Norfolk Island Pine

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.

Does a Norfolk pine need sun or shade?

How much sunlight does a norfolk island pine need? Norfolk Island Pines thrive in medium to bright indirect light. They can benefit from a few hours of direct sun.

How poisonous is Norfolk pine?

These plants are not considered poisonous, but if a child or pet eats the pine needles, it will cause severe stomach problems.

Are Norfolk Island pines hard to take care of?

This holiday favorite is a no-fuss houseplant that's relatively undemanding in its care. Indoors, Norfolk Island pine tolerates low, medium, or bright light, but it does best in brighter spots. Another cool thing about the plant is that it doesn't need sunlight to grow and thrive -- fluorescent lights are just fine.

How long does a Norfolk Island pine last?

Recognizing Norfolk Potential Though not true pines, they're part of a plant family that dates back to prehistoric times. In modern home landscapes, where frost-free climates or protected locations allow, Norfolks are known to live 150 years or more.

Is it hard to keep a Norfolk pine alive?

Norfolk Island pine trees are easy to care for indoors or outdoors, as long as they enjoy enough humidity.

Can you leave a Norfolk Pine outside in the winter?

Does Norfolk Island Pine Grow Outdoors? A: A tropical tree, Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria heterophylla) doesn't like frosty weather, and can't be grown outdoors in USDA Hardiness Zone 9 or colder.

Should I mist my Norfolk Pine?

Norfolk Pines prefer high humidity so mist your plants once a week or more frequently if you notice that needles are turning brown. When you water your plant, place it in a container to hold the water that runs through the soil. Let your plant sit in that water for no more than one hour.

Are coffee grounds good for Norfolk pines?

Do Norfolk pines like coffee grounds? Norfolk Island Pine trees like slightly acidic soil. So, adding coffee grounds to the soil – or watering with a bit of coffee – is a great way to achieve that acidity level!

Do Norfolk pine trees smell?

Unfortunately, they have no scent. This issue may be solved by using boughs of Douglas fir or spruce since these are the trees brought from the mainland and often trimmed to improve their appearance as they fade away. The trimmings are usually discarded so tree salespeople often give the cuttings freely.

Where is the best place to plant a Norfolk pine?

Best Growing Conditions for Norfolk Pine It loves the light and thrives in full sun or bright, indirect light. It can survive in medium light but position it near a south facing window so it can really thrive. Since it's a tropical plant, it loves humidity.

What are Norfolk pines good for?

Norfolk Island pine, (Araucaria heterophylla), evergreen timber and ornamental conifer of the family Araucariaceae, native to Norfolk Island, situated in the South Pacific Ocean between New Caledonia and New Zealand. The wood of large trees is used in construction, furniture, and shipbuilding.

Can Norfolk pines take full sun?

Although they prefer full sun whenever possible, Norfolk Island pines can also handle relatively long periods (months at a time) in dimmer conditions. Thus, you can keep your potted plant indoors during the winter and then move it to a sunny spot outdoors when the summer comes around.

Can I put my Norfolk Pine outside in the summer?

During the summer, Norfolk Island pine can enjoy a vacation outdoors. Place it in a protected spot where it isn't cooked by the direct sun and water at least once a week. If your plant gets too big for its container, summer is also a great time to transplant to a larger pot.

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.

How do I protect my Norfolk pine in the winter?

Keep temperatures on the cool side, preferably not over 70 degrees F in the winter. If temperatures are too high, it will drop its needles. It prefers medium humidity levels. Very low humidity can cause the needles to turn brown.

What happens if you cut the top off a Norfolk pine?

Pruning is not a good solution. Much of the plant's appeal relates to its wonderful symmetry. If you cut off the top of a Norfolk Island pine, it will stop growth from that point. To maintain the plant's natural shape, you would need to regularly remove growth from the lateral branches in a graduated fashion.

Is Norfolk pine toxic to dogs?

This plant is known to be mildly toxic to dogs when ingested, occasionally causing abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy. The Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria heterophylla), is generally grown indoors as a decorative plant or cut down for use as a Christmas tree.

Should you trim the dead branches off of Norfolk Pine?

Pruning a Norfolk Island pine is generally not recommended. You may cut off dead branches or tips of branches to tidy up the tree's appearance, but pruning will not result in a flush of new growth, as you may have experienced with deciduous plants.

Can Norfolk pines grow in pots?

Make sure the pot has several drainage holes in the bottom. Norfolk pines like sandy, well-draining soil that is slightly acidic (pH 6.0-6.5). Make your own potting medium by combining one part horticultural sand/grit, one part peat moss, and one part potting soil. Fill the pot, leaving 2 inches of space below the rim.