Pineapple plant - short and stocky

[tam91]

This year, my pineapple plant (grown from seed) is short and stocky compared to my other varieties. Also, one of the few (or only one) that has no flowers thus far. I don't remember this from growing it in previous years - does this sound typical for the variety? Or might I have some wrong seed...

[cloz]

Originally Posted by tam91

This year, my pineapple plant (grown from seed) is short and stocky compared to my other varieties. Also, one of the few (or only one) that has no flowers thus far. I don't remember this from growing it in previous years - does this sound typical for the variety? Or might I have some wrong seed...

This is my Pineapple plant (assuming it's true seed as I have never grown it before) at 3 1/2 weeks. It is growing about the same as the majority of my other plants. It is about 22 inches tall and first blossom still looks to be a few days away.(I have 50 varieties out in the garden) I have some that are slower and a couple that are growing much faster. My Hoy are about twice the size of Pineapple and very stout, heavy main vine. An impressive growing plant that is just starting to bloom.

[tam91]

Thanks for the photo. Mine is a lot bushier, but I haven't pruned it. It was the same size as the others when planted out, but now is maybe 1/3 shorter than most.

[cloz]

Originally Posted by tam91

Thanks for the photo. Mine is a lot bushier, but I haven't pruned it. It was the same size as the others when planted out, but now is maybe 1/3 shorter than most.

I have not pruned that plant either. Wrong seed does happen as I have found out. I have 3 Sophie's Choice plants that appear to be an indeterminate. One that is in a container is now 32" and growing (supposed to be 18 to 24 inches) and the one in my garden looks like it is going to be much bigger than the container plant. This was from seed from a commercial grower. I guess that is my mystery plant for the year. I hope it is the only one.

My Pineapple plants (bought from a nursery) were the first to top out and hang over their six foot cages. They were heavy producers of large, good tasting tomatoes. I have pruned them back to about three feet tall and they are now very bushy with new side shoots. By mid to late August, they will have topped the cages again and should be heavy with fruit again. This was my first year to grow them and I think they are very good plants. The tomatoes on the outside look very much like the Hillbilly (my new favorite), but when they are cut, their internal color is more consistently orange/yellow while the Hillbilly is more variegated orange/pink/yellow/green. Some of the fruit were almost as large as the Hillbilly fruit which were the largest in my garden. The Pineapple tomatoes started ripening at about seventy days while the Hillbilly first ripened at about seventy five days.

Ted

[tam91]

Oh bummer, and 3 of them even.

I'm a long way from knowing about this pineapple, it just seems to look different than it has for me in past years. We'll see.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by tam91

Oh bummer, and 3 of them even.

I'm a long way from knowing about this pineapple, it just seems to look different than it has for me in past years. We'll see.

Pineapple should be a typical indeterminate with typical gold/red bicolor fruits. Nothing short and stocky about it IMO.

Cloz, as for Sophie's Choice, it sure doesn't sound like the Sophie I know, original seeds to me from Barry Comdon in CA and I know that variety well. it should be a typical determinate; grows low and wide.

[tam91]

I seem to remember last couple year's as being very tall. Well, maybe this guy is just a slow starter - fingers crossed, I really enjoyed that variety.

[z_willus_d]

I came across this thread this morning and thought I'd post some pics I just took of my Pineapple vine, as I'd been wanting to ask a few disease / plant physiology questions on this vine and this thread provides the opportunity.

My Sacramento tomato garden (two raised beds) seems to be recovering some after the prolonged rainy, cold early Spring. All plants suffered, some perished, but most are setting a small fruit here and there; that is, save for this one Pineapple vine, which is suffering from a couple maladies, or so I read them. The plant was purchased at a local nursery in a 4". Here's what I see:
1) Black "lesions?" near the lower joints of leaf branches, mostly where I cut back the branches due to concern over fungus/mildew/mold/etc. I did spray a copper fungicide and other organic spray to try and help with this back before things dried/warmed up.
2) The trunk of the two main vines branches are now covered with these small white bumps, like a pimply rash or some kind of cancer. This is more recent (started showing in the past couple weeks).
3) Well, all the flowers dry up and drop, despite my efforts to manually-pollinate (electric razor).

So, my concerns are (1) will this plant soon die; can it produce? and (2) does this plant present a danger to the flock; can it infect or introduce disease/maladies to the other adjacent and nearby vines? And I was so looking forward to the Pineapple experience -- this is my first attempt at growing one. Appreciate the expert thoughts on what is probably a very common issue that I'm just too inexperienced to clearly identify.

Thanks and good luck!
Naysen

[tam91]

Mine grew like a crazy weed last year too. Well, hopefully this one is the real one - I really enjoy the taste of Pineapple. Sweet and fruity I think - wouldn't want it for a BLT. But I liked it a lot, as a contrast.

