Bitte helfen Sie! Dies ist eine Norfolk-Inselkiefer. Wir haben es für 35 $ gekauft und nun ja … wie Sie sehen, läuft es nicht besonders gut. Ich habe einen schwarzen Daumen und möchte unbedingt einen grünen haben. Ich möchte mehr Pflanzen, aber mein Mann wird nicht an Bord sein, bis ich sie wieder zum Leben erwecken kann, und glaubt nicht, dass ich das kann. Ich brauche Hilfe, um ihm das Gegenteil zu beweisen.
Wie kann ich dieser Pflanze zu ihrer vollen Pracht verhelfen? Ich sehe immer noch grün, daher gehe ich davon aus, dass es sich nicht um eine verlorene Sache handelt. Ich weiß, dass ich online nach grundlegenden Pflegeanleitungen suchen kann, aber ich habe das Gefühl, dass ich zuerst einige wichtige Schritte unternehmen muss … Ich weiß nur nicht, welche das sind "wesentlich" Schritte sind
Von: LowWoodpecker1492
47 Comments
I typed out what I really thought and deleted it so many times. I’ll reserve any excess commentary.
Your husband is judging your ability to keep plants based on one of the hardest houseplants you can attempt indoors. That’s not a fair test.
Norfolk Island Pines need intense, direct light for most of the day and most homes simply can’t provide that.
Download an app called Photone and measure the light levels around your home. Think of plants you find nice and Google and Youtube PPFD+Plant Name constantly.
Punch PPFD into Youtube and see what hits
Take readings everywhere you go to learn how light propagates and spreads.
You want above 150 PPFD for low light tolerant plants, 400+ for medium light plants, and anything calling itself a high light plant will want 800+ for several hours a day. Cactus and Succs up to 2000.
IIF YOU CANT ACHIEVE ANY OF THESE GOOD WATTAGE GROW LIGHTS ARE IN ORDER
That Norfolk Pine wants to be closer to 1000+ PPFD, which basically means a south facing window with no obstructions or a dedicated grow light.
Start with a pothos or spider plant. They survive neglect, inconsistent watering, and can live by on 75-100 PPFD while pushing weak growth. I try to keep mine in 500+
Once you nail lighting dial in watering and soil consistencies. Youtube and Google well draining mixes and read. My never fail mix that has gone into tens of thousands of plants over the past 10+ years is (THOUGH IT WONT WORK FOR YOUR TREE)
45% cococoir
45% Pearlite
10% worm castings
Makes things near impossible to rot. Gives you a good starting point to fertilize with whatever you want and makes overwatering a thing of the past. It’s dummy proof for plants I sell or give away (in case my plant ends up in the hands of weekly waterers)
Keep one alive for a few months and you’ll have much more knowledge for more plants than trying to resurrect a tree that was set up to fail from the start.
https://i.redd.it/r23sil2otymg1.gif
It was doomed long before you bought it, first off Norfolk pines dont grow with multiple stems/trunks which means that it has multiple separate tightly packed plants in that pot which isn’t starting off very good at all, then the soil is problematic because its made to hold a ton of water so it can survive bright greenhouse conditions and neglect on store shelves so its really difficult to water without over watering, next there is a high likelihood of it being painted green so that it sells easier because it would be a slightly more vibrant green while also starving the plant for light, top it off with the pot being oversized and you have a dying/dead plant, I bought a Norfolk pine recently and with a professional greenhouse and knowing exactly how to grow Norfolks and exactly how I should save it its still struggling, I’ve already lost like five of the separate plants that came in the pot, not to mention your plant already looks like it has one foot in the grave, this plants death was mostly caused by the seller and not you
I think I got lucky with my NIP. I picked it up at a grocery store around Christmas 2016, where it was potted with several other stems. I watered it regularly but the stems died off one by one. However, one hung on and I was gonna see how long it took before it also went.
Well, more than 9 years and a shift from the humid cool environment of the Pacific Northwest to the dry intense heat of southern Nevada later, it’s still going. Save for an accidental scorching of some branches because I overestimated it’s safety on a covered porch in the peak of summer, it’s still going strong.
I have used the Planta app for most of my growing needs and it’s helped me keep on top of its care.
Good luck and I hope you can either save yours or start fresh with a new one that’s more forgiving.
