Michael, I'm so glad I was able to help. You are so very welcome! It sure sounds like you have a great start with all you need. Thanks for writing in to tell me. Best of luck, Newt
As a new subscriber to this forum and also an enthusiast to plants and trees. I have a bit of a problem with a Norfolk Island Pine in Los Angeles, where my daughter lives. She has one with 3 trunks in the middle of the yard which is growing very nicely...about 12 feet tall. However, she wants to cut it down for the swimming pool that's coming in the summer. I hate to see it go. Is there anyway of saving, transplanting this tree? I've read that the root system of the Norfolk is not deep and also that one might take branches and restart. Thank you for any help on this matter
Hi Rosewood, I'm thinking that the tree will be transplanted and stay outdoors. Since they are going to cut the tree down anyway, I'd say to go for it. If the tree is 12' tall, then it's going to have a large and heavy rootball and you'll probably need some strong backs and a rented tree hand truck. Here's some sites to help you transplant it. I would also suggest that you stake this tree for a couple of years. http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/plantsci/trees/f1147w.htm http://www.freeplants.com/how_to_ball_and_burlap_dig_plant.htm http://www.mdvaden.com/advice-landscape.shtml#wateringsuggestions http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/mulching.aspx http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1141.html http://www.handtruckstore.com/hand-trucks/specialty-hand-trucks/shop.cfm?N=1576+1579+2530 http://media.popularmechanics.com/images/0004HIHIHD.jpg http://media.popularmechanics.com/images/0004HIHIHC.jpg Newt
Newt, many thanks for the info. I've done a lot of transplanting of trees and bushes in Chicago area, but a Norfolk in Calf?...not much experience. So this helps as well as the websites. I suspect my chance to transplant will come in mid-summer. I was also wondering that if I can't get a large portion of roots, can the tree be pruned or trimmed? I've done this with deciduous trees and seems to work, but again, don't know about Norfolk Vince
Rosewood, you are very welcome! If you look at the third pic down at this link, the one in the pot on the right, and read the notes under the pic, it says that he cuts one of the trunks down. http://www.floridata.com/ref/a/arau_het.cfm You might consider cutting one of the trunks off at the soil level. It should resprout. My big concern would be the timing of the summer transplanting. Is there any way it can be transplanted now? Newt
Hey, Just wanted to say. I've put the tree in a bigger pot and additionally I've added micronutrients. It grew so much! Just check out my last photos! Thank you very much
I recently bought a house that had a Norfolk Islands Pine already planted here, I didn't know what it was until I took my Master Gardner program. I live in zone 9b and the pine is three trunked,about 5 1/2 feet tall and the bottom fronds were taken off from 2 feet down. It is planted on the southeast side of the house and I want to move and seperate it but the only place I would have room for the mature height and spread would be on the west side by the lake. I need shade trees there but since I am zone 9b, the west side would be too exposed to the north winds? I have seen a double trunk that was about 50 feet tall so I guess it would adapt and survive if I don't seperate?
Hi, I have been given a "charlie brown" looking norfolk pine. It is about 4 ft tall and has only 2 layers on the top. The trunk is quite twisted as well. It is an indoor plant. I am wondering if I can cut it down, how far I can cut it down and will it grow and be healthier if I do? I have read through the the other posts and have checked on most of the links and haven't found an answer. If anyone had any advise I t would be appreciated! I would really like to save this unsightly tree! Thanks, Sue
I have 2 NIP ( Norfolk Island Pine) trees that I am keeping downstair in my basement, Remember that these pine are native to Norfolk Island near Australia the are are tropical pine I have a boss who has a 8 foot norfolk Island pine and he has it in a greenhouse, Dogseadepression
I live in southwestern Ontario between London and Toronto and a Norfolk Island Pine was received at Christmas. I have heard that you cannot keep them inside. This one is about 15" tall. Will I be able to plant outside. If not what is the rule of thumb for the size of pot to the height of the tree. Thanks
It definitely needs to be indoors in Ontario. In winter, keep it in a room where it will get bright light, but not too hot, around 15°C or so.
See Sunset WESTERN GARDEN BOOK for climate suitability. Look in encylopedia section under Araucaria heterophylla, then look in front at zone maps to see if a zone listed for the tree in the encyclopedia falls over your area.
