Remove the vegetative unit, allow to dry 1 or more weeks, and plant through hole in paper. Use of tar-paper or black plastic strips helps to eliminate weeds, conserve moisture, increase soil temperature and build up high nitrate in soil. Fertilization is normally practiced, amounts depending on natural soil fertility. Since pineapples flower erratically, forcing of flowers is a common practice. This is done chemically by use of a plant hormone which induces flowering and subsequent fruiting.
Production is continuous in the tropics.
In subtropics, harvest is usually during the summer months. An average diploid pineapple weighs 2.25 kg. Larger cultivars yield more per hectare, depending on the variety. Largest producers are Hawaii, Malaysia, Brazil, Ghana, Mexico, Philippines, in that order. Lesser amounts are produced by Taiwan, Republic of South Africa, and Puerto Rico.