How to prune a Norfolk Island pine? I'll teach you the correct method

The Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria heterophylla) is a tree native to the southeastern coastal regions of Oceania, and it is now planted in areas of China such as Guangdong, Fujian and Guangxi. Below is an introduction to the pruning methods for the Norfolk Island pine, so friends who grow one at home can learn about them.

1. What are the pruning methods for the Norfolk Island pine?

Pruning the Norfolk Island pine should be determined according to the desired shape. For example:

1. Slanting trunk style

When the trunk grows to 3-5 cm thick, cut it back as needed, pot it according to the growth vigor of the roots, and lean it appropriately to the left or right. After 1 month, 1-4 new buds grow from the leaf axils, forming new shoot trunks. After the new branches unfold, they grow slantingly into a dense umbrella-shaped crown.

2. Curved trunk style

When the trunk grows to 1-2 cm thick, use metal wire to bend and twist it into a curved trunk. After half a year or 1 year of growth, when the metal wire begins to sink into the bark, remove the wire and loosen the binding. Those that meet the curvature requirement and have taken shape do not need to be bent again; if they have not met the curvature requirement and have not taken shape, bend the trunk again to continue shaping. The bending height of the trunk is generally kept between 30-45 cm. When the trunk has been grown to 3-5 cm thick, cut off the trunk. When making a medium-sized curved-trunk or umbrella-crowned bonsai, or when making a large bonsai, the trunk can be grown to 5-8 cm thick before cutting off the trunk.

3. Cliff style

Wrap a 2 cm thick trunk with thicker metal wire, and twist and bend it according to the requirements for making a cliff style, so that the trunk bends downward toward the outer edge of the pot.

4. Coiled root style

Plant a small Norfolk Island pine seedling in a pot, and as the plant gradually grows through cultivation, the roots also grow along with it, winding around the rim of the pot. The roots clasp each other, forming a spherical coil of roots, and then the roots are raised for planting and viewing.

5. Stone-attached style

When the trunk has grown to 2 cm thick, cut the trunk short, remove it from the pot and pick away the potting soil to expose bare roots. Carefully wrap the fleshy roots around a shaped stone. The stone can be sandstone, coral stone, reed-pipe stone, Yingde stone, stalactite, etc. After attaching the fine roots to the stone, use plastic strips to tie the roots to the stone so that the roots grow attached to the stone. After 2-3 years or a longer period of cultivation, the roots tightly clasp the stone, forming the stone-attached style.

If you have no experience pruning a Norfolk Island pine and do not need to shape it, you do not have to prune it. Or you can simply buy an already-shaped potted Norfolk Island pine.