When it comes to plants or anything that is supposed to be green and living, I am very new.
A friend of mine just gave me their Norfolk Island Pine, that they got from Wal-Mart this year. The plant is only about 8 inches tall (Just as wide) and it is in what looks like a 5-51/2 inch plastic pot. (I plan on getting it a clay pot soon.) It came to me with little plastic Christmas bulbs twisted around the branches but I took those off. At the moment it is in one of the two windows in my apartment, (A window that faces east.) making friends with my spider plant. I noticed the other day that there looked like there was more then one tree in the pot. In fact there are 5 trunks that come up from the dirt.
1. If those are individual trees in there, will it hurt the tree to have them growing that close?
2. if it will hurt the trees to be growing that close together should I try to separate them?
Any helpful information is highly appreciated.
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opabinia51
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 4659
- Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 5:58 pm
- Location: Victoria, BC
Welcome to the Helpful Gardener!
Windows tend to be death traps for trees because the shifts between day and night temperatures are drastic. I would purchase a grow light for your plant such that it acquires the proper wavelengths of light. You can also buy little apparati that clamp onto any sort of shelving unit.
The only sure fire way to be sure about those trunks is do dig down in the soil to find their source. I'm thinking though that they are most likely just arising from either a common root or a stump. But, definately dig down to see what you have.'
Haveing more than one tree growing in a pot won't hurt the trees at all.
Use organic fertilzers for your tree like liquid seaweed and kelp meal. Dilute the liquid seaweed as per the instructions on the bottle.
Also, you can buy sifted compost; use this as a soil ammendment when repotting your tree.
REPOTTING YOUR TREE:
Just keep and eye on the root ball, when it has taken up the entire pot, it's time to repot your tree into a larger pot. If the root ball is inbredibly large when repotting with a lot of excess root foliage, do some root pruning before root potting.
Also, buy a misting bottle aned mist your tree with water every once and a while.
Finally, give the stickies in the bonsai forum a read:
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=1
I'm sure that Gnome will be along shortly to offer you more advice.
Windows tend to be death traps for trees because the shifts between day and night temperatures are drastic. I would purchase a grow light for your plant such that it acquires the proper wavelengths of light. You can also buy little apparati that clamp onto any sort of shelving unit.
The only sure fire way to be sure about those trunks is do dig down in the soil to find their source. I'm thinking though that they are most likely just arising from either a common root or a stump. But, definately dig down to see what you have.'
Haveing more than one tree growing in a pot won't hurt the trees at all.
Use organic fertilzers for your tree like liquid seaweed and kelp meal. Dilute the liquid seaweed as per the instructions on the bottle.
Also, you can buy sifted compost; use this as a soil ammendment when repotting your tree.
REPOTTING YOUR TREE:
Just keep and eye on the root ball, when it has taken up the entire pot, it's time to repot your tree into a larger pot. If the root ball is inbredibly large when repotting with a lot of excess root foliage, do some root pruning before root potting.
Also, buy a misting bottle aned mist your tree with water every once and a while.
Finally, give the stickies in the bonsai forum a read:
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=1
I'm sure that Gnome will be along shortly to offer you more advice.
Last edited by opabinia51 on Tue Jan 22, 2008 1:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Thank you.
I saw this post about moving the plants out of the window and did that this morning. At the moment they're sitting on a chair where the sun still hits the floor and tends to come in most of the day. That should work till I get a grow lamp. Been looking into one of those anyways.
Since you said having more then one tree in one pot won't hurt it I don't know if I'll worry about separating them but I will look to see if there are more then one.
I saw this post about moving the plants out of the window and did that this morning. At the moment they're sitting on a chair where the sun still hits the floor and tends to come in most of the day. That should work till I get a grow lamp. Been looking into one of those anyways.
Since you said having more then one tree in one pot won't hurt it I don't know if I'll worry about separating them but I will look to see if there are more then one.
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Gnome
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 5122
- Joined: Wed Jul 05, 2006 12:17 am
- Location: Western PA USDA Zone 6A
Spotted,
The name "Norfolk Island Pine" is a misnomer as this plant is not actually a Pine. The correct name is Araucaria heterophylla so if you are searching for more information that may help.
I don't grow this species but I can give you some general information that my help. Try to give it as much light as possible indoors, even what appears to be bright to you is relatively dim for plants. If you can keep it near the window without keeping it too cold, natural light is always superior to artificial especially conventional incandescents which would be my last choice. Fluorescents are a better choice for the casual grower. Also make sure to avoid a situation near a heating register as this really drys plants out.
If you are used to growing houseplants you are probably going to have to make an adjustment as far as watering goes. Allow the top of the soil approach dryness before watering. When you do water do so thoroughly, until water runs freely from the drainage hole. Then it is a matter of waiting until water is required again. A little water often is the wrong approach for almost anything potted.