Not helpful regarding your plant but I’m more concerned about you stating your husband “won’t be on board” What the heck do you mean? Indoor plants could be your hobby, you’re allowed to try a few different types surely? I can’t believe you are in a situation where you can’t just have more plants if that’s what you want….$35 is one takeaway meal, which is gone immediately, whereas your plants could last forever. Baffled.😯 If money is an issue, there are lots of easy to grow indoor plants that start from free cuttings. Good luck and have fun. 🤩
You went straight into extra hard mode! Don’t despair if this one doesn’t thrive. Try again with something easier. Plants that can tolerate a little lower light are a good idea when you’re new 🙂
[My low light plant recommendations + general tips to keep them happy](https://www.reddit.com/r/houseplants/s/cBYqaOEueV)
Take it out of that pot. Check and trim black mushy roots. Google them soil it likes. And replant in a new pot with drainage holes. And get a light just for that plant. And pray over it. You have to research that plant. I had one years ago. And it died. I was ok because I found out I was allergic to it. Good luck.
Finicky plants, and pretty slow-growing. Hate to say it, but that is pretty much totally dead. As others have said, these guys get pumped out of tropical greenhouse facilities for the holidays, and most are kept in poor conditions at the store and in transit so they are doomed from the start. Most stores will either water them constantly and rot them, or never water them (F you Home Depot) and still try to sell them as crispy dead sticks. If anything is crispy (which is probably everything on the right that looks pale) just break it off, when a branch dies that much, it doesn’t come back. Sometimes a few of the individual “sub-branches/strands” can go dull and die, but it will be apparent because the rest of the branch will still be bright green and you can just pluck the dead ones off. But when the whole branch turns pale and curls, it’ll become brittle and easily snap off at the trunk. It’s very easy to tell, because they are supple like rubber when alive, and super brittle when dead. Be careful, they are really spiky when dry. Those are almost certainly 4 different plants in that pot, and I’d say only the first one might still be alive. Its lower branches look dead, only the top ones look alive. If your finger says the soil is wet or damp, do nothing until it dries out. They are not pines at all, so don’t treat them as such. They need to stay moist for the most part, but not soggy, and if they get so dry that they start to wilt, they need water. Looking at yours, it could be over or under watered. Most of all, they can’t tolerate ANY coldness. I doubt you have exposed yours to cold, but I’m just mentioning it because people (including myself in the past) thought they were pines and therefore able to tolerate cold/freezing temperatures. In reality, they can’t even tolerate cool temperatures and will die with frost.
If you want to go down a rabbit hole of confusion, google “norfolk island pine vs cook pine”. I still can’t tell which I have!
He “won’t be in board”? You are an adult
Just chiming in to say not you or anyone else has a ‘black thumb’. A plant not surviving in your home is due to any number of things, but mostly lack of knowledge of what the plant needs to survive.
In this case you’ve chosen one of the pickiest and difficult plants as a starter. It’s like saying you want to learn ice skating and starting out with a quad jump as your first trick.
Beginner plants I recommend: Snake plant, aloe, swedish ivy, haworthia and pothos.
Pick up one of those, love it gently and show your husband and yourself that you can do it! We’re always here to help along the way.
My wife has the greenest thumb on the planet and could not keep a Norfolk Island Pine alive in our apartment. For reference we have over 40 tropical plants that are alive and well, many of which she propogated and grew herself. Your husband should lighten up a little. Get a spider plant. They are easier and grow many babies.
Grow ligh. A decent sized one. Pines need soooooo much light. Imagine growing in full sun all day and someone shoved you in a dark corner for the rest of your life. You’d want to end it all too. 😅 but seriously, grow light.
Then a smaller pot, I dont put mine in anything more than a couple inches around bigger than the root balls and let them grow into it. It takes away a lot of the overwatering risk as it will dry out much faster even if the soil is bad.
And that is my last point. A good fast draining soil will help alot. Make sure its nice and chunky and it will hold less water and you’ll learn better when it needs properly watered.
These three things together should help it 180 from where youre at now. Idk how much of it will bounce back, but im curious to see and how you do from here.
Take luck.
Wtf aren’t you allowed to fail ? How anyone learn if no one fail? Im really serious, I never killed a plant so far, therefore I have no idea what Im doing right, Im not proud, because I have zero learning therefore zero ways to advise others !
Major steps include:
Googling the plant care, and placing it in the appropriate sunlight.
If you aren’t sure about what appropriate sunlight is, then your husband is doing you a favor by preventing a lot of frustrating slowly dying plants that cost a lot more than $35.
This plant is not coming back. HOWEVER. That doesn’t mean you can’t take care of plants. Get yourself a pothos or an aglaonema.
