Extension Communications
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
11/28/02
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Linda Naeve, Reiman Gardens, (515) 294-2710, lnaeve@iastate.edu
Jean McGuire, Continuing Education and Communication Services, (515) 294-7033,
jmcguire@iastate.edu
Norfolk Island Pine: Indoor Evergreen for Year-round Beauty
By Linda Naeve
Extension Coordinator
Reiman Gardens
This week's Reiman's Pick - Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria heterophylla) - is a perfect evergreen selection for the gardener longing for a living Christmas tree this season. Although it does not have large branches on which to hang ornaments or the festive pine scent, it is a better, long-lasting investment. A Norfolk Island pine will easily fit through your door and you won't need to move furniture to find room for it.
Although the idea of a living Christmas trees sounds very humane and almost romantic, it requires a lot of effort. Soon, before the ground freezes, you will need to have the underground lines marked, select an appropriate site and dig the hole. Save the soil removed from the hole and mulch over the pile of soil and hole to prevent them from freezing solid. Keep the tree outside until the last possible moment because its maximum indoor stay should only be seven to 10 days. Then, shortly after the holidays, you need to bear the cold weather and plant the tree and water it thoroughly. Even with all that care, it takes a lot of luck, a mild winter, and maybe even a prayer for the plant to survive an Iowa winter.
You can have that living Christmas tree with much less effort by transforming a Norfolk Island pine into a beautiful holiday plant with a string of miniature lights and a few small ornaments. It is an excellent plant for apartments, offices and nursing home rooms. This bright green, delicate evergreen will continue to add warmth and charm to a room long after the lights and ornaments have been removed.
The Norfolk Island pine is a coniferous evergreen tree that has whorled branches and needle-like foliage. It gets its name from its place of origin, Norfolk Island, a tiny island in the South Pacific, between New Caledonia and New Zealand. In its native habitat, it grows up to 200 feet tall, however, as a houseplant it only grows three to six inches annually. It is one of few evergreens adaptable to indoor conditions.
Norfolk Island pines are considered easy plants to grow if you give them the right conditions. They prefer bright, indirect light, such as an eastern or western exposure where they will get one to two hours of sunlight a day. They do not require as much water as other common houseplants. In fact, they do not tolerate saturated soil. It is difficult to say how often a Norfolk Island pine will need watering. Pot size, pot type, plant size, average room temperature, room lighting, and humidity all will influence the amount and frequency of watering. A good rule of thumb is to feel the soil. If it feels slightly dry to the touch, apply enough water to allow some to drain out the holes in the bottom of the container. Norfolk Island pines like the soil moist around their roots, but never wet. The lower limbs may turn brown and fall off if the soil is kept too wet or allowed to dry out. Other factors, such as low humidity levels and insufficient light, may also cause the lower limbs to drop off.
Norfolk Island pines do not require much fertilizer. Apply a soluble fertilizer with the watering every three or four months. Use the recommended rate on the label. They resent being repotted so only repot them every three or four years in the spring. Use a well-drained commercial potting soil mix and a container only slightly larger than the one it was growing in.
If you decide to decorate your Norfolk Island pine for the holidays, be sure that the soil is kept sufficiently moist because lights have a drying effect on the plant. Don't leave the tree lighted year-round. Remove them after the holidays.
The new Conservatory at Reiman Gardens has a beautiful, tall Norfolk Island pine. See it and hundreds of other tropical plants amidst the beautiful holiday floral display, which features poinsettias, amaryllis, paper whites, evergreens and an impressive reindeer topiary covered in variegated ivy.
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Editors: A color photo, suitable for publication, is available at right. Click on the thumbnail photo to go to the fullsized photo. The picture's fullsize photo is 540K. Caption: Norfolk Island Pine (Araucaria heterophylla). |
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