Ananas comosus 'Sugarloaf'
fruitKona Sugarloaf (also sold as White Sugarloaf) is the pineapple Hawaii gardeners grow for themselves. The 5 to 6 lb cylindrical fruit has white to pale flesh, low acid, and an exceptionally sweet, mild flavor, plus a tender core soft enough to eat right along with the rest of the slice - no hard middle to cut out. Because the ripe fruit is delicate and does not ship or store like Smooth Cayenne, you almost never find true Sugarloaf in a mainland store, which is exactly why it is a backyard treasure in Kona and across the Islands. The plant has smooth (spineless) leaves and grows like any pineapple in full sun and well-drained soil, rewarding patience with one of the sweetest fresh pineapples you can grow.
Sun
full sun
Water
Every 7 days
Harvest
~22 months
to first harvest
Difficulty
easy
Lifecycle
perennial
Comes back every year
Spacing
12-24 in. apart
Planting Depth
Set the base in the soil with the central growing tip above the surface
Soil pH
5.5-6.5
Soil Type
Sandy loam, well-draining
Hardiness Zones
Zones 10 – 13
When to Fertilize
Every ~8 weeks during active growth
Fertilizer
Balanced NPK with micronutrients; foliar feeding common
Pineapple is an easy, low-water tropical bromeliad for frost-free gardens (USDA zones 10 to 13); it is damaged below about 28F, so in cooler areas grow it in a pot that can come indoors for winter. Plant in full sun for the best fruit, in moderately fertile, sandy, sharply drained soil of neutral to mildly acid pH. Start from a crown (the leafy top of a store fruit), a slip, or a basal sucker: snap it off, strip the lowest leaves, let it dry about a week, then set it firmly in the soil with the central growing tip kept above the surface. Space plants about 12 to 24 inches apart. Water during dry spells (about weekly in sandy soil) but never waterlog it - pineapple is very drought tolerant and rots in soggy ground. Feed a balanced fertilizer with micronutrients every couple of months during active growth; many growers also foliar-feed by spraying the leaves. Optimum growth runs between 68 and 86F.
Direct sow
Apr 15
Projected first harvest
Feb 4 · Year 3
Year 1
Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests
Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts. Tap a name with an arrow for its full guide
The main pineapple pest, often tended by ants that also spread mealybug wilt - control ants, start with clean planting material, and remove badly infested plants
Inspect leaves and crowns and treat with horticultural oil, removing heavily encrusted leaves
Root-knot and reniform nematodes stunt plants in sandy soil - add organic matter, interplant marigolds, rotate beds, and plant only clean tops
Phytophthora and Pythium rots strike in wet ground - plant in raised, sharply drained beds and never let the crown sit waterlogged
A pineapple is ready about 18 to 24 months after planting (sometimes up to 30 months from a grocery-top crown). Each plant makes one main fruit on a tall stalk, ripe when the shell turns from green toward gold from the bottom up, the fruit smells sweet and fragrant, and the flesh gives slightly. Sugarloaf can stay greener than Smooth Cayenne even when ripe, so trust aroma and softness as much as color. Cut it with a short piece of stalk attached. Pineapple does not get sweeter after picking, so harvest at full ripeness. After the main fruit, basal suckers (ratoons) grow on to bear a second crop, and the crown, slips, and suckers can all be replanted to start new plants - let cut tops dry about a week first.
About 50 calories per 100 g with 1.4 g fiber, roughly 48 mg vitamin C (more than half a day of vitamin C), 109 mg potassium, and a high dose of manganese (around 75 percent of the Daily Value in a single cup), plus the bromelain enzymes found in all fresh pineapple. The very low acid and high sweetness make Sugarloaf a pure fresh-eating pineapple, mild enough to enjoy in quantity, and the soft edible core means almost no waste.
For educational and informational purposes only. HomeSown is not medical, health, or other professional advice. Always positively identify any plant before handling or eating it; some plants, and some parts of otherwise-edible plants, are toxic. Consult a qualified professional before consuming or otherwise using any plant, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a health condition.
Year 2
Year 3