Pruning Norfolk Pine

28 Comments

1. admin - February 9, 2009 at 6:53 pm

   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

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2. dorothy raines - February 27, 2009 at 8:01 am

   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.

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3. alice kriebs - May 19, 2009 at 5:39 pm

   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.

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4. Jean - December 16, 2009 at 9:43 am

   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.

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5. admin - January 6, 2010 at 3:36 pm

   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

   .

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6. admin - January 6, 2010 at 3:48 pm

   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.

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7. admin - January 6, 2010 at 4:01 pm

   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.

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8. admin - January 6, 2010 at 4:17 pm

   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.

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9. Anne McLeod - January 24, 2010 at 12:40 pm

   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.

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10. Brenda - April 26, 2011 at 8:38 am

    Broken stem
    one of the main lateral branches of my beautiful 6′ tall Norfolk pine was broken off, in a jagged way – I tried pushing it back together and splinting it to see if it would mend… Is this crazy? It is a couple of days ago and the branch looks a bit limp but… would appreciate your ideas – it’s a shame that it may lose its symmetry…

    Hi Brenda
    Unfortunately, you may have to trim the broken stem, either all the way back to the main stem or up to the break. Make a clean cut to elliminate the jagged edge. Sometimes the broken branch will send out new growth from a different area.

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11. garrett - July 7, 2011 at 8:20 am

    Air layering
    I too have a nofolk island pine that is getting too tall. My plan is to cut out the lower portion with no branches and graft it back to itself. I havent done it yet and need to research grafting but I hate to throw away a 20 yr old plant. This should also solve my lower branch loss issue.

    Hi Garrett
    I think what you want to do is air layering. I have seen it done with some tropical plants like Rubber plant, dieffenbachias, crotons and Norfok pine when they get too tall and loose their lower leaves. It can take several months to a year for an evergreen to develop roots especially with older the specimens. Give it a try and let us know how you did. I found some info on this site. http://www.herbs2000.com/flowers/b_air_layer.htm Good luck.

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12. Omar - July 18, 2011 at 11:38 pm

    Crowded plants
    Hello, I have had a Norfolk Island Pine for about two years… It is about 4-ft tall and made up of 4 main plants/roots (or trunks that come up out of the soil). My problem is that, (unlike everyone else here), I want it to grow bigger! I feel like the fact that there are 4 plants in one, means it is taking extremely slow to get taller.

    What can I do to promote growth more quickly. I was thinking to either cut down one or two of the trunks…. OR prune the top off of one or two of the smaller plants. Would doing this give more growth to the other plants?

    Hi Omar
    You have 4 plants in one pot all competing for water and nourishment. If you elliminate a few, then the others will have a chance to grow. You can also divide and repot into separate pots.

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    1. Omar - July 19, 2011 at 5:44 pm

       Ok, thank you for the tip. I was thinking just to prune the the top and a few limbs of a couple of the smaller plants, as opposed to trying to separate them, since they appear to be intertwined and tangled at the roots. Do you think that would be ok, or would I be better off just cutting an entire single plant off at the soil. I just don’t want to risk losing the bigger plants.

       Hi Omar
       if you don’t want to risk separating the stems, cut the smaller plants at the soil line. It should reduce the competition.

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13. rose - January 20, 2012 at 2:06 pm

    I inherited a Norfolk Pine and when they gave it to me they said that it got a freeze and now the tips are brown and it is drooping. Any answers what I should do?

    Hi Rose
    It’s a tough one. I would wait and see what happens. The browning tips are a sign of cold damage. It might send out new growth in other parts of the stems. At this time remove any dead parts and hope for the best. Be careful not to overwater it.
    Norfolk pine like cool, bright humid conditions to grow best. Good luck hope it perks up.

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14. Rebecca - April 11, 2012 at 4:51 pm

    I have a Norfolk pine that’s about 25′ tall and will reach it’s limit in about 4″. From the many comments about the bad idea of topping the tree it sounds like i’l have to do as I’ve been teasing my friends and lower the floor.

    Thanks for providing this information online.

    Hi Rebecca
    Let us know how it turns out. It may become an interesting conversation plant.

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15. Krystal - February 7, 2013 at 6:41 am

    Propagating Norfolk pine
    I have a Norfolk pine that my in laws brought with them when they come to live with us for a while. They have had it for many years and just moved far away and had to leave it with us. It had a lot of sentimental value to my father in law as it was a special gift from his wife.

    Anyway, just wondering if there was a way to clip and regrow a new one from the existing tree so we can take it to them and have room for it in the car vs lugging around this big tree. I want them to have a piece of it since we cannot get the big one to them. Any suggestions?

    Hi Krystal
    You can try air layering. See comment to Garrett dated 7/7/11 and above comment

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16. Steve - February 7, 2013 at 8:02 am

    Air layering Norfolk pine top
    My Norfolk Pine got shock. It has been losing lower branches, but showing strong life at the top. Whereas base is not as healthy as top. Can a plant of this nature be lopped off like other plants and grow new roots ? I would hate to think that it will eventually croak….