[dice]

[damaged pineapple plant]
The white bumps are adventitious roots trying to grow:
http://www-plb.ucdavis.edu/labs/rost...ems/Stems.html

They are normal on tomato plants, but may be stimulated by some
trauma to the plant. They are not necessarily a symptom of disease.
You could have root damage to the actual roots in the ground, and
that could lead to premature blossom drop.

You could take a cutting of a healthy branch further up the plant if
you have one with no lesions, root it in seed-starting mix kept moist
or water, and replant it in a different spot. So you could pull up this
plant, inspect the roots for root-knot nematode damage, and still have
a pineapple plant growing. You have a long season, you could still get
fruit doing that.

I think Dice is 100% right about the adventitious roots. When they appear early on some of my plants, it normally indicates root damage. With the exception of the black spot, the plant looks pretty healthy to me. I don't see any leaf disease like mine had. For me, tomato plants seem to have the ability to recover from most problems early in the season. If you have a problem, my guess would be excessive moisture causing the roots to rot a little in the soil. I wouldn't pull the plant to check the roots. I might consider raising the soil a little higher around the stem to see if you can get more roots to form in the soil. The raised soil would also help repel excessive moisture in the future. See if you can mound the soil two or three inches deeper around the stem and out from the plant about ten inches. It won't hurt and it could help. Like you, I grow in raised beds and it is hard to get excessive moisture, but a long, extended rainy period will do it.

Ted

[carolyn137]

I've never considered the appearance of adventitious roots on the main stem to be a symptom of root damage for they are perfectly normal for almost all varieties as a Google search will confirm.

The only disease that's been associated with overproduction of those root primodia is Pith Necrosis, which is not a common tomato disease.

http://www.longislandhort.cornell.ed...sis_tomato.htm

Hope that helps.

Carolyn, I'm sure you are right! My comments have no scientific basis. They are based strictly on observation of conditions in my garden. I can't remember seeing well defined adventitious roots on my plants unless one of two pre-conditions exist. The first condition is root damage from excessive moisture during a rainy period early in the growing season. The second condition is when the plants have exceeded their peak season growth and production cycle. I normally don't see them until the main stem has become very woody and upper plant growth has almost stopped. The adventitious roots typically appear on my plants shortly before side shoots or secondary growth begins to appear from the woody stems. I typically see the tendency to produce adventitious roots on some varieties more than others. I have always assumed some varieties are more prone to producing them than other varieties.

Ted

[z_willus_d]

Dice, you come to aid again -- Carolyn, Ted, all - thanks for your replies.

Adventitious roots eh? I've seen this condition on a plant before, and it wasn't fatal. Now, at least, I know the name. Now you've got me wondering. A couple days ago, I noticed this kind of fluffy, light-green new growth showing up on the leaf branches at the center-stem between the leaf-pairs. You can kind of make out two of these growths in the pic I've attached (I know it's distorted). The growths are on all the lower branches and they look like little suckers with extra fuzz. I'm not sure if these might also be over-adventurous roots as well?

Dice, I'm not inclined to outright pull the plant just yet, unless there's reason to believe it could spread disease. I might try saving a clone per your recommendation, as a backup. I have plenty of homemade worm casting that seem to start seeds (and I assume vine clippings) with ease. I might have poked a root or two when dropping in my cage a while back, but I doubt anything serious. As for soil nematodes, this bed is fresh this year (though adjacent to a couple year old bed). I did apply supposed beneficial nematodes in a mulch a while back. Not sure if they've benefited anything or not.

I'm still concerned about the blackness beneath most branch joints. I looked through the pictures and realized that I didn't capture it well, but I have at least five or more black spots on the main trunk of the plant. They seem to be increasing and perhaps necrotic. Blight of some kind? Possibly contagious?

These plants certainly saw a lot of water for weeks on end, but that was over two weeks back and since then we've had dry warm/hot weather in the 88-98 range (peak temps). About the time the rains stopped, I installed a generic drip setup hanging off a Y on my backyard hose faucet. I have a manifold with four small leak-hoses per raised bed. I was hoping to get in one good, deep watering a week and go dry otherwise, but I scared recently with the high temps and switched to twice a week deep, slow drenches. I haven't seen any signs that the plants are water stressed. I added about 4" of mulch in the form you see, which has kept the water evaporation down. I'm not proud that I just hit HD and bought their Kellog's soil amendment mulch in the Red bags. It says "Natural" but I doubt its in any way organic.

Obviously, this plant is an unhappy camper. Root damage? Water Stress? Disease? Lack of sunlight? Nitrogen burn (not fully composted horse manure at planting), or something else. I'm sad that every evening I walk out to check on it and find 2 or 3 more dried up blossoms fallen down. You know they're about to fall by the yellow color that their stems (leading to the flower) take on.

Thanks again all-
Naysen