They are often used as Christmas trees indoors in CA; when they get too big, best to discard rather than plant. They get enormous planted in the ground, too large for a typical lot, and the wood is weak. One here a couple of years ago grew rapidly to about 60', snapped in a windstorm, and impaled the home next door, missing the people asleep in bed by about 5'.

Cut Xmas trees are an entirely renewable resource, don't forget. The retail numbers in the US exceed $2 billion per year.

I've never known anyone to be happy with NIPs as a replacement for a traditional tree. Their branches don't support the weight of decorations.

My dad has been growing a Norfolk Island Pine indoors for a few years now. I think your tree should be fine if you brought it indoors for a month as long as it's in a sunny location.

I've never seen any indication of the species having a general tendency to break. It often forms tall, exposed landmark specimens - including in maritime areas.

A month inside isn't going to matter. It that is what you want to do, have at it, and put it back outside when you are done. Making sure that you don't have the room heated with forced hot air to 80 degrees while it is inside will help.

had one as a houseplant here in MI for decades ... had its own set of tiny .. light weight ornaments.. and all ...

if you have a sliding patio door ... just set it up outside the door.. and save the floor space ...

dont know your zone ... just dont change any other variables besides site ... e.g. dont overwater it.. just because you move it indoors ...

stress is caused by changing cultural variables too fast .... just try to reduce stress ... [dont move it in front of the door if you are moving it from shade to full sun]...

ken

They are one of the few pines that is OK as an indoor house plant. The one problem you may have is moving it back out after you bring it inside. It will get used to the warm indoor temperatures and might have trouble if you suddenly move it outside during a cold snap.

First, it is not a 'pine' at all. And since it is semi-tropical in origin, it is more often grown as a houseplant in most areas of the US than as an outdoor tree. It simply won't tolerate temps much below 40F for an extended period of time without significant damage.

And you will want to gradually transition it from outdoors to in and then back again whe the time comes to return it outside. When indoors you will want to keep in a moderately cool location. Do not allow it to dry out.

As for snapping, this interesting article: Tasmanian Arboretum | Southern Beeches states that Captain Cook thought they would make good ships masts, but found out that wasn't the case.

I've got a small pit house that I used to heat with a household type kero heater when I thought the temps inside would drop to freezing or lower. I picked up a small Norfolk Island pine and grew it for a few years until it pushed into the plastic. When not heated, the house would run in the 30's and 40's at night, and if sunny in the 70's during the day for most of the three coldest months. It was and is EXTREMELY damp the year round, even though I have a sump pump. The tree grew fine until it pushed on the plastic and froze back a few feet on a night in the single digits even though the heater kept the ambient temp inside in the 60's. After that it went down hill and I removed it. It had reached 11 feet from less that a foot.

I was in FL in '90, a year after the devastating '89 freeze. I saw lots of tall NIP's that had all their branches killed back to their trunks, but had begun to regrow. This was in central FL in the main citrus area. I believe the temps got into the low 20's, possibly as low as 19.

Interestingly most of these trees grow with a decided lean in the lower trunk, even young ones, and then the trunk straightens as the tree rockets skyward. I've always heard these trees were very prone to wind damage, but I've never seen one snapped in half, I think they are uprooted. I also think the tree in question is Cook Island Pine, A. columnaris, rather than Norfolk Island Pine, A excelsa. I don't believe I've ever seen what I thought was an A.e. in central FL, all have been A.c.

I've never been to Oz or NZ, but the flora fascinates me, and I've watched lots of episodes of 'Gardening Australia' on YouTube. I've got to laugh when they talk about winter, how cold it is, when all around there are evergreen palms, eucalyps, and araucarias. And this is far south Oz and Tasmania, not the tropical north. I suspect the coldest inhabited areas are probably zone 9a, but I don't know for sure LOL.

I've got to laugh when they talk about winter, how cold it is, when all
around there are evergreen palms, eucalyps, and araucarias.

Yep, it's pretty funny. Conversely though, I know of Americans who have seen pictures of Sydney and assume it must be Miami warm in winter, which it definitely isn't.

I suspect the coldest inhabited areas are probably zone 9a, but I don't know for sure LOL.

Yeah, I would say in AU and NZ, inhabited areas colder than 9a are incredibly rare. Even the very highest elevations are not that cold in winter by US standards. Ohh...had to modify that part of my post! One of the coldest towns in AU, will soon be closed: "The last residents are scheduled to leave the town in January 2018 with the current workforce housed being replaced with drive-in/drive-out staff"

I wish I'd taken more pictures! The buildings were actually quite new and impressive...nothing like the forlorn hamlet of Ward, Colorado, for example. It looks like they sunk a lot of money into it, and still nobody wanted live up there. Cabramurra, New South Wales - Wikipedia

Conifers.org designates Zone 9 for the tree.

"They were not suited as masts as they broke where the branches grew and so were made into floorboards, among other uses"

from the article linked to above does not cancel that fact numbers of sometimes towering, fully intact landmark specimens are present in inhabited settings over a very wide area of suitable climates - the post where it was stated these break up made it sound as though putting one of these in a garden would be like taking a chance on a poplar or large-growing species of willow.

