FARMING

The pineapple plant has a dense, shallow root system. It grows about 90cm high and bears long, stiff, prickly leaves. The fruit arises from the centre or heart of these leaves. After the fruit is removed, the mother plant produces a sucker from which another fruiting stem arises. This fruiting process is repeated, over and over, for almost fifty years - the lifetime of a native plant.

Each subsequent crop of pineapples is of a lesser size than the previous, hence the commercial farming practice of replacing plants after their second crop i.e. 3-4 years.

A new pineapple plant is grown from slips, crowns or suckers, not seeds, and the plant starts the flowering process about 12-14 months after planting. It is ready for harvesting usually about 20 months after it is planted. Each parent plant produces only one fruit.

Pineapples are native to the tropics but also grow in subtropical areas. They can be grown in a variety of soils provided they possess the characteristics of good drainage, aeration and a low P.H. (4.5-5.5). The pineapple has a remarkable ability to grow under a wide range of rainfall conditions.