miniature pineapple

if you don't have the patience to wait two to three years for a pineapple, but would like to grow a miniature pineapple fruit as a novelty, it can be done in about six to eight months. this fruit is edible, but only barely so, as it is of very poor quality and contains very little flesh relative to the core and rind.

this plant was brought in from kluang, johor. every time we visit this relative in kluang, he will take us to his sprawling garden to pick and choose plants for us to take back to singapore. i often have to decline his kind offer because my place is turning into a 'jungle' of sort with potted plants lining both sides of the corridor.

growing pineapples in containers subjects them to about the same problems that afflict other container-grown plants. for example, too little light results in poor growth, poor colour, legginess and a failure to flower without repeated forcing. overwatering is also typical, causing root damage that results in poor growth, yellowing and dying of leaves, and poor to no fruiting. typical houseplant insect pests may be encountered, the most serious being mealybug.