Pineapple Delight

I have been told for years that here in the rainforest, if you stick something in the ground, it will grow. Well, experience has taught me that this is simply not true. And it's not that I don't have a green thumb...I have been successful growing things in many different places I have lived, except Alaska, where I didn't try.

So, when I dressed (or perhaps undressed) a pineapple, I thought "what harm...... stick it in the ground and see if it grows". I have tried this in the past without success but my neighbours have done it. So I dug a hole in the nutrient-deprived soil in the back yard, plunked in the pineapple top and filled it in. In an attempt to increase my odds, I sprinkled fertilizer around and installed a wire-mesh enclosure to keep it safe from the critters. A week or so later, I repeated the performance with a second pineapple top.

Initially, I watered them a lot to get them going and neither showed signs of imminent death. This was encouraging. However, neither did they show signs of imminent growth. I thought perhaps they thought I was being over-attentive as young pineapples are wont to do so I just ignored them except for the weekly watering I give all the plants.

Imagine my surprise and delight when I discovered that pineapple number two was growing. The photo on the right shows new leaves extending higher than the mesh protective enclosure. This is exciting and I can't wait to see if pineapple number one launches itself into growth mode or if any future pineapple tops I decide to plant reward me in this way.

You never know in the rainforest.