Pineapple Plant Pot

pineapple vase by Mrs. Dalloway

TheGardenLady received this question from Sadie.

I thought not only would it look really neat, but also be a way to compost.  I would like to take a cored pineapple and be able to fill it with soil and use it as a pot, then plant the whole thing into the ground. Is there any plant that would like the nourishment/acidic environment from a pineapple.

Using the cored pineapple as a pot is certainly an unusual idea. I have never heard of this usage. I do hope that you eat the flesh of the fruit before you make the shell of the fruit into a pot.

When I remove the fruit from my cored pineapples, the shells rot rather quickly. So if you are using the pineapple pots as a decoration for an unusual party, perhaps you should refrigerate the rind until you want to use it and fill the rind at the last minute so that it doesn’t smell bad and seem to deteriorate in front of the guests.

And if you put the pineapple shell in the ground before it is composted, it might attract all sorts of scavengers who want to eat the rotting pineapple shell with or without a plant in it. TheGardenLady thinks the pineapple would attract snails and slugs. It might attract woodchucks and maybe opposums. Also, the rotting pineapple shell will probably attract ants. The reason people compost fruits and vegetables is so that the heat breaks them down to become good soil. The heat during this chemical change drives off scavengers. (So my suggestion if you really think a pineapple shell is pretty is to make or buy a ceramic pineapple shaped urn and use it outdoors for your plants.)

However TheGardenLady would never discourage creativity. If pests don’t come into your garden, what can you lose but a few dollars and your time? And if you are successful, you will let TheGardenLady and her readers know.

If you would like to see if the pineapple shell works as an ornamental pot, two acid loving plant suggestions are: first Strawberries -Fragaria.

Strawberries have lovely flowers and then you have the added bonus of having pretty fruit.  See here.

If you want flowers and fruit all season, consider what is called everbearing strawberries.

Pink Strawberries by Looking for a Lighthouse

If you want a pink flowering strawberry, there are hybrids with light and darker shades of pink. Some of these strawberries are bred for their flower alone and some bear fruit.

A last strawberry suggestion is the alpine strawberry that flowers and bears incredibly ambrosial tasting smaller fruit. Their fruit tastes most like the wild strawberries that gourmets love.   See here.

Though I recommend strawberries, be warned that squirrels love strawberries, birds love strawberries and I fear that the pineapple pot might attract snails and slugs as it rots. Snails and slugs love the wetness of rotting fruit and love strawberries.

The second suggestion is to use begonias. There are so many varieties to choose from. Good luck.