I don’t know if you’ll be able to convince your husband, but the best plant for beginners is a pothos! It’s extremely forgiving and as long as you remember to water it and put it somewhere bright you’re all good
Uhhh, this particular one might be a lost cause, but try some less destructible ones first, like a zz plant. I swear those things are indestructible, and don’t water too often, only when dry.
I killed a pine when I first started too, by giving it weekly waterings instead of testing whether it needed to be watered first
… you need permission to have a house plant?
It’s impossible to tell from the picture the light situation and you’re not mentioning how you’re watering.
I assume it doesn’t have a grow light and that you either water on a schedule, either forget to water and let it dry out too much. Both are bad.
We need more info.
Ya know, some people just keep replacing the plants. They don’t actually want to care for it and, honestly, they can’t. So they just buy a new plant every couple of months or so. Especially busy people that work all the time. They want the aesthetic but not the work. Nothing wrong with that, that’s why the plant industry is always booming. If you can afford it, budget $10 per paycheck for houseplants. Buy small ones all the time or save for a really big show piece. If it dies in three months, go buy another. We can’t all have green thumbs.
I have the opposite problem. My house is full of f’ing plants. They don’t die. Sometimes I give them away because they’re ALL CONSUMING TIME HOARDERS.
I personally would say this isn’t the easiest plant to keep alive in general! your husband, excuse me for saying this, needs to get a grip and let you get more plants.
ANYONE can have a green thumb, it’s just a process that involves killing some plants lmao. I would suggest trying out some easier plants like pothos, tradescantia, a monstera, or a snake plant!
thats not a light issue thats a forgot to water issue b
I agree with a lot of the comments. You picked the hardest and in my opinion worst plant to start with. These are not easy. Not bragging but plants come naturally to me and I have killed this plant lol trees are way different than a typical house plant. I would have started with a pothos or spider plant.
Oof, I’ve killed a lot of these.
Omg, she’s very dry! I’ve got one that grows about a foot a year, which they all should. I can see that your soil isn’t up to the pot’s fill line, so you’ll want to remedy that when you repot. Add enough soil to account for settling that will occur. These like to stay damp, I’ve learned, and warm. Norfolk Island is an Australian territory, if that tells you anything about their natural climate; they like humidity, too, so don’t have it by a heat register or where it’ll get a warm draft.
The soil I use is an aroid mix I’ve made, a chunky mix of 2:1:1 soil, peat, and perlite and I plan add fine orchid bark next yearThe folks I bought it from had the pot half filled with rocks due to its size but, after a few years, she wasn’t looking great, so I decided to check out the roots. I ended up removing the rocks, which had caused root rot as she grew, and repotted back into the same large pot(I think you should do the same; your pot looks pretty big)) with my aroid mix. The transplant shock was real, but she bounced back beautifully!
https://preview.redd.it/jz5n025eq1ng1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=16d6b6c96d81868a1162cb2ec7a397477b4ab84d
In winter, I have a couple of grow lights above her, which keep her from going dormant. There are some on extendable stakes that you can get to go in the soil of yours that should work very well. Pic of mine here, if it survives the comment edit. I’m sure she’ll be officially taller than me for this Christmas, after some spring sun on the deck! Yes, you can move out to the patio in warm weather but they’ll scorch if they get too dry, just a heads up there!
I work for a greenhouse and i take care of these specific trees in stores around the holidays and my favorite part about it is when people buy them so i no longer have to sustain them.
Go get you a pothos! It’ll grow like crazy and he will be eating his lame words. Also if you have a black thumb, get a moisture meter, it’s VERY helpful in preventing overwatering and root rot 🙂
Unfortunately, I unalived mine so I don’t have any advice but I wanted to wish you luck!! 🍀😃
I have over 500 plants I keep alive and I’ve tried a Norfolk pine 3 or 4 times to no avail so I wouldn’t beat yourself up too much.
I will happily mail you a box of plants/cuttings. Booo at your husband. You can check my 5 star rating on takeaplantleaveaplant if you’d like to verify I have safely traded/sent plants to strangers through Reddit. I haven’t traded in years now mostly because I have too many plants and have a local friend that hooks me up with the good shit regularly.
I have a greenish thumb, I think, and Norfolk pine died in my care, despite multiple attempts to save her
What’s your watering schedule? How much light is it getting?
I kept mine alive for 5 years or so before an exceptionally hot summer made me give up.
If the needles are soft, you have a chance. If not, it’s probably a goner.
