Norfolk Island Pine
General Information: A handsome and easy to grow conifer with many uses – seedlings for the terrarium, small plants for table display and tall trees as bold specimens in halls or large rooms. It is a slow growing tree (3 to 6 inches a year) bearing stiff branches covered with needles. The plant grows wild on the 3 by 5 mile speck of land in the South Pacific for which it was named.
Light and Temperature: Plants do best in bright direct (East, North or West exposure), or curtain-filtered sunlight (South exposure). They prefer night temperatures of 50° to 55° and day temperatures of 68° to 72°, but can tolerate a range from 45° to 85°.
Water and Soil: Soil must dry slightly between thorough waterings. Repot at 3 to 4 year intervals. Use a highly organic packaged potting mixture formulated for African violets. Assure plant has good drainage.
Fertilizer: Feed established plants every three or four months, but wait four to six months before feeding newly purchased or potted plants. Use 5-10-5 fertilizers, or 30-10-10 at half strength.
Propagation: Difficult – best to buy plants