QA

Question: How To Care For Norfolk Pine

Norfolk pine trees prefer several hours of direct, bright light, such as the type of light that can be found in a south-facing window, but they will also tolerate full indirect, bright light as well. Water your Norfolk Island pine when the top of the soil feels dry to the touch.

How do you care for a potted Norfolk pine?

Your Norfolk Pine prefers average room temperatures between 65-85°F. Avoid drafty areas near heating or cooling vents, exterior doors, and windows. Feed your Norfolk Pine once a month during spring and summer with a general-purpose fertilizer diluted to half-strength.

How do you keep a Norfolk pine alive?

Misting is the usual method for hydrating Norfolk pines, but a humidifier is more efficient and effective. Temperatures should range from 50 to 70 F during the day and 45 to 65 at night. Norfolk pines are dormant in winter, so don’t fertilize until spring using any product for indoor plants.

How often do you water a Norfolk pine?

How often should you water a norfolk island pine? Water every 1-2 weeks, allowing soil to dry out between waterings. A tropical plant, the Norfolk Island Pine’s potting mix can be kept semi-moist, but not wet, which will lead to root rot.

How long do Norfolk pines live indoors?

Norfolk Island pine trees are easy to care for indoors or outdoors, as long as they enjoy enough humidity. How long can a Norfolk Island pine live? When this plant is protected from frost, it is long-living and can reach a lifespan of 150 years.

Should I mist my Norfolk pine?

Mist the Norfolk Island pine liberally each time you water using a spray bottle filled with distilled water. Spray the undersides of the foliage and the trunk until the water beads and begins to drip off. Mist it at least four times a week to keep the foliage healthy during the summer.

Can I put my Norfolk pine outside in the summer?

Some folks like to grow Norfolk Island pines outdoors in a shaded or partly shaded spot for the summer. They love this and usually reward you by putting on a big burst of lush, new growth.

Why are the tips of my Norfolk pine turning brown?

If your Norfolk pine has brown tips, it may be a victim of extreme temperatures, either too hot or too cold, it might need water, or it might have Norfolk Needle Blight. For blight, you can treat with a fungicide, but if environmental conditions have weakened your Norfolk, there may be little you can do.

Should I repot my Norfolk pine?

These trees grow slowly, so you should only have to repot every two to four years. Do it in the spring as the tree is beginning to show new growth. When transplanting a Norfolk Island pine, choose a container that is only a couple inches (5 cm.) bigger than the previous one and be sure that it drains.

What do you feed a Norfolk pine?

Apply a balanced (20-20-20) liquid fertilizer to Norfolk Island Pine every two (2) weeks during the growing period. In the summer, especially if grown outdoors, feed plants with an acid fertilizer such as rhododendron food as the high nitrogen concentration stimulates better foliage growth.

How do you know when a Norfolk pine needs water?

Watering Norfolk Pines Container grown plants always need more frequent watering because they lose their moisture quickly. Even so, Norfolk pine watering should be limited – only water your tree when the top inch (2.5 cm.) of its soil is dry to the touch.

How do you take care of a pine tree indoors?

Keeping the humidity high around the tree will help it thrive. This can be done by either using a pebble tray with water, using a humidifier in the room, or through a weekly misting of the tree. Another part of the care for a Norfolk Island pine plant is to make sure that the plant gets enough light.

Do Norfolk pines like coffee grounds?

Norfolk Island Pine They will last for decades and longer with proper care. Norfolk Island pine (​Araucaria heterophylla​) grow best in bright light and well-draining acidic soil. That’s where coffee comes in, according to the Spruce, since a weekly cup will deliver enough acidity to keep the evergreen happy.

How tall will a Norfolk pine grow indoors?

On their native Norfolk Island, east of Australia, they’re known to grow twice as tall. It’s a far cry from their tiny footprint on holiday tables. Given time and proper care — and tall ceilings — your potted Norfolk may grow 20 feet tall indoors.

Can I prune my Norfolk pine?

You will likely find other Norfolk Island Pines that have the droopy nature you admire. Unfortunately, pruning is not an option when it comes to controlling the growth of this plant. Yes, you can cut back the branches so the plant fits better in the room but no growth is likely to result from the cuts.

How fast do Norfolk pines grow indoors?

While this tree can grow quite large in its natural habitat, Norfolk Island pine is slow growing. After about a decade, it may eventually reach 5 to 8 feet tall as a houseplant, but this potted tree will not surprise you with explosive growth.

Can you overwater a Norfolk pine?

Overwatering and underwatering Too much soil moisture causes foliage to yellow and then brown, but severe dryness may brown your Norfolk quickly. Check the soil by hand, a few inches below the surface. Soil should be moist and cool–neither wet nor completely dry.

Can a Norfolk pine be planted outside?

Norfolk Island pines are often grown as houseplants, but in your gardening region they can also be planted outdoors. Indoors, provide bright light and average to cool temperatures. Water regularly from spring through autumn, but sparingly during the winter months.