How to Care for Pineapple Weed

Pineapple weed (Matricaria discoidea) is a low-growing annual with finely divided, feathery bright-green foliage and small, rounded, cone-shaped yellow-green flower heads that lack the white petals of its chamomile relatives. It is an exceptionally tough, drought-tolerant plant that colonizes poor, compacted ground with ease.

Light

Give pineapple weed full sun. It is a plant of open, sunny places and grows most compactly and flowers most freely in bright light. It tolerates a little shade but becomes thinner and leggier there. For a dense, healthy stand, choose the most exposed, sunny position available.

Water

Water rarely. This is a genuinely drought-tolerant plant adapted to dry, hard-packed soils, and it needs little to no supplemental watering once seedlings are up. Overwatering does more harm than good. In all but the most extreme drought, natural rainfall is usually enough for established plants.

Soil & Potting

Pineapple weed is famously undemanding and actually favors poor, compacted, gravelly soil that would defeat fussier plants. It grows in almost any free-draining ground and does not need rich or amended soil. If sowing in a container, a lean, gritty, free-draining mix is ideal, avoiding rich potting composts that encourage soft growth.

Humidity & Temperature

As a hardy annual it copes with a wide range of temperatures and prefers dry air to humid, stagnant conditions. It germinates and grows in cool to warm weather and is unfazed by the exposed, breezy sites it naturally favors. Good airflow keeps the low foliage dry and healthy.

Feeding

No feeding is required. Pineapple weed thrives in nutrient-poor ground and grows soft and floppy if given rich soil or fertilizer. Skip feeding entirely for the sturdy, aromatic, ground-hugging plant this species is meant to be.

Propagation

Propagate from seed, sown directly onto the surface of firmed soil, as the seeds need light to germinate and should not be buried. It self-sows readily and, once introduced, will often reappear from dropped seed year after year. Barely press the seed into the surface and keep it lightly moist only until germination.

Repotting / Pruning

No repotting or formal pruning is needed for this small annual. If you want to limit its enthusiastic self-seeding, remove the flower heads before they set and scatter seed. Otherwise it needs no maintenance and simply completes its short life cycle in a season.

Common Problems & Pests

Pineapple weed is remarkably trouble-free and largely ignored by pests and diseases thanks to its aromatic foliage. Its main drawback is enthusiasm: it self-seeds prolifically and can spread into paths, gravel, and cultivated beds if left unchecked. The only real cultivation error is overwatering or growing it in rich soil, which produces weak, floppy plants.

Seasonal Care Tips

Sow in spring by scattering seed on the surface of firmed, poor soil in a sunny spot. Through the growing season it needs virtually no care beyond occasional weeding around it. Deadhead if you want to prevent spread. Plants naturally die back at the end of their annual cycle; leave a few seed heads if you want them to return, or clear them away to control self-sowing.