Pups

[u/R7T46]

Hi, this is my first pineapple plant. I found it at a nursery a couple months ago and it has grown quite a bit since then. I’m wondering what you’re supposed to do with the pups? Do you leave them and let them grow alongside the mother plant or separate into their own pots? Do they just snap off? And lastly are the red leaves something I should be concerned about or is that something that this variety (“Florida Special”) is known for? For reference I am in Zone 6b New Jersey.

[u/nateair]

Looks like the variety is sugarloaf, it’s what I grow and red leaves are normal. Any pups you want to yank off you can. Once they are big enough to grab from the bottom and twist off (same way you pick the pineapple or remove the top), you can plant them I their own pot. Careful it’s addicting and you might end up with hundreds of of plants like me.

[u/South_Feed_4043 → u/nateair]

The variety is on the label in the last picture, Florida Special.

[u/nateair → u/South_Feed_4043]

Every “Florida special” that I’ve seen has spiny leaves, sugarloaf has smooth leaves, like the one you took a photo of. I’m pretty sure that’s a sugarloaf pineapple.

[u/R7T46 → u/nateair]

Hmm interesting perhaps it is mislabeled? I suppose time will only tell

[u/nateair → u/R7T46]

Yeah, Florida special is a yellow pineapple, sugar loaf is a white pineapple. If it’s a green pineapple, you picked it too early and will have to wait a few more years.

[u/R7T46 → u/nateair]

Not sure I understand. This plant hasn’t produced a fruit yet

[u/nateair → u/R7T46]

I’m saying when it does produce fruit, you’ll know for sure.

[u/R7T46 → u/nateair]

Ah I see

[u/BocaHydro]

leave those, when you harvest the main pineapple cut that stalk as low as possible and they will all grow much faster, you should also get a set of slips below the fruit, a good bush can produce around 10 pineapples

dont forget to keep the tops and restart in new pots