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Pruning Norfolk Pine

I have beautiful, healthy Norfolk Pine that has grown close to 7 ft tall & about 6 ft wide. Can I trim off the top without causing damage to this tree??

Unfortunately, Norfolk Pine does not take well to pruning. The tip is the growing point of your tree and once you cut that off, your tree will still grow sideways but not upright. It will be misshapen and loose its pyramidal shape. Sometimes a tree can send out another tip from a different growing point. Cut only the lower dead branches.

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10 comments to Pruning Norfolk Pine

admin

February 9th, 2009 at 6:53 pm · Reply

I have a Norfolk Pine in my living room…..it about touches my ceiling. There are three “trees”….the second and third trees are smaller in height. Could I cut the tall tree down?…or separate the tall tree from the second and third tree and give it away???
Thanks!
Joan

Hi Joan

The safest and best option is to cut down the tallest tree to the soil line, that way you won’t disturb the other two trees. It might be tricky to separate all three. Being that they were in the pot for several years, their roots are entangled and trying to separate each tree would most likely damage the roots of all three plants with little chance of recovery. If they were younger plants, it would be possible to separate them as they would be able to recoup from the shock.

joan.ashton@augie.edu
Joan P. Ashton
1
dorothy raines

February 27th, 2009 at 8:01 am · Reply

I have a 9ft.Norfolk pine. It is growing to tall
where it is. If I transplant it to a pot I would
like to know the size of the pot and how large
the root system is and is it advisable. The
pine is approx 4 yeas old.
Thank You

Hi Dorothy
The rule of thumb is transplant it to a container that is 1-2 ” larger than the existing pot. Because Norfolk pine can be top heavy, choose a heavy, sturdy container. I would go for 2″ to allow room for growth. A Norfolk pine 9 feet tall may be difficult to transplant. You can try topdressing it. That is removing the top 2-3 inches of soil and adding fresh soil. If you decide to tackle the job transplanting, be sure to prune/remove some of the old and dead roots-this will also allow more room for new growth. After transplanting, water the plant with a root stimulant to promote new root growth.
alice kriebs

May 19th, 2009 at 5:39 pm · Reply

Can a Norfolk Pine be put out side in the shade during the summer?

Hi Alice
Yes, you can move your Norfolk pine outdoors. It will enjoy the brighter light and humidity. Just be carefulnot to give it sunburn- to start it out in a shaded area and slowly move it to more light.
Jean

December 16th, 2009 at 9:43 am · Reply

My Norfork Pine was doing So good, now Whole Branchs are falling off. They are not brown, just fall off the tree. Please help me, thank you, Jean

Hi Jean
Are the branches loosing their needles? Is this pine outdoors.
admin

January 6th, 2010 at 3:36 pm · Reply

PRUNING NORFOLK PINE
I live in Old Town, Florida. I have several Norfolk pines in my yard. We just had a cold front and 6 inches of the tip were burned. Is it OK to cut the burned tips off without damaging the tree?

Norfolk pine don’t take well to pruning. Once the tip turns brown it is dead and you will have to cut it off. Unfortunately, the pruned spot will not produce any new growth. Wait and see how bad the frost damaged your tree ,then cut off only what is neccessary. The tip is the growing point of your tree and once you cut that your tree will still grow sideways but not upright. Your tree will be misshapen. Sometimes a tree can send out another tip from a different growing point

.
admin

January 6th, 2010 at 3:48 pm · Reply

Pruning Norfolk Pine

We have a Norfolk Pine that will be too tall to fit in our greenhouse after the next growing season (~15′ tall and 15 years old). We are in zone 7b and don’t believe that it will survive a winter outdoors and would hate to throw it out, so I was wondering if it is possible to cut the top out of the tree to intentionally stop its growth? Would the tree die or continue to live, but not grow?

Hi Shanna
Norfolk pine do not take well to pruning. Once you cut the top off, the tree will either stop growing and die, grow from the side branches or send out another tip from a different growing point. At any rate, the tree will be misshapen and make an interesting experiment.
admin

January 6th, 2010 at 4:01 pm · Reply

Too big to keep
I have inherited a NIP that had outgrown the space it grew up in and now is given to me. It is 15 -16 ft and pushes the boundaries of our entry way. I cannot let it get any taller as it will abut a chandelier. I see from the posts that it does not tolerate pruning well but what option would I have? It will receive limited direct light but likely adequate indirect light in its new environment.

Hi Bob
There aren’t any options. If the plant is too large to keep in you home perhaps you can find a business such as a mall or office that would adopt your Norfolk pine. They need bright indirect light and tolerate some direct light. As a last resort, you can cut the tip off and have a misshapen tree.
admin

January 6th, 2010 at 4:17 pm · Reply

Broken tip
i have a new baby NIP and the top stem tip broke off accidentally…will it continue to grow?

It should continue to grow laterally (sideways). It may even send grow an alternative top stem that you may have to train.
Anne McLeod

January 24th, 2010 at 12:40 pm · Reply

Pruning the branches
My Norfolk Pine is healthy and still has room to grow upward. The problem is, that the tips of the branches continue to grow and are beginning to get in the way. I’ve considered nipping the branches off a ways, as gracefully as possible. I understand that there will be no further growth from these areas, but will it harm the tree in any other way? I don’t want to give it up, just make it a bit more manageable!

Hi Anne
Nipping the branches shouldn’t harm the tree. The area that is pruned will not regrow but the branch can send out new growth in other parts of the branch.
Pat

May 10th, 2010 at 5:24 pm · Reply

My Norfolk’s top has been falling over for the last month – just the tip top. What is causing this??