Norfolk Island pine are evergreen trees that are, in fact, not even pine trees at all. They are from the South Pacific. We use them as mini-Christmas trees that we can keep year after year with the right care. This is not only good for the environment but also fun to see the growth from year to year as we decorate it :) If you’re not interested in a Norfolk as a stand-in Christmas tree, they make for spectacular foliage plants.
Although they are full-sun plants whenever possible, they can handle relatively long periods (months at a time) in dimmer conditions. Thus, you can keep your potted plant inside during the winter, and then move it to a sunny spot outside when the summer comes around. If your plant begins to stretch while growing inside, the odds are that the combination of low light and heavy fertilizer is causing leggy growth. In that case, cut back on the fertilizer until the plant has more access to sunlight.
* Remember, these develop spacing between the branches as the tree grows.
Let the soil dry out slightly between waterings. Keep an eye on the needles: if they turn yellow, your plant needs more water.
Since they don’t grow terribly fast when young you’ll probably not have to re-pot every year. As it grows and gets taller it is not uncommon to stake it and make sure to put some sand in the soil mix so it has some stability.
* Sorry, no CA shipping at the moment.