Living Christmas Tree-Norfolk Pine
Hello!! I am a “black-thumb”! My boss has asked me to care for this tree that is in our office, and I have no clue what it is, or how to care for it. I just pulled A LOT of dead foliage off of it (actually it fell off of the tree when I touched it). Please help me!!
Thank you!
Shannon
Hi Shannon,
Your plant is called a Norfolk Island Pine, sometimes called a Star Pine, and sometimes called a Norfolk Island Star Pine.
Norfolk Island Pine Trees require very bright light, even some direct sun. Bottom branches fall off when a Norfolk Island Pine doesn’t get enough light.
Keep the soil of a Norfolk Island Pine moist at all times. Yellow needles can indicate that the soil is too wet or too dry. If the soil gets completely dry, entire fronds turn gray, brittle, and fall off. This sounds like what is happening to your plant.
Feed a Norfolk Island Pine every other week in the spring, summer,and fall. Use a well balanced liquid plant fertilizer diluted to 1/2 the recommended strength.
You can read all my care tips for a Norfolk Pine in the Popular Houseplant section of the website.
https://www.houseplant411.com/houseplant/norfolk-island-pine-how-to-grow-care
These plants are not considered poisonous and if a child or pet eats the pine needles it will cause severe stomach problems. Read about more common houseplants that are poisonous in Don’t Feed Me To Your Cat! A Guide to Poisonous Houseplants.
