Pineapples and Hummingbirds

Tidy pineapple patch -- with one of our three papaya "tree" in front

After a number of years of developing our pineapple patch, we have nearly 50 beautiful plants.  When we bought the property in 2012, there were about half a dozen producers, but over the past years, they have grown top heavy with low-producing shoots.  Last week while weeding the patch (avoiding the spines near the eyes,) I realized it was time to remove the big guys and plant some better producing new plants.  Next year we ought to have quite a harvest. 



The beaded hummingird in the photo was a recent birthday gift from a friend after her recent visit to Guatemala.  When we first moved to the Puna District of the Big Island, we wondered why there were no Hummingbirds in Hawaii. 

Pineapples are unable to self-fertilize. They will only develop seeds if they are cross-pollinated with another pineapple plant. But WAIT!!   Do we want SEEDS in our pineapples?  NO. The primary pollinators of pineapples are…you may have guessed it… hummingbirds. Which is why these delightful tiny winged creatures are on Hawaii's "no fly list."

While pineapples can reproduce sexually through seeds, here we propagate them by planting the crowns.  When we eat our pineapples, we simply cut off and save the “top” – put it in a pot for a few months to get well rooted, then plant it.  After you have picked a pineapple the plant will produce duplicate side shoots that will produce more fruit.  Eventually, however, these giant plants are removed and replaced with fresh starts.  The final photos are of the very last tiny white pineapple of this year’s harvest, but nearly all the rest were full size.