This plant likes humidity and since our homes tend to be very dry especially over the winter the use of a humidity tray is beneficial. This is a wide, shallow tray that has about an inch of gravel in the bottom. Water is added up to the level of the gravel. Make sure that water cannot wick into the pot.
Do not prune this plant until you have done some research as it does not respond as you might expect. Same advice for re-potting, don't rush into anything. A little quick research indicates that this species resents being re-potted.
Norm
The name "Norfolk Island Pine" is a misnomer as this plant is not actually a Pine. The correct name is Araucaria heterophylla so if you are searching for more information that may help.
I don't grow this species but I can give you some general information that my help. Try to give it as much light as possible indoors, even what appears to be bright to you is relatively dim for plants. If you can keep it near the window without keeping it too cold, natural light is always superior to artificial especially conventional incandescents which would be my last choice. Fluorescents are a better choice for the casual grower. Also make sure to avoid a situation near a heating register as this really drys plants out.
If you are used to growing houseplants you are probably going to have to make an adjustment as far as watering goes. Allow the top of the soil approach dryness before watering. When you do water do so thoroughly, until water runs freely from the drainage hole. Then it is a matter of waiting until water is required again. A little water often is the wrong approach for almost anything potted.
This plant likes humidity and since our homes tend to be very dry especially over the winter the use of a humidity tray is beneficial. This is a wide, shallow tray that has about an inch of gravel in the bottom. Water is added up to the level of the gravel. Make sure that water cannot wick into the pot.
Do not prune this plant until you have done some research as it does not respond as you might expect. Same advice for re-potting, don't rush into anything. A little quick research indicates that this species resents being re-potted.
Norm
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opabinia51
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 4659
- Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 5:58 pm
- Location: Victoria, BC
*Finds my questions now in the bonsai area.* 
I figgured out that it wasn't like most pine trees. First information I found said that my little plant was a tropical one. Probably the reason why my friends gave it to me. She wanted to plant it out side and we live in Michigan. lol
Thank you for giving me the other name. I'm starting to do more google searches under that.
I figgured out that it wasn't like most pine trees. First information I found said that my little plant was a tropical one. Probably the reason why my friends gave it to me. She wanted to plant it out side and we live in Michigan. lol
Thank you for giving me the other name. I'm starting to do more google searches under that.
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alexinoklahoma
- Senior Member
- Posts: 273
- Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2007 8:21 am
- Location: Central Oklahoma
Windows are not a death trap for plants unless you have plants so close to the window that it literally rubs it, or have something against the sill that forces the airflow off of window onto pot itself - a gap of two inches is plenty to allow cold air to bypass pots, IME. Many species actually benefit from diurnal temp diff's, so that is not really an issue other than lows, and that is easily avoidable. I have dozens of trees-in-pots by several windows (in several rooms) that are literally flourishing. Common sense will keep a person from having issues with windows, and of course, they are not meant to be used as a permanent part of growing (almost all) deciduous trees (seedlings/saplings being a notable exception here)opabinia51 wrote:Welcome to the Helpful Gardener!
Windows tend to be death traps for trees because the shifts between day and night temperatures are drastic. I would purchase a grow light for your plant such that it acquires the proper wavelengths of light. You can also buy little apparati that clamp onto any sort of shelving unit.
And if any lights are used, they should be of proper frequency of output, as noted (incandescents are a no-go, IMO). Proper wavelengths will do wonders...I have 160 watts of fluoros growing redwoods, pines, Acers, Junipers(! LOL) and dozens of other species nicely right now, but only until I can get 'em outside in two months or so (all are seedlings, of course). I also have the entire area around lights covered in reflective materials to accentuate & maximize the lumens (I need metal halides, LOL!)...
Careful using 'compost' or other 'organics' on indoors plants as it is a veritable magnet/breeding-ground for fungus gnats/bugs when 'moist', another been there/done that issue I learned the hard way (never again, LOL!) Even resorting to 'hard-core' poison(s) failed to get rid of them gnats long-term until I washed all the compost(s) out - so its a judgment call on the use of such...
Norfolk 'pines' do not really need a highly fertile so-called 'organic soil' (I have several Aurucaria myself) and they can handle ~dimmer areas OK as well, but prefer (and will grow better/faster overall) in direct sun where roots are warmer (not on floor, LOL)... This species is very easy to care for as long as they are not soggy-soiled, and are kept from cold spots... And they kind of thrive on being ignored other than letting the soil go dry
They do not like their roots disturbed much at all, so don't go prying around the bases much until repotting time (been there/done that) or some dieback is likely to occur upon branches (definite root->branch relationship on these, IME)...
HTH,
Alex