Pineapple plants thrive when they feel as though they are at home in the rainforest with a steady drizzle of moisture- the soil must always be damp, but never completely wet. Pineapples like having available water but drink it up from the earth in very small sips. Small- but consistent. Throughout the entire day it never stops drinking.
The challenge for every pineapple grower is to supply constant moisture while never letting the soil get truly wet. This makes the question of how often to water your plants a critical one! This article will explain why the question of how frequently to water pineapple is not at all simple to answer, but also how it can nonetheless be done successfully.
The answer in short: How often to water pineapple varies widely depending on its location and the time. Ideally it should be watered whenever dry, which could mean weekly during hotter seasons and once every ten days when it is colder.
Why is it so tricky to figure out how often to water pineapple?
Before introducing the methods for doing so, it’s important to understand that the question of watering frequency is a classic example of one to which the answer changes from one case to another. There are multiple factors that can influence the equation:
1. The time of year.
During hot seasons the water evaporates from the soil more quickly and therefore needs to be replaced more often. Water also evaporates from the plant more rapidly, therefore it consumes a bit more water as well. The definition of ‘hot season’ depends where you live. The difference between New York and Florida, for example, is stark.
2. Humidity
The more humid it is, the less water will evaporate, even if the weather is hot. This is because moist air cannot accommodate more moisture, so it will stay in the soil.
3. Location of the pot
Most houses today have air conditioning and just don’t get so hot. Even during the driest spells of the summer, a houseplant will lose less water than its counterparts outdoors. Even if the pot is outside but well-shaded, it will lose less water because of the difference in temperature between the sun and the shade.
4. Size of the plant and of the pot
A large plant drinks more water. If your pineapple is big but lives in a little pot, you’ll need to replenish its water more often. A hot tip: It’s always preferable to put your pineapple in a wide pot.
5. Ground cover
If the pineapple is growing in covered soil, with lava rock for example, it will lose water more slowly.
6. Variety of pineapple
Different types of pineapple consume water at slightly different rates.
All the above parameters make it nearly impossible to give one clear answer to the question of how often to water plants in general and pineapple in particular. Remember that pineapples are especially sensitive to overwatering, so mistakes can come with a heavier cost.
So before getting started- here’s the golden rule, learned from experience, that I cannot repeat enough!
Most important of all: Light and airy potting soil, and a wide drained pot
The difficulty of calculating the precise amount of water for pineapple is exactly why we need to be careful not to overdo it (if we give too little water, the pineapple will be alright). Not to overdo it is easy; if the pineapple’s potting soil is light and can’t absorb too much water, and if the pot’s drainage holes are large enough- any amount of water poured into it, at any frequency, won’t cause real damage. To kill a pineapple planted in light soil, we would need to leave a running hose directed at it for several hours. Otherwise, the soil simply won’t retain enough water to be fatal to the pineapple.
This potting soil is fantastic for pineapple.
Three methods to know exactly when to water your pineapple
After having said all this, we can continue onward. And so: there are three methods for determining when to water pineapple plants. You can use one or all of them; each person finds different methods suit them. Your preferred method can reveal a bit about your personality!
Method #1: For people who like to feel things and get their hands dirty
If you enjoy working with soil and feeling it in your hands, and like to forge a personal connection with your plants- this is the method for you.
Every morning, stick your finger in the soil surrounding your pineapple, as far as it can go. Is it damp, even if only deep down? If so, don’t add any extra moisture. Only when the soil is dry should you water it. With time you’ll develop an intuitive ability to read your pineapple’s mind and feel when it’s thirsty.
Method #2: For technological aficionados with a proclivity for precise science
If you’d rather not turn your pineapple into a child that demands your attention, but still want to give it the most exact care you can, technology can be of service! Today you can buy a humidimeter for just a few dollars. This is a device that you stick in the soil and it will indicate the moisture level of your pineapple’s home. You only have to water it when the soil is completely dry.
This is a humidimeter that I recommend.
The more advanced among you may want to acquire humidimeter that also automatically waters your pineapple the moment the soil gets too dry. This is especially useful if you will be away from your home for weeks.
If you especially love technology- or travel!- this is the product for you.
This is of course a more expensive product; if you’re concerned how your pineapples will manage when you’re away from home for weeks, not to worry! You don’t need it. There’s a nifty trick to care for your houseplants- including pineapple- while you’re gone. I’ve written about this here.
Method #3: For people who want to keep things simple
If all the above suggestions seem like too much work, or are better suited for ‘pineapple geeks’ and you just want a simple answer to the question of how often to water your pineapple, here’s the rule of thumb: Pineapples need to be watered roughly once per week in the summer, and every ten days in the winter.
To be clear, this is a simplified answer because relevant factors will vary from country to country, climate to climate, and can even be influenced by the specific placement of the pineapple in your home or garden, as well as whether there is ground cover on the soil or not. או בגינה שלכם ומן השאלה אם
In any case, this rule of thumb should work just fine as long as the pineapple’s soil is light and the pot has drainage holes. Even if you overwater a bit, in these conditions the extra water will simply leave the soil.
What to do when the pineapple’s soil is dry on top but damp underneath?
Excellent question! This will always happen, especially in hotter seasons, during which water evaporates quickly from the top layer of the ground. This creates the dilemma: To water, because the top layer is dry? Or not to water, because the water will seep down?
The answer is: Exercise restraint and let the pineapple be a little thirsty. Don’t worry, it will be fine! Wait a day or two for the lower layer of the soil to dry out and then water it again.
That said, this approach isn’t perfect. Letting a plant dehydrate, even partially, isn’t ideal. A thirsty pineapple will simply pause the growing process for a bit- this isn’t a tragedy, but it is a bit of a shame. Even in the best of circumstances we have to wait two or three years, so why prolong things even more?
The best approach is to use ground cover. Simply add a layer one or two centimeters thick of dry plant matter. That way, when the top layer dries in the sun, it won’t be the soil at all, but rather the ground cover! This is exactly what happens in rainforests- the soil is covered with a thick layer of plant matter (the constant falling of leaves from the trees) and this is what maintains consistent moisture in the ground.
In conclusion:
The optimal situation for pineapple is one in which its soil is damp but not wet. In order to create these conditions, first of all the soil needs to be light and airy. From this point we need to water it whenever it gets dry. We can determine this with a finger test, via humidimeter, or simply relying on the general estimate of weekly watering in the summer and once every ten days in the winter. As a final tip, it’s highly recommended to cover the soil with dry plant matter.