained’t require any further moisture except it’s particularly windy and/or dry.
Humidity and Temperature
Indoor pots in dry environments with humidity lower than 30 % could profit from resting on a mattress of pebbles and water to lift the ambient moisture.
The best temperature vary is 70 to 86°F. When nighttime temperatures drop to 60°F, deliver outside pots inside for the winter.
Fertilizing
As a result of variegated pineapples must be grown in fertile soil, nice quantities of fertilizer usually are not needed.
In-ground vegetation profit from a single software of all-purpose, slow-release granular fertilizer in early spring.
For indoor and outside containers, apply half-strength all-purpose liquid houseplant meals as soon as within the spring and once more in the summertime.
Dr. Earth Pump and Develop is a superb product with an NPK ratio of 1-1-1. It’s excellent for feeding your container-grown variegated pineapples.
Dr. Earth Pump and Develop
Yow will discover this product out there from Arbico Organics.
Discontinue feeding throughout the fall and winter.
Upkeep
Because the leaves have sharp spines and the foliage is poisonous, dealing with vegetation with impermeable backyard gloves is a good suggestion.
Not like woody perennials, there may be little to do in the best way of routine pruning. Nevertheless, you’ll have to snip off foliage broken or adversely affected by pests or pathogens.
When the pineapples start to wither and now not look enticing, take away complete stalks by chopping them off as close to the purpose of origin as doable with out damaging foliage.
Each two years or so, after flowering and fruiting, repot container-grown specimens with recent medium.
Divide offsets at the moment to pot up individually. The brand new pots ought to be two inches wider than the basis mass.
Deliver outside pots indoors when the nighttime temperature dips beneath 60°F.
The place to Purchase
It’s simpler to search out vegetation should you stay in one of many rising zones for which it’s acceptable and store in an area nursery.
Nevertheless, generally you will discover them out there on-line.
‘Candy Stripes’
‘Candy Stripes’ is a cultivar that grows as much as 36 inches tall and produces edible fruit.
Yow will discover vegetation out there in three-inch containers from Wellspring Gardens by way of Walmart.
Propagation
You’re unlikely to search out seeds for decorative pineapple vegetation. In case you do, they could or will not be viable and germination is gradual.
Luckily, there are higher methods to propagate, together with with a basal offset, crown chopping, facet shoot chopping, or nursery begin.
Let’s talk about.
From Basal Offsets
On the base of every fruit, you’ll see child vegetation known as “offsets” or “pups.” These will be eliminated and planted or potted up.
Snip them off as near their level of origin as doable. Let the severed finish dry out for just a few days in a cool, dry location to kind a callus.
As soon as it has a dry callus on the base, put together a pot.
- Fill a porous terra cotta pot two inches wider than the offset base three-quarters stuffed with sandy, organically wealthy, well-draining potting soil.
- Moisten the soil.
- Snip off the bottom leaves so you’ve gotten a naked stem about an inch lengthy. You need to see brown root nodes or tiny white root buds protruding from it.
- Set the offset deep sufficient to cowl the basis nodes with the leaves simply above the soil degree.
- Backfill to carry the offset upright.
- Place the pot in vivid, oblique daylight in a room at 70°F. If needed, use a warmth mat.
- Keep even moisture with out oversaturation.
The expansion of recent foliage signifies profitable rooting.
From Crown Cuttings
Lower by the fruit slightly below the whorl of foliage on prime.
Lower away the fruit portion and decrease leaves to disclose a naked one-inch stem with seen brown root nodes.
Place the pineapple prime on a transparent glass containing sufficient water to submerge the naked stem whereas the leaves relaxation on the rim.
Put the glass in vivid, oblique daylight in a 70°F room and alter the water every day.
Roots will sprout and be seen by the glass. When they’re about an inch lengthy, transplant the rooted crown to a pot of soil.
Proceed to supply vivid, oblique daylight and keep even moisture.
Be taught extra about this methodology right here.
Transplanting
A sprouted offset or chopping, or a nursery begin, are appropriate for transplanting to the backyard in conducive climates or containers two inches wider than the basis mass.
The roots are shallow, so customary pot depths are acceptable.
For in-ground rising, put together the soil to a depth and width twice the dimensions of the container the plant is presently rising in.
Set your entire contents of the pot on the similar depth as within the unique container.
Managing Pests and Illness
Sapsucking pests feed on plant juices, inflicting foliar anomalies together with defoliation, deformity, desiccation, discoloration, and general stunting and poor well being.
Indoor pots in dry environments with humidity beneath 30 % are essentially the most vulnerable. Seemingly culprits embody:
Along with pests that feed on foliage, some nematode species feed on roots.
Within the occasion of a sapsucker infestation, use a agency spray with a hose or faucet to dislodge as many seen bugs as doable.
Take away and get rid of broken plant materials.
Comply with with an software of neem oil, an natural product constituted of the fruits of the neem tree.
Bonide Neem Oil
Bonide® Neem Oil is out there from Arbico Organics in quart- or gallon-sized ready-to-use sprays and a pint-sized focus.
Use neem oil per bundle directions for sapsucker prevention and management.
Inhibit outbreaks by rising the ambient humidity round a plant utilizing a humidifier or mattress of moist pebbles beneath the pot.
Illness
Whereas not susceptible to illness, there may be one to maintain an eye fixed out for, particularly throughout overly moist circumstances.
Bacterial delicate rot and wilt, brought on by Dickeya chrysanthemi, is most prevalent when the temperature is between 70 and 80°F and air circulation is poor.
Signs embody malodorous, water-soaked foliar lesions and mushy roots. As there isn’t any remedy, get rid of affected vegetation within the trash.
Keep away from overwatering or permitting pots to stay in standing water in drip saucers, and supply optimum airflow by spacing vegetation sufficiently.
A Tropical Vibe
The variegated pineapple’s miniature fruits and colourful, sword-like foliage make it an impressive focus in outside and indoor dwelling areas.
Present vivid, oblique daylight, wealthy, well-draining soil, and average moisture with out oversaturation.
Take out your backyard planner and add variegated pineapple for irresistibly whimsical flora with a refreshingly tropical vibe.
Do you develop variegated pineapple at your own home? Please inform us about it within the feedback part beneath.
And should you’d prefer to learn extra about rising vegetation within the bromeliad household, we advocate the next guides subsequent: