Tropical tastes

By Chloe Prince
UNTIL people see it, they don’t believe that Lucy and Ges Scalora have managed to grow a pineapple at their Gembrook property.
Along with the gerberas that are grown in their igloo, this plant measuring about 1.5 metres has thrived and produced two quality pineapples.
“The first one was a bit smaller, but this time around it was a great yellow colour and weighed about 1 kilo,” Lucy said.
There is no special talent that comes with growing a pineapple. Housed in the igloo the pineapple is fed the same food as the gerberas and it seems to enjoy that.
“It’s a drip system that dispenses the water along with some fertilisers,” Lucy said.
Curiosity is what led to the pineapple production. Lucy started with the top off a Safeway bought pineapple, put it in some water and once the roots had grown they planted it.
“I said to Ges lets put it in the igloo and see if it grows and it did,” she said. Initially the plant took a couple of years to mature, and then they finally saw the flower start growing.
Once the flower has grown it turns a mauve colour and from there begins to form the fruit.
This pineapple was lucky to get a few warmer days during the middle of winter that helped to produce a nice yellow colour.
The plant will only generate one pineapple a year, but Lucy can already see the next one forming.
“We shared the pineapple with our children and it was delicious.
People don’t believe it though. We tell them we have a pineapple growing and they say don’t be silly they don’t grow here in Gembrook,” laughs Lucy.
On average it takes about four months for the pineapple to mature properly.
The winter months can slow down this process but with the heating system installed at night it keeps the temperature at a good range.
With another one on the way it should have matured just in time to be enjoyed on a hot summer day.