Question
QUESTION: Hello, I asked a question a few weeks ago about a dewy pine I'm trying to grow outside in the Phoenix area.  I was concerned about the new leaves being smaller.  You replied that it was adapting to lower humidity and high light.  My question now is more of concern about it's life.  It's still growing but the leaves are small though it did produce one extra long leaf that about 4 inches and it does have dew.  The others are maby 2 or 3 inches.  I had it on my east patio so it receives about 8 hours of full sun.  The temp now is 100.  I was getting concerned the light may be to strong here in AZ for the plant so I moved it to a place where it will get maby half the full sun.  I also water it every other day.  Thank you for any advise I'm concerned and I don't want it to die. I have two babies inside my house on the east patio that get 2 maby 3 hours of direct sun and a grow light on it all day till 9pm and they seem to be doing fine.  Should I move the other one in for the summer? Thanks Again. Jason

ANSWER: Hi Jason,

Part of being a grower is monitoring your plant and making appropriate adjustments to the environment to achieve the growth that you want.  As I recall, you recently acquired your plant, so my assessment of the situation is that it was acclimating to your region.  It will produce short leaves for a while.  This is normal.  (In your description, you mentioned that it produced a long leaf.  I don't know if this was recent or a while ago.  If it's recent, then your plant has adapted to the location.)

In the summer months, we grow this species outdoors in full sun.  Also keep in mind that this plant is native to southern Spain and Portugal.  It's hot and sunny there as well.  I don't know how it compares to Arizona, but it's a very arid and warm climate in summer.

So moving your plant is a judgment call on your part.  If you choose to move it, you'll need to give it 1-2 months before determining if the move was appropriate for the growth you want.  Otherwise, keep the plant there for another month and monitor the growth.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you Jacob, your responses always help me get a clearer picture for the next step. In response to your question about the leaf.  It's about three weeks old now and the tip as of three days ago is starting to brown.  It does have dew.  The other leaves are shorter and have less dew. The climate here in AZ compared to Portugal is a bit different.  I have been watching the weather there and the highs are only still in the low 80's, we are reaching the 100's now and it's going to be 105++ soon.  I also see that Portugal is higher in the hemisphere than the state of AZ.  So I would assume that our sun is higher intensity here.  Therefore if my logic is correct less time in our sun would be the same as where you are or Portugal??  Any further info you could give me based on this I thank you for.
Jason

Answer
At this point, you need to trust your instincts.  Again, moving the plant is a judgment call on your part.  I don't live in Phoenix, and I'm not an expert on Phoenix climate.  You have to think like a farmer.  Monitor the weather and make appropriate adjustments as necessary.  All I can relay is that our plants have tolerated temperatures in the 100s in full sun at our nursery in Oregon.  Of course, Oregon is NOT Arizona, and there are microclimates to consider.

So in developing your skills as a horticulturist, pay attention to the weather and make necessary adjustments to get the kind of growth you want from your plant.  Growing instructions shouldn't be a static recipe.  Keep in mind that you're caring for a living organism.  The instructions we provide are geared for 80%-90% of our target market, but even then, many growers will need to tweak the instructions to accommodate their particular microclimate.  If necessary, review our care instructions for desert growing in Volume 1 of our DVD series.

Jacob