From the Ground Up: Norfolk pine is not your average pine

Holidays are long over and it's time to put away the decorations, but keep that little pine tree, the miniature potted Christmas tree, the Norfolk Island Pine with its beautiful droopy pendant branches.

This sweet little tree is not a variety of the North American Pine at all. The real home of the Norfolk Island pine, also known as Araucaria heterophylla, is not native to the pine forests of northern Wisconsin or the forests of Norfolk, Va., but to the Pacific Island of Norfolk, a tiny island between New Zealand and Australia in the South Pacific. In Hawaii, the Norfolk Pine, or often a similar variety known as Cook's Pine, is grown commercially as well as used in landscaping. Most of the ones we see in Iowa are Norfolk Pine and come from the commercial houseplant industry in South Florida. Sadly, many of these bound for big box stores are spray painted lightly with a green mist to enhance their appearance, which may cause the plant to perish due to inhibition of photosynthesis.

Although not a true pine, the soft conical leaves look like fir or spruce needles. The branches grow symmetrically, forming a 'star” when viewed from directly above.

This pine doesn't go in the ground in Iowa, it's strictly a potted pine. As a houseplant, it can grow up to 20 feet tall. In its natural environment, it can become a giant of the tropical island, towering up to 200 feet tall. Once appearing in abundance on Norfolk Island, the pine nearly disappeared due to European settlements and the voracious animals they introduced. The Norfolk Island National Park is now protecting the species and the population is rebounding. The tree is planted in zone 10 and 11 as an ornamental and will grow, but not really flourish in southernmost Florida and California. It's a favorite of Hawaiian wood working artisans, not deemed desirable for logging just primarily used as a decorative landscape tree in proper zones and as houseplants.

So if you have one on your kitchen table, it will live quite happily in a sunny window year-round or on a covered porch during summer. Turn once in a while to maintain symmetrical growth, and fertilize (March to December) and it will grow and prosper in its pot. Water thoroughly and drain properly, don't let the plant sit in water. If possible, keep at 60 degrees to 72 degrees in the daytime and 50 to 65 at night. Since it's tropical it loves humidity over 50 percent, a humidifier or pebble tray can help.

With a little care and a sunny locale, your Norfolk Island pine can be a long lived and happy addition to your house. My mother-in-law has a 7 foot to 8 foot one dominating a sunny window in her Ames living room. Every December she dresses it with twinkling lights for the holidays.

' For gardening questions, call the Linn County Extension Master Gardener Hortline at (319) 447-0647.