Care of a Potted Norfolk Pine

Keep your Norfolk Island pine moist but not wet. Use enough water that some drains out of the bottom of the pot, but pour off the excess water after 15 minutes. Don't water again until the top 1 inch of the soil feels dry.

Place your Norfolk Island pine in bright light but avoid hot afternoon sunlight. Plants grown in sufficient light have dense, compact growth, whereas those grown in too much shade are leggy and weak. To summer Norfolk Island pines outdoors, place them on a sheltered patio in bright shade.

Fertilize new or recently re-potted plants every four to six months and older, established plants every three to four months. Use a water-soluble fertilizer formulated for foliage houseplants.

Keep the air temperature around your Norfolk Island pine between 45 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit; it will grow best between 55 and 70 degrees. Norfolk Island pines that summer outside must be brought back indoors once night temperatures dip into the 50s.

Raise the humidity around your tree by running a humidifier near the tree, by placing the tree near other houseplants or by putting the pot in a saucer filled with water-covered pebbles, being careful that the water level remains below the bottom of the pot. Norfolk Island pines prefer a relative humidity of 50 percent.

Re-pot your Norfolk Island pine when the roots reach the outside of the existing container, usually every year or two. To control the tree's size, trim off 1 inch all around the root ball, then re-pot the tree into the same container, firming fresh potting soil around the roots. Trees too heavy to re-pot this way should be top-dressed every spring by gently removing the top inch or two of soil from the root ball and replacing it with fresh soil.