    Hi Steve
    You can try to air layer the top of your Norfolk pine houseplant. It is a slow process that will take several months to a year. here’s how to start. http://www.ehow.com/how_8363489_propagate-norfolk-island-pine.html

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17. Michelle - January 4, 2015 at 11:23 am

    We live in Hawaii & have a 50-60′ Norfolk Pine in our backyard. This last weekend we had a windstorm that ripped off one of the 4 main branch/trunks that come out of the main trunk at about 20′. 2 questions: what kind of first aid do we need to do to keep the rest of the tree healthy- there is a large missing section (about 2′ diameter) where the trunk/branch pulled away- a big sappy jagged mess. We are afraid that this will cause the rest of tree to die? AND during the clean up we found many attached green seed pods- can they be saved or encouraged to finish the seeding process …what can we do to raise more of these beautiful trees from the seed pods or are they not viable? thanks so much! Michelle & Jim

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18. Paperdoll - January 25, 2015 at 7:40 am

    I cut off my entire NIP leaving behind just a branch with its roots still intact in the soil.Will it survive?

    Hi
    It sounds as if there is one main trunk left to grow. If so then it should survive and grow as the main plant.

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19. sue - September 28, 2015 at 5:58 pm

    We received a Norfolk pine that had several stems in the same pot. Unfortunately, I think they were all competing for light and water, and many of them got yellow and perished. Tonight I was pruning away these old dead stems and accidentally snipped off the only living stem. Anyway to repot it and save it?

    Hi Sue
    Most likely it will not regrow.

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20. Gracie Allen C. De Vera - February 11, 2016 at 9:12 pm

    Hello, i transplanted my Norfolk Pine tree from a pot directly to Soil, but before i planted it, I cut first some of the old roots and a little of the main root, the root in the middle that is hard. I am worried because i might get hurt it, I want to ask if will it continue to grow? or would the tree die or continue to live, but not grow? Please help me. Thank you.

    Hi Gracie
    You may have damaged some of the roots but with some care the plant should recover. Make sure it get’s enough water during the growing season and is growing in well drained soil. I would stake the plant to give it some support so that the roots can regrow. You can also fertilize it with a root starter which will stimulate new root growth.
    Norfolk pine is hardy in USDA Zones 10 – 11 and zone 9 in a protected area. It is very tender and will begin to sustain damage at temperatures below 40ºF (4.4ºC) beginning with discoloration of foliage.

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21. Michelle - June 17, 2016 at 3:06 pm

    I have a norfolk pine and most of the branches have lost most of their needles and the others are turning brown. Will those needles grow back or is it destined to look spindly unless I prune it???

    Hi Michelle
    Once the needles drop, they will not grow back.

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22. Gisele - December 24, 2016 at 5:10 am

    Hi… I have a friend who was aggressively petting my Norfolk to the point where he broke a branch. I tried two layers of duct tape as a stint to try and get it to heal, and the idiot took the tape off! (I seriously need to keep him away from small plants.)

    I have the branch that broke off in water. Is there any way to propogate it or reattach it? It’s a fairly clean break. I hope the branch regrows…. grrrr

    Propagate Norfolk pine cutting
    

    Hi Gisele
    The taped branch will not grow back. To propagate a branch, take a 6-8 inch tip cutting and dip it in a rooting hormone, poke it into pre moistened peaty potting soil. Press the soil around to stem to secure in place. Cover the whole pot in a plastic bag to maintain high humidity. Use a stick to keep the plastic from touching the cutting. Place in indirect light and check the soil periodically for moisture. The soil should not be allowed to dry out.
    With some luck you should see roots starting in 6-8 weeks. To check for rooting give the plant a gentle tuck.

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23. Stephanie - May 31, 2017 at 8:47 am

    I have few questions (one I think is already answered)…

    The tops to 2 of my trees were chopped off by the cable company without notification to me….

    1.) Will the tops ever grow back to them?

    2.)Will this kill the tree?

    3.) They left the cut tops laying on the ground, is it possible to plant the tops to grow a new tree? Or no, because there isn’t a root?

    Thanks,
    Stephanie

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24. Jolie - June 11, 2017 at 12:18 pm

    I inherited my Norfolk pine and it had some cold damage. I removed all the brown stems and left the 4 long stems near the top. These were almost bald except for the fronds at the end of the stems…looked like a poodle. I started watering each time the topsoil went dry, moved it out of the corner closer to a sunny window and named it “FiFi”. FiFi is doing better.

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25. JAY TRACY - June 12, 2017 at 6:54 am

    My Norfolk Pine is going on 62 years old. I inherited it from my neighbor who was moved to a nursing home. He said it was from his father’s funeral in 1956. I have some new growth and smaller branches at the top but no large branches at the bottom. Is there any way I can get new branches to start midway down the trunk? I’ve had the tree for about 6 years now. I’ve considered propagating some of the smaller branches and giving them to other neighbors. The tree is about 8′-9′ tall. It has been topped off in recent years. I just wanted new branches to form lower on the base if possible.

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26. sonia - October 16, 2017 at 2:21 pm

    I am so angry right now I could throttle my dog. I left for work this morning and crated my dog. Somehow, the dog managed to move the crate over beside my beautiful, wide norfolk pine and proceeded to shred almost half of the branches off of it. It was originally very full and wide.

    Will the shock of this kill my pine? Is there any way to get back the fullness it once had?

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27. Carol Hall - September 10, 2019 at 7:30 pm

    My Norfolk Pine is about 10 years old and about 15 feet high. Over the past year, it has lost a fair number of lower inner branches. I believe it needs a bigger pot. It has a “side tree” that is on a separate trunk and is about 5 feet tall. The managers of the building it is current in told me I have to get rid of it because it doesn’t look beautiful anymore. It is also leaning. But overall it looks quiet good and the top half is very lush. What are my options? I will try to find it a new home, but it is HUGE. I will try to repot it. I could also trim the big tree back to the size of the small tree and see what happens. It is getting so huge it is difficult to move at all.

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