Why won't my pineapple plant flower?

Pineapple flowering issues literally stymie growers, my plants remained vegetative for three years until I broke their code. To get pineapple to bloom requires a balance of four factors: light intensity, night temperature, potassium, and ethylene triggers. Without one of them, the plant will remain vegetative years.

Ethylene gas outsmarts unyielding plants that would not flower. Place apple slices close to the crown for 7 days and the gas they release when they rot, mimics natural triggers for weeds to bloom. One of my resistant plants flowered after 6 weeks down this route. Once the red cones appear remove the pieces of fruit to prevent them from utilizing energy on fruiting.

Soil testing eliminates all doubt. I use digital meters to monitor potassium levels. When potassium levels fell below 100 ppm potassium, I noticed purple leaves on my plants. They're telling me to add greensand or wood ash if potassium is lacking. One thing to be careful of is the use of high-nitrogen fertilizers. If you use high-nitrogen fertilizers, they can get your plants to produce a lot of foliage but in so doing postpone bloom and fruit by months.

Managing the conditions for the microclimate is critical. My plants in the greenhouse flowered first because I regulated it to maintain 75°F days and 65°F nights. For outdoor growers: black plastic mulch is a way to warm up the soil. The divas or container plants will benefit from heat mats as well, living in their comfort zone with roots at 70-80°F helps to ensure they are metabolically ready to flower.

Read the full article: How to Grow Pineapple: Expert Tips for Success