One of the problems with growing plants in pots and then leaving them in the sun apart from sunburn is fried roots. Make sure pots such as plastic ones are insulated inside another pot with damp newspaper or wood shavings. Norfolk pines are a common tree along our beachlines and suburban gardens. They are large and we very rarely go below 0 C. If growing conditions are good then they are large quiet quickly but otherwise it will be many many years till you get them to this size Halfway down one of the suburban stands http://www.frankston.vic.gov.au/fhs/stage1-vol-1/frankston_planning_scheme.htm Liz
I just received one of these trees through a Freecycle type website. It is approximately 12- 15 feet tall and rather skinny looking. The people that gave it to me dug it up from their yard in October or November. They said that it had been in the ground for the past 7 years. It was kept in a shaded area under some pines near the SE wall of their house. Now we live just north of Houston and the original owners lived in a real suburban neighborhood on a cul de sac with lots of surrounding houses. I live about 10 miles away, but in a much more open area on 5 acres so not as much concrete etc to retain heat. I know that this tree will not do well in our Zone's winters and it is much to large at this point to bring in, so I am looking for some tips to give it a chance at surviving. Also as I said it is very skinny and top heavy so I was wondering about pruning perhaps and should that be done before or after transplanting? I also lost a few branches on the trip home and skinned a small (6 inch) area of bark so any Rx for that would be helpful as well. Thanks! Joey
How cold are you in winter? Hot in summer? Not familiar with Texas. Pics I see always look hot and dry :) The ones on our foreshores here face the antartic blast every so often but no snow and frost. We do have hot dry summers and they cope well down in suburban gardens. On your 5 acres do you have an area of other trees where it could become part of a stand and get some protection that way. It will also need to be staked securly against wind to give it a chance to set some roots. Others will have to advise re pruning. Liz
Thnaks so much for your reply. My area of Texas is subtropical actually with the occasional freeze. Strange I know. In the summer we can have extended dry spells throuh July and August, but most of the year we have plenty of rainfall, too much a lot of the time LOL, especially the fall. We have short bursts of freezing temps as low as the high 20s F(rare) but occasionally will last 10-12 hours. Usually we will just dip below freezing for a couple of hours here and there in Jan and Feb. Summers here are hot and muggy. 90-100s F mid summer with something like 80% humidity, the air is pretty much liquid. I do have some other stands of trees that I was thinking of nestling this one under, but then I am thinking that this is what caused the spindly growth that it has now, so I'm a little unsure. Thanks, Joey
Joey, If it came from shade, your best bet for survival is to keep it reasonably shaded as well. You can certainly bump up the light a bit, but with a transplant, I wouldn't try to go straight into full sun. I have about a dozen Norfolks potted in the yard, and I'm just down in Spring (I45 S to Louetta, West over to 249, and you're here...), so we're not too different on climate. All of my Norfolks over a 6" pot are grown in full sun, watered daily during the summer, and I'm yet to lose one. The smaller (1 gallon and under) I bring in during the winter only overnight when the temps drop below 40. Otherwise, they're year-round outdoor trees for me. I have only ever covered 2 of them, and that was only 1 time, when the temp dropped to 25 overnight, a month or so ago.
Don't forget original home is out on an island in the middle of the pacific where I suspect it could be muggy and hot but also maritme breezes. I would follow Dguertin's advice since you are closley related weatherwise. He/she is right re the not too much sun too quickly like all plants they need to harden off. That is why people often loose plants straight out of a supermarket set up. Too long in airconditioning and artificial light. If you are going the pot route don't forget to make sure it does not cook in the pot in constant sunlight. One pot inside another with some sort of mulching between (newspaper, styrene foam, wood shavings, straw even leaves) Hope you have goos luck with them Liz
Forgot to mention, depending on what you have for a root ball, you may be able to save yourself a tremendous amount of aggro and actually 'pot' this while it recovers. Local nursuries usually will have 'landscaping pots' (the basic black plastic jobbers they sell in, and contractors throw away) all the way up to 200 gallons or better. I've been to several lately that had stacks of them in that range. They'll generally give away the smaller ones, but you may have to slip them a tenner for something that size. Measure out your root ball and bring the numbers with you. Talk it through with whoever you can find that has enough sense in their head to understand what you're doing, and you should be in good shape. Once you get it home, pot it up with some good quality potting soil, and hope for the best. Don't go with the cheap stuff just because of the cost. It's cheap for a reason, generally being you wind up paying for a bag full of something not much better than our native clay along with assorted sizes of sticks, rocks, and wood chippings... The easiest solution for you is of course to just drive it down to my house and leave it with me! :-D
Thanks so much for the advice. It is still in the pot for now up against the south wall of my house. I have a stunted oak on that end of the house that I am wanting to bring down since its under a couple of towering pines, so I am thinking of putting it there, where it will still have some shade protection, but still get plenty of light. I wish I could put it more towards the front of the house as a specimen tree, but my front yard is a scalped slope so it would just bake there. Thanks again for the advice, I hope it pulls through!
Well, like I said, by keeping it in the pot (provided it survives), you can move it bit by bit and have it in the front yard by summer. Mine bake in the full afternoon sun year round. Keep it well watered and it will be fine. Disregard any and all info you've read on-line written by people that live somewhere else. Water it every day when it's in the sun and it will grow very happily! NIPs tend to grow open and spindly when in the shade, and much more stout, thick, and dense when grown in sun, just as an aside.
DGuertin well said. Given that many of ours are growing in sandy soil and really in the weather as long as it has water should be fine. Also good advice re the gradual hardening or weaning off from shade. Good luck with this. In real life they are BIG trees. I can smell autumn in the air let's hope there are no more super hot days and more rain. All the rain is stuck up on the east coast around Sydney. They have been well watered and flooded for weeks in both NSW and Qsld. Liz
Hi, everybody. I forgot my thread was still going! Anyway, since my first post, we hired landscape tree movers. We transported my daughter's large Norfolk, 20 feet tall with 2 smaller trees attached, 2 weeks ago. They put in a large 6" air pipe that goes to bottom. This tree goes down close to 5 feet. The tree is on our front yard with quite a bit of LA sun. My question now is: Should I slowly water the tree when the air pipe has no water in it? Or should I test the first foot to see if moist, dry or wet? In other words, how often should I water for the next few months? The lower branches don't spread out like normal Norfolk branches but sort of clam together. The smaller Norfolks seem OK. I'm thinking that with this all day transplant and its original soaking, it's trying to recover from shock of moving. Thanks for the past help. We love this tree and we want it to survive and grow, Rosewood
Rosewood, so sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. I somehow missed the notice of your post in my mailbox as I was away at the time. Here's how to water newly transplanted trees. http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/water/az1298/ http://www.mdvaden.com/watering.shtml Hope that helps, Newt