Norfolk Pine Houseplant is a needle-like plant that is evergreen by nature. They belong native to the subtropical areas of the South Pacific.
You can say these are the plants that are usually used as those little cute houseplants for Christmas decorations. After Christmas has passed you can have your living Norfolk pine houseplant.
Originally it is a pine tree but it looks like a monkey puzzle tree. These Norfolk pine houseplants can grow up to 200 feet in length.
In North America, especially, in the subtropical climatic conditions, this Norfolk pine houseplant can be cultivated as a landscape tree.
Spiritual development is just similar to a small seed; if planted, it will grow as it reaches the light!
Talking about the appearance of the Norfolk pine houseplant, it has a straight long trunk along with attractive well-proportioned branches.
The branches are covered with little needles curved inward. However, this is a slow-growing plant and in some regions, it is called a Christmas tree.
On Christmas Eve, people decorated this Norfolk pine houseplant with ribbons and other beautiful ornaments to make it more attractive.
After the event, the plant is usually abandoned. But the plant is kept as a houseplant if you keep it below 5 feet.
Norfolk Pine Houseplant, Bottom-Line
The botanical name of the Norfolk pine houseplant is Araucaria heterophylla. However, commonly, it is called Norfolk Island pine and Norfolk pine.
It belongs to the Conifer plant type as it contains needle-like spikes. Talking about the mature size of Norfolk, it can grow up to 200 feet in length in the forest areas and in homes; it can grow up to 3 to 8 feet in length.
Every plant has its own fundamentals – in order to grow!
These plants are also happy with sunlight but can also survive in shady conditions. To grow happily, these plants require sandy and peaty soil i.e. a mixture of peat-based potting.
They grow well in the acidic pH of the soil. They are found in the Norfolk Island of the South Pacific respectively.
Tips & Tricks to Grow Norfolk Pine Houseplant
Growing a Norfolk pine houseplant initiates with considering a few crucial elements. This houseplant can survive both indoor and outdoor atmospheres.
They are quite easy to look after as they are forgiving to negligence. When growing outdoors, you should plant Norfolk in moderately moist and sandy potting soil where the plant catches direct sunlight.
Once it is fully established, it will survive the dry conditions easily. While growing the Norfolk pine houseplant indoors, try to place it into the potting mixture that is sandy, porous, and acidic.
In a moderate potting mixture, adding peat moss and sand will enhance the porosity as well as acidity. The soil must be damp but not soggy. Provide as much sunlight to your Norfolk pine houseplant as you can.
Care and Maintenance of Norfolk Pine Houseplant
Norfolk is a graceful plant with an adorable appearance. These plants turn out to be the best houseplants if provided with good care and maintenance.
Some of the parameters that should be taken while growing the Norfolk Pine houseplant are as follows:
Light
The Norfolk Pine plants prefer full sunlight when available. However, they can also survive dull and shady conditions.
So, in summers, you can place your Norfolk Pine Houseplant outdoors so that they can absorb as much sunlight as they want.
Later in winter, you can put them inside as they can also adjust to the indoor atmosphere. One of the most interesting facts about the Norfolk plants is that if they can’t get enough direct sunlight inside the house, they will stretch out in search of the light.
The less sunlight your Norfolk pine receives, the more it will stretch out!
The Norfolk plant prefers to be in the bright sunlight for several hours. It will be good if you put your plant in front of the south-facing window.
Besides the sunlight, these plants can also survive the indirect bright light for their growth and maintenance.
Soil
As these plants prefer acidic soil, these are normally called acid-lovers. For perfect growth, these plants require the peat-based potting mixture of soil when planting inside the house.
When the peas break, the soil automatically becomes acidic just as Norfolk wants. If you want to plant your Norfolk pine houseplant in your garden or porch, it requires sandy but nutrient-rich soil.
Watering schedule
Norfolk plants are tolerant to dryness as the origin of this plant is Norfolk Island. They can survive drought conditions. So, they are forgiving when it comes to watering. The tip here is to let the soil a little bit dry up before watering.
In this regard, needles work as indicators. If the needle turns yellow, it means your plant is asking for water.
Temperature and Moisture
Your Norfolk pine houseplant will be much happy if you provide it with warm and wet climatic conditions. A temperature between 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit will work best for them.
Although they are friendly to cool and shady conditions too if the temperature goes below 35 degrees Fahrenheit, your plant may collapse. While growing indoors, try to maintain the humidity of the plants by misting them regularly via spray bottles.
Here the tip is not to set its roots to sit in water. This plant is friendly in indoor environments.
Toxicity of Norfolk Pine Houseplant
These plants are slightly toxic to cats and dogs. If they intake the needles of the Norfolk plant, it might cause vomiting along with stomach and mouth irritation. However, they are not toxic to humans.
The Norfolk plants are vulnerable to aphids mealy bugs, scales, and whitefly. The treatments from infestation soaps are quite effective to prevent your plant from pesticide attacks.
A Guide to Norfolk Pine Houseplant – Wrapping up
As a matter of fact, the Norfolk plants contain both males well as female reproductive organs so they are commonly called gymnosperms.
Usually, all of the Norfolk plants can be easily grown from seeds. They are imported from the Pacific areas. Pruning plants is an essential step to maintaining your plant.
Trimming the dead and rotted areas helps to prevent plants from catching diseases and also helps them to grow faster.
Let’s root for one other and watch each other grow!
If you have a Norfolk pine houseplant and you are facing any difficulty in taking care of it, you should read this write-up as it contains all the crucial points and guidelines to grow your plant successfully.
