I've been all across the internet and youtube, reading every guide I can find, learning alot but the tree doesn't seem to be getting much better. I've got alot of questions still!

First off, some background. Got the tree back on my birthday (Feb 28th) and very quickly I tried to make sure I wasnt overwatering it, and I covered the podocarpus overnight because my heat doesnt put out humidity, the house is almost always at 30%.

Slowly since then, some of the offshoots in the smaller branches and tips have been drying out, getting brittle and falling off, or breaking.

Is this kind of adjustment normal and to be expected, even after approaching two months? (see the pictures)

Should I be covering the tree at night to keep the humidity up when it gets colder?

Secondly, Michigan has had some warmer weather recently, so I took the tree outside, giving it a little sun and wind, before bringing it back in over night or when the sun got stronger in the afternoon. (In Michigan in the past two weeks we've had some high UV index days and I didnt want the tree to burn).

Other than sitting next to a sunny window all day, I've used a grow light. Is the GE LED grow light a good idea?

Thirdly, I've gotten a humidity tray that I keep wet with standing water. But I've noticed that I've drastically reduced the time between watering the actual tree. What used to be about 4 or 5 days, has now become 8, and the top of the soil is still moist. Is this normal? Also, is there any better way of telling when the tree needs water?


Overall, there does seem to be slight new growth, but far reaching branch jutting out from the curve in the trunk seems to be dying. What could I be doing better?

Thanks for any and all help! (or criticism)

Podocarpus overall:


Podocarpus top down:


Some new growth:


Larger group of drying/brittle leaves:


2nd branch that is drying out:


The dried out clippings since Feb 28 2021:



((Again, thank you for any help!!)

Hello and welcome.
As so many before you have asked here, and the answer is always the same. The problem is that the tree is inside. There is no such thing as an indoor tree. Trees have evolved outside, on the same spot, and “eat” sunlight.They do not cover up at night, or go inside when it rains or when it gets colder.Although it doesn’t look dead yet, it is clearly struggling. So place it outside, in dappled sunlight , give it a good shower with a garden hose or watering can until water spills from the drainage hole underneath and stop there. No more covering it up, bringing it inside. It is a tree, not a human. And you can forget about the humidity tray, it is a garden myth, it doesn’t increase the humidity around the tree at all

I agree with the comment above. Trees are resilient to outside forces.

According to the care site I found podocarpus only needs to be inside in harsh cold, which you certainly have in winter in Michigan, but won't have until November or so, so it should do fine in the wind, rain, and sun outdoors.

Long about October or so find an unheated room to keep it inside but out of extreme cold and wind but not over 40F or so.

If you were sitting in water and watering it only every eight days, I would guess it dried out too much or has root rot. Try cutting one part hydrogen peroxide with two parts water and watering the tree one time with that.

Thanks for the help!

Everything I read said the tree liked a more humid environment? So with the temperature being roughly 45F outside today, is that still an ok temperature to leave the tree outside?

..do you think its more humid inside your house than outside?
Trees have to be outside, period.

Podocarpus can probably stand that temperature fine.

Hmm 45 in Michigan. The low in Alabama tonight is 41. That doesn't seem right.

Ivan wrote:

Podocarpus can probably stand that temperature fine.

Hmm 45 in Michigan. The low in Alabama tonight is 41. That doesn't seem right.

... Auk mode on: nop, that is way too hot....

lucR wrote:

Ivan wrote:

Podocarpus can probably stand that temperature fine.

Hmm 45 in Michigan. The low in Alabama tonight is 41. That doesn't seem right.

... Auk mode on: nop, that is way too hot....

At those temps it is important to water well, and for many species, a spot in the shade is not uncommon.

leatherback wrote:

lucR wrote:

Ivan wrote:

Podocarpus can probably stand that temperature fine.

Hmm 45 in Michigan. The low in Alabama tonight is 41. That doesn't seem right.

... Auk mode on: nop, that is way too hot....

At those temps it is important to water well, and for many species, a spot in the shade is not uncommon.

Because it is colder outisde? its 45F today, but the weekend supposedly will push back up into mid-60s F.