Beginner question. I have a Podocarpus Macrophyllus, and live south of San Francisco with mild weather, and ocassionak winter frost.
What I read is the Podocarpus is mostly an indoor tropical. My yard is east facing and the best lighting in outdoors vs indoors. Can I keep this outdoors mist of or year round?
Also not seeing many examples of trunk development by trunk chop. Any reassurance or caution with this tree?
Thanks for any feedback.
There are no such thing as indoor trees. No tree naturally grow indoors.
Podocarpus grows naturally in souther Japan. That is like usda zone 8-10, not tropical at all. If you just have occational frost, I am sure this species will do better outdoors than indoors.
“ It must be protected from frost, so take it into the house when temperatures begin to drop in autumn. In spring make sure that there is no night frost anymore when you place the tree outside again. In winter it can be kept at around 20° C (68° F) if it gets enough light. If you can't provide very much light it is better to keep the tree in a cooler room with 10° - 15° C (50° – 59° F).”
I did not write this article and I have not yet grown this species. I grow bonsai in Sweden and have never really considered this species.
But I find it strange that a tree that grows naturally where tempearatures go down to an average low of below minus 5 c could not stand a night of frost.
As always location plays a big role. The author is in a place too cold in winter for podocarpus. When growing plants outside their hardiness zone it makes sence to protect them from frost.
There are other sites claiming they can tollerate light frost. Makes sense as light frost is what they get in winter insitu.
