Mature size & growth rate

How big does Hall Totara (Podocarpus hallii) get?

Also called Mountain Totara, Hall's Totara, Thin-barked Totara.

More about hall totara

About Hall Totara

Podocarpus hallii · also called Mountain Totara, Hall's Totara · flowering

Hall Totara is a slow-growing New Zealand conifer found in subalpine and montane forests, featuring attractive peeling bark, narrow bronze-green leaves, and small red-fleshed seed cones. Hardy and architectural in cooler gardens. Podocarpus fruits and foliage are toxic to pets and children if ingested.

Mature size: Up to 20 m in the wild; typically 4-8 m in cultivation after many years

Watch for — Slow establishment: Very slow-growing; be patient — mulching and consistent watering in the first 2 years greatly improves establishment.

Indoor size vs how big it gets in the wild

Hall Totara is a tree at heart. Indoors a pot and your ceiling keep it to up to 20 m in the wild, but in the ground it is a different scale of plant entirely (typically 4-8 m in cultivation after many years). Indoors and in a pot, expect up to 20 m in the wild. In the ground with no restriction it is a completely different plant — typically 4-8 m in cultivation after many years — which is why the pot, the light and the pruning matter so much for the size you actually end up with.

It gains real height on a trunk or main stem, adding a tier of leaves a year and eventually reaching for the ceiling — this is a plant you grow up, not out.

Growth rate and years to mature

Hall Totara is a slow grower. Realistically, expect a decade or more — slow growers like this add only a few centimetres a year, so expect 8-15+ years to reach their indoor ceiling. Its feeding profile backs this up: apply a slow-release balanced fertiliser in early spring to support new growth. young container-grown plants benefit from monthly liquid feeds during summer; established garden specimens rarely need supplemental feeding.

Want this turned into the right next pot at the right moment? The pot size calculator and the hall totara repotting guide cover when and how much to size up — pot size is one of the biggest levers on how fast hall totara grows.

How to keep hall totara smaller

You are not stuck with the maximum size. For hall totara specifically, these are the levers, in order of impact:

The decisive tool is the secateurs: hall totara can be topped (cut the main growing tip) to cap its height and force a bushier, shorter shape.
Keeping it deliberately pot-bound in a snug container slows the whole plant and limits ultimate size.
Prune in spring so it heals fast; remove the tallest leader back to a node to reset the height.
Good news: slow growth means topping it once buys you years before it needs doing again.

The keep-it-smaller method, step by step

Pick the new height. Decide how tall you want hall totara and find a leaf node or branch point just below that.
Top the main stem. Cut the main growing tip cleanly just above that node in spring; this permanently caps the height and forces side branches.
Keep the pot snug. Avoid jumping to a much bigger pot — a slightly restricted rootball keeps the whole plant smaller.
Maintain the shape. Prune back the tallest new leaders each spring to hold it at the height you chose.

How to grow hall totara bigger or faster

If you want it to fill the space sooner, push the conditions rather than hoping — for hall totara the accelerators are:

It already wants the bright light it needs; warmth, a yearly pot-up and spring-summer feed are the accelerators.
Pot up a size every year or two while young; restricted roots are the main thing holding height back.
Feed regularly through the growing season and keep it warm — height comes from sustained good conditions.

Light is almost always the ceiling. The hall totara light requirements page covers exactly how bright a spot it needs to grow at its potential instead of stalling.

When hall totara outgrows the room (or the pot)

"Too big" usually arrives as one of these signs for hall totara:

The top leaves pressing against or bent by the ceiling — the classic "this is now too tall indoors" sign.
It has to be moved away from a light source it has literally outgrown.
Roots filling the largest pot you can reasonably keep indoors — at that point it is top-or-prune or move it outside (if hardy).

If it is the pot rather than the room, it is a repotting job, not a goodbye — see the hall totara repotting guide. If you want more of this plant instead of a bigger one, the hall totara propagation guide turns prunings into new plants.

Hall Totara size — frequently asked questions

How big does hall totara get?

Hall Totara reaches up to 20 m in the wild when grown indoors, and far larger where it grows unrestricted (typically 4-8 m in cultivation after many years). It gains real height on a trunk or main stem, adding a tier of leaves a year and eventually reaching for the ceiling — this is a plant you grow up, not out.

Is hall totara slow or fast growing?

Hall Totara is a slow grower. Expect a decade or more — slow growers like this add only a few centimetres a year, so expect 8-15+ years to reach their indoor ceiling. Hall Totara is a tree at heart. Indoors a pot and your ceiling keep it to up to 20 m in the wild, but in the ground it is a different scale of plant entirely (typically 4-8 m in cultivation after many years).

How long does hall totara take to reach full size?

Roughly a decade or more — slow growers like this add only a few centimetres a year, so expect 8-15+ years to reach their indoor ceiling. Light, pot size and feeding move that timeline more than anything else.

How do I keep hall totara smaller?

The decisive tool is the secateurs: hall totara can be topped (cut the main growing tip) to cap its height and force a bushier, shorter shape. Keeping it deliberately pot-bound in a snug container slows the whole plant and limits ultimate size. Prune in spring so it heals fast; remove the tallest leader back to a node to reset the height. Good news: slow growth means topping it once buys you years before it needs doing again.

How can I make hall totara grow bigger or faster?

It already wants the bright light it needs; warmth, a yearly pot-up and spring-summer feed are the accelerators. Pot up a size every year or two while young; restricted roots are the main thing holding height back. Feed regularly through the growing season and keep it warm — height comes from sustained good conditions.