Araucaria

While the Araucaria can adapt to different light situations, it does best in very bright spots.  If possible, give this plant a few hours each day of direct bright light, or bright indirect light. The lower the lighting the more your plant will tend to stretch out. Turn your plant weekly to prevent it from leaning towards the light. 


Watering:

Water thoroughly when the top 3-4cm of the soil is dry. Let the soil dry out slightly between waterings. Avoid keeping the soil wet all the time—this can cause root rot. If the plant stays too dry, the tips of its branches will turn brown and crispy. 

Humidity:

While these trees tolerate average household humidity, they really thrive with a little extra moisture in the air, especially during the winter. You can boost humidity for your Araucaria by misting regularly. 

Optimum temperature:

This plant prefers normal room temperatures between 18-24C degrees. Araucaria hates hot or cold drafts when grown indoors. So protect your plant from heating or cooling vents, and don’t keep them next to drafty doors or windows. 

Plant Food:

The Araucaria is not fussy about fertilizer. You can feed it once a month during spring and summer with a general-purpose fertilizer at half strength. You will see new leaves appear and branches grow during this time. No fertilizer is necessary during the winter when plant growth naturally slows. 

Additional Care:

If you wish to stimulate faster growth from your Araucaria, move it outdoors to a shaded or partly shaded spot during the summer. Because it's a tropical tree, wait until all danger of frost has passed before moving it out, and bring it back in before the first frost in fall. 

Toxicity:

Mildly toxic to pets typically, ingestion will cause mouth and stomach irritation with possible vomiting. Believed to be safe for humans.