Hi It is a member of the Aruaucaria family which pre date pine trees lol There are around 20 species . At one time they were the most common tree but are now limited to western pacific and s. america. They grow very well in s florida in fact to the point of being a weed. they are freeze .low humidity and drought sensitive so you will have difficulty over the long term but then you probably have no desire to get it to the 200 foot level lol?? An interesting side note to the family is they appear to have been the main diet of sauropod dinosaurs.lol Good luck with it suspect that it will decline over time but if you religiously water it and no hard freezes?? gary

firefighter: from Purdue University... The ideal indoor climate (aside from doctors' offices and corporate lobbies) is cool and bright; daytime temps ranging from 60-70 F and slightly cooler at night. Norfolk Island pines will adapt to bright indirect light, but will look its best with a couple of hours of direct sunlight daily. If the light source is coming from just one direction, give it a quarter turn weekly to keep it from tilting toward one side. When the plant is actively growing, feed it with a fertilizer formulated for indoor foliage plants. It is not unusual for the plant to be in a period of rest during the winter months, at which time there is no need to fertilize. Water the plant when the top inch or so of the soil in the pot feels dry. Use enough water to allow a little excess to escape through the bottom drainage holes. Discard remaining drained water after about 15 minutes. Biggest challenge is providing the high relative humidity it needs. Norfolk Island pine thrives at 50 percent relative humidity. It is not unusual for a few needles on the lowest branches to turn brown and drop. If this happens slowly over time, it's likely just normal aging of the branches or possibly from lower light availability. However, if many needles are browning, or if the problem appears more widely distributed among the branches, look to problems of either too much or too little water or too little relative humidity. I've had one for about 6 years now that was originally a Christmas party favor and it's stayed a very manageable size.

Oh thanks! I'll look into Gnatrol! I did some research about artillery fungi after I read your comment, you are a genius. That's pretty much what it looks like. We live in the northwest and keep our windows open a lot upstairs, where my plants are located. Perhaps they got inside that way, although it's weird that it started in the corner farthest from the open window (they slide sideways). Anyway, I got quite a bit to come off with spraying it down with water and then scrubbing with a mix of water, alcohol, and Dr. Bronner's soap. After reading about them though, I'm not sure just spraying my pine will work (it's hard for me to wipe every single one off it). If it's brown scale then I'm sure it will. I find it odd that scale would grow on the window and windowsill like that, though. Here's a closer picture of one on the window: I make sure I don't over- or underwater my plants :) same with fertilizing. I took them indoors for the winter and plan to put them back out when it warms up. Taking a bit longer this year to do that. I hope to make a greenhouse for them when I get my own place that way they can get all the good bugs they need. In either case, both my plants that were severely infested are due for a reporting. I'll probably put them in 100% new soil when I get everything under control. They're hardly plants so that won't shock them that much.

That is inaccurate, correct. You should not mist any houseplants. It has no real benefit at all and could end up causing fungus problems. The trees do like high humidity. However, misting is not the trick. Actually raising and keeping the relative humidity up with a humidifier would be beneficial. These are tropical pine trees that naturally live outside in full sun. Though, an indoor tree such as yours wouldn't be able to handle that without acclimation only because it's accustomed to low light levels. That said, the tree would still love as much light as you can give it. Please remember that glass windows filter the sun so no matter what, it's nowhere near as intense as outdoor direct sun. to start, I would place it right up in front of a window that receives full unobstructed light from the sky. I would keep the drapes open all day. keeping it by a baseboard heater all winter is also a problem for the tree. You say it wasn't root bound when you repotted, but earlier you said you only added new soil to the bottom? repotting: removing from pot, removing ALL soil from in and around roots, untangling and pruning problematic roots. Fertilizing really depends on how you water. Do you water in sips? Do you water until you see water come out the drain hole? How do you check the soil to ensure it's time to water again?