Pineapple and avocado: two fruit crops that dislike wet feet

Pineapple and avocado look very different but share one weakness: roots that sit in water. Good drainage decides the crop before anything else.

Pineapple

Plant crowns or suckers on raised beds in well-drained, slightly acid soil. Keep the beds weed-free and feed in light doses, since the shallow roots are easily scorched. The first fruit usually takes around a year and a half or more, so plan the cash flow.

Avocado

Buy grafted trees from a reliable nursery; seedling trees are slow and variable. Plant on a mound, mulch well and keep irrigation light. Root rot spreads in wet soil and is hard to cure, so prevention through drainage is the main defence.

Picking and handling

Both are picked when fully developed, not when soft. Avocado ripens after picking. Cut with a short stem, handle gently, and keep the fruit in shaded, ventilated crates.