Maximum Yield Australia/New Zealand March/April 2020 | Page 22
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GROWER
by Chris Bond
Q
What method should I use to grow pineapples hydroponically?
Thanks, Anthony
a G
reat question! Though pineapples are not typically
thought of as a viable hydroponic crop, they
certainly can be grown in hydro systems. The main
drawback is the amount of time devoted to care of each
plant and the extremely long development period. It
can take up to a year and a half to harvest a pineapple,
so unless you just really like to grow things and
challenge your horticultural skills, don’t expect to
grow them as a lucrative crop.
Having said that, it is important to keep pH and nutrient
levels monitored just as with any other hydroponic crop.
Pineapples like a more acidic environment than many
other hydroponically grown crops, so they should not be
grown in the same system as other plants with different
cultural needs. Pineapples like a pH around 5.5 but
have been successfully grown in the range of 5.0 to 6.0.
EC levels should be between 2.0 and 2.4, ideally.
Keep the temperature between 15-26°C in the growing
area and make sure they get at least eight hours
per day of light at a minimum. Natural light is of
course preferable but grow lights have been used to
successfully produce hydroponic pineapples.
Pineapples can be grown in gravel, stonewool, or
Styrofoam. A bucket system, where each pineapple
plant is in its own media and container, with its own
reservoir, would probably be the most effective way
to hydroponically grow pineapples. I suggest this, as
due to the lengthy cultivation period, there is ample
time for things to go wrong, and if you have multiple
pineapple plants growing in the same system, you
could potentially lose them all.
Best of luck on this one!
Chris Bond
CB Chris Bond's research interests are with sustainable agriculture, biological pest control as well as alternative growing
methods. He is a certified permaculture designer and certified nursery technician in Ohio and a certified nursery
professional in New York, where he got his start in growing.
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