That thing is dead, and they are extremely hard to keep alive indoors. That’s not really the issue though — why do you require your husband’s permission to do something so simple as buy a houseplant? Why is he setting up some kind of test for you as if you’re a child?
Why do you need to prove your husband wrong? You are an adult, if you want to buy plants, you do so. Green thumb will come over time, it takes a while.
Like a lot of plants, they want moist but well-draining soil and really good amounts of ambient humidity. They are native to coastal areas and just aren’t made to endure dry air (indoor heat and a/c can really be a menace). Bright indirect light, but be careful with direct sun – it can crisp them up quickly if they aren’t used to it. Until the tips turn that rusty color, I think you still have a good chance.
Overwatering, or underwatering, and lack of light.
Get yourself some basic gardening and tree growing books.
Golden pothos is a nice plant.
Get a pothos. They’re cheap for a golden pothos, and water it when you see it just beginning to wilt. Well-drsining soil is important, but set yourself up for success! I bet you’ll have success with a pothos.
Looks dry. How often do you water it, and how much?
Is this even near a window?
There is no such thing as a green thumb, or a black thumb. There is only knowledge or lack of knowledge. Plants will grow themselves, you just need to know how to set them up to do so.
A couple years ago i thought I was a “black thumb” but I really wanted houseplants. I bought a few, and over the years many have not survived my care, BUT I do have nearly 100 thriving houseplants, and I’ve even grown tomatoes and herbs in the spring/summer.
Literally just google what you’re trying to grow. If you don’t know what it’s called google image search it, or ask and ID group on Reddit or Facebook.
There’s so much info out there and over time you’ll find what works for you, your plants, your lifestyle and your home.
Lastly I just wanted to address something.
I know your question isn’t about your relationship, and I literally don’t know anything besides what you’ve shared here so maybe I’m reading into
It too much.
I don’t like this narrative about you having to prove to your husband that you’re good at something before you can do it. No matter how many plants died, my husband was so supportive.… never once did he make me “prove” that I could bring a plant back before I could get a new one.
Your husband is setting you up for failure. He doesn’t think you can bring it back, but he’s also insisting that you bring it back to life if you want to have more?
I know it may not seem very serious, but I just wanted you to know that you don’t need your husband’s permission to pursue something you love.
Buy a new one and put it in the same spot.
The secret to having a green thumb is to buy low maintenance plants and to know when to chuck the sad ones… 🤫
Yeahhhhhhhhh I wouldn’t base my ability to keep houseplants of a Norfolk island pine. I’ve killed several in my time. Yet I can keep other plants that are considered difficult. Some plants are just finicky and some people just do well with certain plants and not others.
Gonna be honest every confer sold will almost 100% die indoors, and also die outdoors if in the wrong hardness zone, these tree like plants can’t be kept outdoors in pots as the roots will freeze or overheat or both they cannot be kept indoors cuz they need cold in the winter.
Some plants are born to last year or two.
I have had 2 Norfolk pines. The first outgrew my house and I had to rehome it after 10 years. The second I bought 3 years ago and it has been trying to die ever since. It’s never happy. I may toss it and move on. I don’t think that your plant will make it and when it doesn’t, tell your hubby to get over it (not what I’m actually thinking to tell him) and go buy an easier plant to care for. Lots of good suggestions from everyone here.
He needs to relax.
They need misting. Look at its natural habitat!
You should put that plant outside where it belongs.
Norfolk Island pines are Australian plants, they need a lot of sunlight.
Next, there’s not enough light in that photo for a lush, green, house plant. Research grow lights, and find one to invest in that fits your area. I bought some off Amazon, and they work great. Got them on a timer. They’re so bright, the light up the entire room they’re in.
After that, if you can’t (aren’t allowed to) buy potted plants, get some cuttings and water propagate them. Keep them under the lights. It will take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months for the cuttings to develop roots, so you’ll have plenty of time to read up on how and when to pot them up successfully.
Plants I’ve had great success with as a reformed black thumb are monstera monkeyface, philodendrons, and I’ve currently got a heap of pothos cuttings coming along nicely in some glass tumblers. Plus, people can be really generous – my latest batch of cuttings were free.
If you are ready to tackle a bit of a challenge, orchids are nice. People kill them by overwatering. That’s a miserable death for an orchid. But they can handle being dry. I had one looking worse than your pine recover, and bloom in less than 12 months. And once they’ve finished flowering, they have lush green leaves. They’re fussy about their water, though. So google them first.
Finally, plants like humidity, but they also ‘exhale’ humidity. So bunch them together – they’ll be happier for it.