Norfolk Pine Water Requirements: Learn How To Water A Norfolk Pine Tree
Norfolk pines (also frequently called Norfolk Island pines) are big beautiful trees native to the Pacific Islands. They are hardy in USDA zones 10 and above, which makes them impossible to grow outdoors for a lot of gardeners. They’re still popular the world over, however, because they make such good houseplants. But how much water does a Norfolk pine need? Keep reading to learn more about how to water a Norfolk pine and Norfolk pine water requirements.
Watering Norfolk Pines
How much water does a Norfolk pine need? The short answer is not very much. If you live in a warm enough climate to have your trees planted outdoors, you’ll be happy to know that they need basically no extra irrigation. Container grown plants always need more frequent watering because they lose their moisture quickly. Even so, Norfolk pine watering should be limited – only water your tree when the top inch (2.5 cm.) of its soil is dry to the touch.
Additional Norfolk Pine Water Requirements
While Norfolk pine watering needs aren’t very intense, humidity is a different story. Norfolk Island pines do best when the air is humid. This is often a problem when the trees are grown as houseplants, as the average home isn’t nearly humid enough. This is easily solved, however. Simply find a dish that’s at least an inch (2.5 cm.) greater in diameter than the base of your Norfolk pine’s container. Line the bottom of the dish with small pebbles and fill it with water until the pebbles are half submerged. Set your container in the dish. When you do water your tree, do so until the water runs out of the drainage holes. This will let you know the soil is saturated, and it’ll keep the dish topped up. Just make sure the level of the dish’s water is below the base of the container or you run the risk of drowning the tree’s roots.
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The only child of a horticulturist and an English teacher, Liz Baessler was destined to become a gardening editor. She has been with Gardening Know how since 2015, and a Senior Editor since 2020. She holds a BA in English from Brandeis University and an MA in English from the University of Geneva, Switzerland. After years of gardening in containers and community garden plots, she finally has a backyard of her own, which she is systematically filling with vegetables and flowers.
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