Norfolk Island Pine Care and Christmas Tree Alternative

The Island where the trees are originally from is Norfolk Island. They grow to be quite large on the Island. Norfolk Island is a small island east of Australia.

I visited many sites about Norfolk Island Pine care, and the same general theme ran through all:

1. They like a room that is at least 50% humidity, so it's good to mist them in winter months and dry climates or the the needles on the tip will brown and will not return once they fall off.
2. They like a bright natural light source, but don't need to be in direct sunlight.
3. Water after the top inch or so of soil is dry, and don't let the pot sit in water...in other words, give it just enough water to wet the soil and drain off the excess from the plate you sit the pot in. I am putting small stones under the pot in the plate it sits in to keep it from sitting in the water.

Above are the basics, but there were a few different tips on feeding, etc., at different sites. I've provided you with a few links to help you...and me...as I do my best to keep this pretty Norfolk Island Pine alive.

Here are some links that will provide more information to help you in caring for your Norfolk Island Pine:

"The trees are God's great alphabet
With them He writes in shining green
Across the world His thoughts serene."

~Leonora Speyer

My 2010 - 2011 tree met an "early demise" in late April, but gave us more months of pleasure than a "real" cut tree would have. I think it was the constant rain and grey days we had, it sat under a skylight, which was fine if sunny, but not enough without.

In 2010 the price I paid was less, at least where I shopped, than I would have paid for a real cut tree, so we did purchase another Norfolk Island Pine in December of 2011. Sadly, that Norfolk Island Pine did not make it past April 2012 either. If I had known how mild our winter and spring would remain, I would have put it on our back deck when it started to die off.

The story was the same in 2012-13 and 2013-14. We simply have not had mild enough weather to get the tree out on the deck in time for it to survive. It has to be 45 degrees and above, and it seems that April is as long as the trees will live for us.

I am thinking of building a simple green house with clear heavy plastic and a simple frame to use in the spring to start plants, and this may be perfect for future Norfolk Island Pines. In the meantime, for the past couple of years at this 2016 update, we have used a small artificial tree....but it's just not the same.