Pick a pineapple when the peel turns gold from the base and the fruit smells ripe. Cut it from the stalk.
Pick it when the peel turns gold from the base and it smells ripe
| Factor | Recommended | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Color | Peel turning from green to gold, starting at the base | Picking a small, fully green fruit and expecting it to sweeten much |
| Smell | A sweet aroma at the base of the fruit | A fermented, alcohol smell — that fruit is past ripe |
| How | Cut or twist the fruit from the stalk, wearing gloves | Yanking the plant over and bruising the fruit |
| After | Eat ripe fruit soon, or refrigerate it for a few days | Chilling a green fruit and expecting it to ripen well |
Watch the peel. Color moves from the base toward the top, and a ripe fruit smells sweet at the base. [1] Each plant makes one fruit. After you pick it, the mother plant declines and sends pups. pineapple is the grocery harvest. Variegated pineapple uses the same ripe cue; the fruit is often smaller. [2]
How do I know a pineapple is ripe on the plant?
The peel turns gold from the base, and the fruit smells sweet there. A fully green fruit will not sweeten much after you cut it.
How to harvest a pineapple
Wait until color and smell agree, then cut the fruit from the stalk in one clean motion.
- Wear gloves. The leaves are sharp, and juice can irritate skin.
- When about a third to two thirds of the peel has turned from green toward gold, and the base smells ripe, support the fruit and cut it from the stalk. You can also twist it free.
- Leave a short stub of stalk on the fruit if it helps you carry it. Do not drop it.
- Eat it soon, or refrigerate a fully ripe fruit for up to a week. Do not refrigerate a green fruit and expect it to ripen well.
Will a green pineapple ripen on the counter?
A fruit picked fully mature but still green may soften a little at room temperature. It will not gain much sugar. Wait for gold and smell on the plant when you can.
Expect fruit about two years from a planted crown
A grocery crown is the slow start. Plan on about eighteen to twenty-four months before the plant is large enough to flower, then about five months from flower to ripe fruit. [3] [4] A red flush in the center, then a stalk of purple flowers, is the first sign. Pups fruit sooner than a crown. After harvest, start the next plant from a pup on Planting Pineapple.
If the fruit still has no smell and the peel is green, wait a few more days on the plant.
FAQ
How long does it take to grow a pineapple?
About two years from a planted crown to ripe fruit, often a little longer in a dim indoor spot. Pups fruit sooner than a grocery crown.
Does one plant make more than one fruit?
Each shoot makes one fruit. After you pick it, keep one strong pup as the next crop if you want a second harvest in the same pot.
Related guides
Recommended plants
References
- [1] UF/IFAS Extension -
https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/MG055 - [2] UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions -
https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/edibles/fruits/pineapple/ - [3] LSU AgCenter -
https://www.lsuagcenter.com/articles/page1684505748908 - [4] NC State Extension Gardener -
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ananas-comosus/
This note is part of Ananas Guides.
More harvest timing notes by plant live in Harvesting Guides.
Updated: Reviewed by Bosquelle Editors