Food-Gardening Lessons From A Wartime Victory Garden

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Tag: rooting

How Long Should My Pineapple Top Stay in Water Before Planting?

How Long Should My Pineapple Top Stay in Water Before Planting?

“How long should I keep my pineapple plant in water before planting?” Question from Daniel of Omaha, Nebraska

Answer: It is always fun to start your own pineapple plants from tops! And, if you give them the right care, they may even produce fruit for you–even more exciting! You will know that your top is ready to plant when it has developed roots that are 2 to 3 inches long or longer. To plant it correctly, follow these steps.

How to Plant and Grow a Pineapple

  1. Prepare your pineapple top for planting after it has developed roots that are 2 to 3 inches long or longer.
  2. Choose a pot that has drainage holes at the bottom and is at least 8 to 10 inches across.
  3. Use a fast-draining planting mix suited for bromeliads, like pineapples. Black Gold Cactus Mix is a good choice.
  4. Fill the pot with soil until there are 4 inches of headspace at the top. Place the pineapple top in and cover its roots–being sure to leave 2 inches of space at the top of the pot for watering.
  5. Water your pineapple until water runs through the pot and fills the saucer at the bottom.
  6. Place your pineapple in a sunny spot indoors. Water it every three days or so.
  7. After one week, feed it with a water-soluble fertilizer formulated for bromeliads. From there, feed it monthly.

Pineapples grow best in warm rooms (65 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit) with good humidity. Occasionally spritzing the leaves with bottled spring water can be helpful. Once your plant begins to grow and fill out, it may take several months to a year before it sets fruit.

Happy gardening!

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

How Do You Start Raspberries from Canes?

How do you start raspberries from canes? Question from Deborah of Los Lunas, New Mexico

Answer: Raspberries are one of the easiest fruits to propagate from canes or cuttings because they readily root, even without the help of rooting hormone. In fact, if you let canes naturally weep to the ground in your garden, they will root as they touch the ground. In time a single plant can become a brambly thicket of rooted canes, which is why these plants need to be pruned and maintained each season.

If you have rooted canes, all you need to do is cut at least a foot of top growth from the rooted segment, dig up the root ball, and replant the berry wherever you wish. If you want to root cane cuttings, here’s what you need to do:

Rooting Raspberry Cuttings

Materials

  • Sharp bypass pruners
  • 1-gallon pots
  • Rooting hormone with added fungicide
  • Quality potting soil, such as Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Mix
  • Raspberry cane cuttings (these can be dormant or actively growing)

Method

Use your pruners to take tip cuttings from your raspberries. Make sure they are about 1-foot long and cut from fresh, healthy stem tips. If you like, you can hasten rooting and protect the cuttings from rot by dipping them in rooting hormone with added fungicide. Place the cuttings about 3 inches down in 1-gallon pots filled with OMRI Listed potting mix formulated for organic growing. You can add up to three cuttings per pot. Water the pots in, keep them moist, place them in a cool spot with filtered light, and the cuttings will root in a matter of weeks.

I usually wait for two weeks, and then give the cuttings a small tug to see if they are rooted. If they resist being pulled out, they have set roots. Once new leaves start to appear on your cuttings, and they have clearly rooted, you can separate the rooted cuttings from the pot and plant them where you like.

To learn more about growing happy raspberries and other brambles, click here to read an article about growing them. Be sure to amend the soil where you plant them. I suggest OMRI Listed Black Gold Garden Compost Blend as the best all-around garden amendment.

Happy raspberry growing!

Jessie Keith

Black Gold horticulturist