I purchased (saved) a small pot of pine saplings over christmas, one small pot, three saplings. The store had allowed them to dry out completely and I complained about it. I even watered the one I bought before I left the store. Once home I transplanted them in a large enough pot of store bought potting soil and undid their roots so they could properly grow. I'm careful not to overwater but the largest sapling has needles that are drying out all except the very bottom branches, the other two are fine. I first put it into a closed plastic container for a day and it softened again. Once replanted in soil it began to dry out so I put a plastic bag over the plant and it seemed to come round. My house is warm at times because its winter and quite dry, though I do have a humidifier. In reading some posts, I just put them outside. Its a cool day but not cold with a little wind and raining slightly. I'm wondering if the problem isn't humidity. The saplings are not brown at all but their branches do come off easily. I really need help here.
You originally posted this in the Indoor Plants area. You don't intend for these to be indoor plants, do you? You could reply with some photos: Attach photos and files
Might however be Araucaria columnaris. Whether that or actual Pinus should not be stuck outside at this time of the year, if having been indoors for some time prior to purchase.
I have brought them indoors since. No, I want to plant them outside this summer but they are still small.
Here are some pics. The 'sick pine sapling' is the one I'm losing. The 'sickly pine sapling' you can see how off color it is compared with the healthy sapling.
They look like Norfolk Island pines to me - tropical house plants that cannot be planted or put outside anywhere in Canada this time of year. If the branches are coming off easily, they are dead. The only thing you can do is wait and see if it recovers by looking for new growth. Good luck with it!
Thanks Larry. Its nice to know what type of pine they are. I have my humidifier going in the hopes that it might help.
It the past it has been said that many, if not most of the Norfolk Island pines (Araucaria heterophylla) on the indoor plant market at any given time may actually be examples of A. columnaris.
There's an interesting article in Pacific Horticulture about the Araucaria family. Pacific Horticulture Society | The Araucaria Family: Past & Present Among other things, I learned the Wollemi Pine is one of 3 genera of Araucariaceae. I wonder if Araucaria columnaris may be a better choice than A. heterophylla for a houseplant. The Norfolk Island Pine I grew many years ago became a problem because it grew almost as wide as it was tall and couldn't be successfully pruned. I eventually had to get rid of it. Branchlets of five species of Araucaria, from the top: Cook pine (Araucaria columnaris), Norfolk Island pine (A. heterophylla), hoop pine (A. cunninghamii), bunya-bunya (A. bidwillii), and paraná pine (A. angustifolia)
