Our monkey puzzle started at about five inches tall when purchased late this spring. It had (has) three limbs which have grown two to three inches and a central sprout just beginning to grow taller. We have been keeping the soil (potted, indoors) moist. The bottom three inches or so of the trunk have begun turning brown
and becoming very hard and prickly. Is this browning up the trunk normal? Should watering be adjusted?

Monkey Puzzles (Araucaria araucana) are trees so they will grow bark. Each branch will last about 15 years and, in a few years, the trunk will start leaking resin. Pokey and sticky!

Depending upon cold, your tree could live outside in a sheltered spot year round. Mine is on the east wall of my house (the storms come from the west and north) in about a 15 gallon pot. I cover it a couple times a winter (low temps about 10 F).

Thanks Daisyl.

Too cold here in Ohio to ever plant outside but if it gets too big we'll donate it to our local conservatory.

Welcome to the Monkey Puzzle club! I have a small seedling. I was told that at my age (60) it would be many more years after I die that my tree will reach its full glory

The one I got as a cutting in 1972 grew its first cones 35 years later. I don't think I will ever see the current threesome with cones. One of the things mine have done (all of them) is grow more stems from the base of the tree. To keep a single stem, pick them off - I never have. That why it looks like there are 4 or 5 trees in this pot instead of 3.

These are hereditary generational plants. They need to be passed along in last wills and testaments...'to my oldest son I bequeath my Monkey Puzzle Tree, to be cared for and nurtured and passed along to the next generation"

That''s how I got my Beaver Tail Cactus. My uncle left it to me and his mother to him. You listening Sumire? Your sister got the tortoise so you get the Monkey Puzzle.

I'm good with that, the monkey puzzle moves slower and doesn't eye my toes with lethal intent.

illiniwek55, your monkey puzzle looks great!

I was a family genealogist for many years. We lived in Los Angeles for almost 8 years, and I had the good fortune of living less than 5 miles from one of the largest Mormon Temple Libraries in the USA. They have all the records you could want to look at there. People left all sorts of things to their progeny. It would not be all that unproper to leave the care of a 'beloved plant' to someone LOL. I have a contingency in my own estate planning to make sure that someone with real plant experience and knowledge of rare species evaluates for sale my of collection of plants. Because my husband is friggin clueless. And he may well need the $$