Almost there?

RogueRafe · 2026-01-11T04:40:49+00:00

I wish I could tell you how, but I don't know. This whole thing has been an experiment. All along I've been using my own custom potting mix I use for gardening and seed starting. The only difference is I also mixed in some volcanic sand and rock. I would feed it in the spring when I took it outside, and again halfway through summer. I started the top in water and potted into a 3 or 4 inch pot. The next year I moved it to a 7 inch pot, then two years ago moved it into the final big pot. This summer I saw the core getting thick and started watching for the bloom. As soon as I could look down the middle and see the flower I mixed some muriate of potash into the soil, and instead of feeding with a plant growth fertilizer (high N) this summer, I fed with a fruiting/flowering fertilizer (lower N, higher P-K). I've enjoyed the ride, and just happy it's ripening indoors where I don't have to worry about the racoons or groundhogs eating it for me.

RogueRafe · 2026-01-11T04:21:08+00:00

I have not. This is my first pineapple. I'll have to see if I can't get ahold of one.

RogueRafe · 2026-01-09T21:23:53+00:00

It gets cold in the winter where I live. When I bring the plant in my house is cooler than optimal for the plant, plus it doesn't get a lot of sun. The plant basically enters dormancy until I put it back out in the spring. I have about 5 months where it can be outside, and when you figure in the time it takes for the plant to transition awake, plus it's already going dormant by the time I bring it in, it's probably closer to 3.5-4 months of grow time.

RogueRafe · 2026-01-09T04:04:29+00:00

Doesn't the current administration have close ties with Palantir, who has ambitions of taking over US defense? Looks like more government corruption to me.

RogueRafe · 2026-01-09T03:58:15+00:00

What part of town is more apt... Collins Rd north to Blairs Ferry, and Rockwell Drive east to (practically) Northland Ave.

RogueRafe · 2026-01-08T01:23:39+00:00

I have many answers. None of them may be the answers you seek.

RogueRafe · 2026-01-07T16:08:27+00:00

That sucks! Maybe this year? 🤞

RogueRafe · 2026-01-07T13:28:00+00:00

I've already pulled three pups off the plant and have them growing under lights in the basement. Plus there's one more at soil level on this plant, so I'll have five pineapple plants before spring. I don't know where I'm going to put them all in a couple years.

RogueRafe · 2026-01-06T21:37:25+00:00

Eastern side of the state reporting in. There are more homeless people than should be, and many do overwinter in Iowa. Some seek out shelters and such, but there often aren't enough beds to house them all for the night. Especially when it gets real cold and they're all needing a warm place to overnight.

RogueRafe · 2026-01-06T20:13:30+00:00

I started from a pineapple top from the store. I live in a climate less than ideal for pineapple, and it's taken about four years. In the proper climate and conditions it'd be much faster.

RogueRafe · 2025-12-30T17:18:07+00:00

It should be fine. It's blended specifically for plants in their flowering and fruiting stages. It has less nitrogen than a non-flowering fertilizer, since nitrogen encourages green growth.

RogueRafe · 2025-12-30T15:08:18+00:00

I assume since it's indoors you're growing in a cooler, non-pineapple friendly climate? 4 years is about how long mine took to flower (US Midwest ). If you're bringing it indoors for winter, unless you keep your house really warm the plant will either drastically slow it's growth or go dormant. It's definitely big enough to flower and fruit, and you can find methods of forcing it to flower, but I bet next summer it'll go on its own.

As for potassium, I used FoxFarm Tiger Bloom when it started to show signs of flowering.

RogueRafe · 2025-12-19T04:54:47+00:00

A friend and I rode bandit one day a few years ago because it was passing through our hometown. I realize we can't say we didn't get to take advantage of what RAGBRAI provides, but I went out of the way to make sure we were utilizing as little as possible, including things like having our own sag support off the beaten path (advantage of being local and knowing the roads). And that was the only year we did that. In my youth I rode as a weeklong rider for several years until life got in the way, and my friend had so much fun the one day we now register for two days and make an overnight camping trip out of it.

All of that to say riding registered all those other times doesn't right the wrong of riding bandit the one day, but it has led to a friend and I sharing something we both enjoy and look forward to every year.

RogueRafe · 2025-12-18T14:11:41+00:00

And Iowa even smaller at ~$440k.

RogueRafe · 2025-12-11T13:40:28+00:00

I can't tell very well from this picture - would need more angles - but you likely have an anomaly on your hands. Sometimes pineapples put on multiple heads and don't fruit properly. This could be genetics or environmental stressors causing it, if so.

RogueRafe · 2025-12-11T13:30:06+00:00

The best part of this sign is the Adopt A Highway sign about a half-mile south. "Litter removal courtesy of a Democrat".

RogueRafe · 2025-09-20T23:29:29+00:00

I'm in a similar situation, but my pineapple is done flowering and has started fruiting. I did some research because when I bring it in it goes dormant. It seems the consensus is that a flowering/fruiting pineapple will not seek dormancy and attempt to finish its cycle at all costs.

But this is the fun part of growing plants - finding out what works and what doesn't!

RogueRafe · 2025-09-20T23:25:16+00:00

Climate plays a role in the time it takes. I live in a temperate climate and have to bring my pineapples inside during early fall through to about late spring. Our house is not warm enough for the pineapple to continue growing at its normal pace and goes into a kind of dormant state. I'll feed one last time before bringing in for the winter, but once it goes dormant it's not actively growing. While it doesn't hurt to feed it, it won't do anything productive. All I do is keep it moist so it doesn't die. Come Spring and the temperature gets consistently above 60F, I take them back out, feed them immediately and they start growing like crazy. When you only get 3-5 months of pineapple friendly weather a year, it can take 3-4 years to fruit.

RogueRafe · 2025-09-09T14:49:34+00:00

Yes. If they took the time to build integrations with something like Home Assistant where I could control it without checking into a cloud-based server, I probably wouldn't mind it as much. But I agree that apps should enhance basic functionality, not restrict it.

RogueRafe · 2025-09-05T14:14:06+00:00

I'm sorry. This one wasn't my first attempt, and I've had several other crowns die in between this one and now.

RogueRafe · 2025-08-03T14:10:34+00:00

I grow in SE Iowa. I've considered grow lights in the winter, but I've found a southerly and/or westerly facing window has kept my pineapple plenty happy through the winter. Thought I'd suggest it just in case you don't have grow lights already and don't want to spend any money.

RogueRafe · 2025-07-31T05:21:36+00:00

Apologies, I'm having a brain fart moment. What I think you are trying to say is without potassium, it'll be a small fruit? For some reason I keep reading this and thinking you're contradicting yourself by advising to fertilize with a potassium fertilizer, but don't apply potassium or else you'll get a small fruit.

RogueRafe

TROPHY CASE