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Guides and Information
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Though called a pine, this conifer is in another family, the Araucariaceae, with a few other notable species such as Araucaria bidwillii, the Bunya Bunya tree of Australia, or Araucaria araucana, the Monkey Puzzle Tree of South America. The Norfolk Island Pine, or Star Pine, originates from a tiny island off the east coast of Australia. The climate on this island is very controlled and it never freezes or gets very hot there. And though this is touted as a Christmas tree, it could never handle being snowed upon as it is a very cold sensitive species, suffering visibly as temps even begin to drop below freezing outdoors. Norfolk Pines are very popular mostly due to their being very easy to grow (therefore very cheap) from both seed and cuttings, and they are ornamentally symmetrical, making them look very different from your average conifer. The trees form nearly perfect pyramid silhouettes with branches coming off the trunk usually in 4 directions and very regularly spaced from bottom to top. In a tropical climate trees can grow up to 200’ tall (60+ meters), but rarely do that in less than ideal climates. I live in Southern California and trees over 50’ tall are rare- either get blown over, suffer a freeze now and then, or seem to develop some other malady.
this is typical outdoor tree in southern California, about 30' tall and the look of a branch in an arid climate Other than its temperature needs, it is a pretty adaptable tree outdoors. It can survive along salty beaches, tolerates a wide variety of soil pHs, and will survive in shady areas as well as in full sun. But it does need consistent moisture in the soil as well as temps that do not get too hot or cold. This makes it a lousy desert tree as the low humidity combined with the high heat forces it to lose most of its needles, then die. Drought is another difficult situation for this conifer to overcome, and again, leaf loss and death are soon to follow. The good thing is it is a survivor, and apparently dead trees will often grow back from the roots or stumps if water is sufficient and temperatures are warm. The roots are somewhat weak, allowing them to blow over easily in high winds. But this weak root system is an advantage when grown in containers as it means repotting these trees does not need to be done very often.
Look of trees in a tropical climate (Hawaii here)- much larger! Detail of fuller, thicker branches in the tropical climate As indoor plants, these perform much better than just about any other conifer in cultivation. They grow slowly, particularly when confined to a container, need average watering only, tolerate periods of low light (though not indefinitely) and rarely need to be fertilized.
Indoor tree for sale with other holiday indoor plants on left, and two plants living their lives as indoor plants (middle photo by Johnny MTB and right photo by PDB_Evert) Temperature range is ideally between 50F and 70F. Though they prefer daily direct sunlight, do not place them in a situation where the sun will heat the plant up too much (temps into the 80s and 90s will cause needle drop). As much bright light as possible, otherwise, is best. Sometimes, if kept in front of a window that has direct sunlight, they will begin to grow lopsided, so rotating the plant every few weeks is a good idea. Taking these trees outdoors when its warm for additional lighting, as well as humidity, is a very good idea (think about putting your tree in a large container on rollers so it can be moved easily).
Watering should be done as with most house plants- when the top of the soil is dry-ish about 1” down. But do not let this tree dry out or it will die. Try to use distilled or rain water, or set out water for a period to rid it of the excess salts. Or take it outdoors 3-4x a year and heavily rinse the soil with repeated watering to leach out the accumulated salts in the soil. If using a catch basin under the pot, be sure these trees are not sitting in water for any length of time or root rot will occur.
Fertilization should only be done during the warmer months, even indoors. Never fertilize around the holiday season (unless that’s the warm time of the year)- can be toxic to the comatose root system in winter. Lack of humidity is the single toughest factor to overcome when keeping these as house plants. Norfolk Island Pines live normally in a climate with 50% or greater humidity and dry air situations will cause leaf loss. Frequent misting is essential to keeping these trees looking lush indoors. A humidifier would be even better, but may not be good for the rest of the house (mold on the walls, books etc.). Reportedly this is a tree that appreciates cool misting, not warm misting, so, if using a humidifier, it is best not to use one that warms up the mist to a steam.
Regular pruning should be kept to dead branch removal and no more. Pruning off any branch tips will cause asymmetrical growth of the tree- a pruned branch tip will not grow anymore, so only dead material should be removed. However, every few years, should the tree be getting too tall, there will often be a secondary trunk/stem that can be encouraged to replace the main one but cutting the main one off near its base. To speed up the growth of the secondary trunk, moving the tree outdoors in a semi-shady area will help it to recover faster. This may seem drastic, but in this way one can keep the same small tree as a house plant for dozens of years.
Here is a tree for sale during the holidays showing 3 stems. For a more typical Christmas tree look, one might trim 1 or 2 of these away for now, but let it regrow so by the time the main trunk is too tall, it can be cut back and the new stem will be ready to replace it. Repotting should be done only when needed, since the roots are delicate, and damage to them will set the tree back a long time. Water the tree well before repotting in an effort to keep the rootball intact. Then move to a new, clean pot, perferably the same size or only a bit larger. Overpotted trees will be prone to rot. And too large a pot will eventually allow a rootball to form that will be too large to deal with the next time repotting needs to be done. These trees do not become rootbound that quickly unless grown outdoors much of the year and bright light and given lots of water and fertilizer. These larger trees will be healthy, but may become unmanagable as indoor plants.
This is my tree and it's about time to repot. Learn from my experience and do not plant these in clay pots- the soil dries out far too fast. This tree has two trunks. I eventually trimmed one back, it is growing back already At Christmas time, if decorated, still try to keep it watered well, even if that means moving aside decorations to do so. Also, lights on the tree will decrease humidity further, necessitating even more frequent misting than done already. Norfolk Island Pines do not have strong branches, particularly as small trees, so be sure not to put too many ornaments on them or branch damage will occur. And remove them as soon as possible to avoid permanent drooping of the branches.
5 gal plant for sale showing small, fairly weak branches- these can support small, light ornaments and very tiny lights, but anything heavier will pull down the branches As many people are safety conscious these days, this is one of the safer house plants available. The needles are soft and relatively harmless. There are not toxic principles to any part of this tree other than possibly its cones (never will be a problem with indoor plants as they won’t cone) and a mild dermatitis from the saps on particularly sensitive animal species (though not a human dermatologic concern that I know of). Multiple web sites including ones sponsored by the University of California Davis, Oklahoma State University, Home and Gardens Education Center and the Children’s Safety Organization of Canada all list this is a safe and non-toxic house plant.
If one simply takes a little care and time with their indoor Christmas tree, one can develop a long relationship with this harmless little house plant, using it as a holiday decoration year after year. And if one lives in a zone 9b or above, one can eventually even plant this tree outdoors and enjoy it as a big tree for many more years to come.
Subject: Cuttings? Subject: Great information!
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outdoor palm burned by freeze down around 27F
These plants ready for holiday sale are being watered daily and look lush
This plant is ready for sale for indoor use, but is being kept outdoors in the mean time to keep up the humidity
The soft fronds of this plant are among the least sharp and stiff of all potential Christmas trees