They are not recommended for planting in FL because they blow over easily when they get large, and they do get large and tall. I'm surprised that they don't seem to be lightning magnets as Washingtonia is when it gets above the general tree population. Not many LA skydusters in the Sunshine State.

Probably time to mention again there is, or was, a hilarious episode of Rescue 9/11 where some kids get stuck atop a Norfolk Island Pine (or thereabouts) in FL.

Here's a picture I took in Sydney last Nov. I'm not sure of the explanation for the wonky tops, but I think I saw a few like that in AU. Maybe someone like Phil (or Shax!) could explain if he's around.

Look like many Abies grandis here. The forking of the upper bits implies them being re-growth from breakage in the very worst, most occasional coastal wind episodes, which is what happens to the firs - nearly all of the trunk holds up save for the thinnest part up near the end, which snaps off. To be replaced by bushy growths like little Christmas trees.

In the early 2000's I got to go to Big Pine Key (Fla. Keys) with a freind of mine, and I saw a few NIP's growing quite impressively near my friends RV, they grow thin but tall when in ground in the semi-tropics, well, Maybe I should say "tropics" because down in the Fla Keys it doesn't usually get any colder than about 55-65 F in the worst of winter. But, anyhow, the Norfolk IS. Pines will grow much different when in the ground and a place where they won't be damaged by cold temps. Potted NIP's indoors will have the needles pretty much hanging downwards, but, when grown in the ground in a pretty warm area, the branches have needled growth that sticks upward, it is such a different form of growth, but, I assume that the upper growing foliage is likley the best way for the tree to grow. It's just so strange when you see the difference in the trees growth form, but, yes, you can grow the NIP indoors in winter, but, unless you get it used to more sun gradually, you could sun scald your NIP tree. They are usually all over the place in winter, Wal-Mart has them everywhere every winter, unless they have decided to not put many of them on display, maybe they are not as plenty-ful now? But, I know that many houseplants have a hard time living indoors all winter. I have tried and failed to keep NIP's happy for several winters in my home, but, maybe someone out there will be able to supply enough sun and moisture for their potted NIP. Good luck guys.

Trees of all kinds that have spent time in containers often go into the ground with bound roots that may cause failures once the tops get big and heavy enough to overcome the associated defective anchorage.

Then there's the fact that Florida is subject to HURRICANES. After Irma it seemed like many reports showed pretty much most trees (except palms) on the ground, it's a wonder the Gulf States manage to hang onto any other kinds of trees for extended periods of time. So if blowing over in Florida = easily blown over then apparently most kinds of trees that can be grown there are easily blown over.

In our little part of the world were NIP/CIP are hardy and growable, most areas ARE subject to hurricanes, and FL is subject to violent thunderstorms and tornadoes during the rainy season.

A lot of the trees that can be grown in FL, both native and exotic, are subject to being blown over. Some are very wind firm, live oak, baldcypress, palmetto, and southern magnolia. These trees tend to lose their limbs or fronds to strong winds, then regrow a new crown rapidly.

The first time I visited FL, I was impressed by the lack of TALL trees, especially on the Atlantic coast, the south, and the Keys. Baldcypress tends to be the exception, although the really tall ones have been logged out and any tall ones left tend to be lightning rods.

Agree with Ken, I actually had more experience observing the trees in the Bahamas than FL, but same thoughts. They look scrubby and short. On Abaco Island that my family visited a couple times in the late 80s, early 90s timeframe, there was a "mansion" on a hill across the harbor that we used to be amused by. Thing was, when you walked up to it, you realized the ficus or whatever were only maybe 30' tall and not 60' tall, so the castellated 'towers' that appeared to be poking out from the tree tops, really weren't much taller than an average, large 2 story suburban home in the USA!

I see pictures from various other wet/dry subtropical climates were the trees are taller and more stately. Maybe fewer hurricanes, better soils? Who knows, not my area of interest really.

Parts of E US have extensive areas of sand barrens and other soils with limiting mineral deficiencies. When I was in the Orlando area a few years ago there were two dominant soil types visible, white coral sands and waterside muck type soils. The sands had a very Californian looking vegetation consisting primarily of - except for the incongruous looking Gordonia, along with occasional patches of Sabal - more or less evenly spaced out, often scrubby oaks and pines. With a shrub layer often containing more than one manzanita-like species of Gaultheria.

The tall growing deciduous trees, like sweet-gum, sugar maple and cypress, along with smaller associates like sweet-bay and beauty-berry were limited to the moist depressions near water. On more than one site visited there was only a slight drop in elevation separating the two habitats and their completely different vegetation.

Somewhere about this time - probably while at the Leu Botanic Garden - I read that pioneers found - and of course eliminated - big ("old growth") long-leaf pines in the area, that had been able to grow large and old due to having specially adapted iron hard wood that allowed them to remain through hurricanes.

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In its habitat Norfolk Island pine is characteristic of exposed sites, as we see here (Wikipedia Norfolk Island page appears briefly beforehand).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norfolk_Island#/media/File:Norfolk-Island-Pines.jpg

There was a nice tall one on 1 of the Keys, I THINK we were on Big Pine Key, but, it's been a while and we've had some storms since I'd seen it, but, if you buy one young and plant it when small, it just may be okay in all but the most severe storms. It was about the same height as the tree in the pic above that was posted.