Did not realize they are so easy to plant, I throw the heads in the garden for the monkeys to eat (which they love), will try planting them since they are locally available and we eat when in season @el-nailul
How to test fruit is ripe, pull on one of the leaves if it releases easily it is ready to eat, too many pick fruit too soon where I live and that method I found resourceful when shopping for ripe fruit.
as long as it touch the soil, it will grow eventually, but it must have enough water. the way you can see the ripe one is the size and the color of the skin, if the color is orange-reddish, that is good to go. but sometime they use chemical thing to stimulate the ripe process. and your method is new thing to me, thank for sharing it @joanstewart