I have a potted ID norfolk fine that is now 7 feet tall and too tall for the indoor wintering-room ceiling. I don't have another taller ceiling room for the winter, so I figure I have two options: 1. give it away 2. cut it back. If I cut it back several feet or cut it back just above the dirt, will it come back with new growth?
It should sprout again from the stump if you cut it right back. Leave the stump about 10cm tall. But I've never tried this, so won't offer any guarantees! Otherwise, donate it to somewhere with a high roof and good light, such as a sports hall. As it gets larger, it will of course also need a much larger pot too.
Cutting back alters the natural outline of the tree so it would really be better to find it a new home where it can keep growing taller.
Careful attention to the angle of the cuts and you can sometimes avoid changing the direction of the new growth sideways. Practice on a less noticeable branch.
That won't work with Araucaria, as the branches have a completely different growth physiology to the trunk. A cut branch will only produce a new branch. Only a cut trunk can generate new erect main stem growth.
Ditto to Ron B, don't take just the top off. If you do decide to prune, then coppice it, i.e., cut low down near the base, so that it re-grows from a short stump, not half-way up its current height.
If you are going to cut it down that low it might be advantageous to try a cleft graft. If thats possible.
