Q: I have a Norfolk Island pine and my dog ate away the bark on the bottom of the plant. Only the bark is gone and there is no damage to the trunk. Is the plant going to die?

A: I don’t have hopeful news about your houseplant. The bark of a Norfolk pine, and all other trees, covers the vital cambium tubes that carry water up to the foliage. If the tubes were damaged, which I’m sure they were, the plant may linger a few weeks, but it will eventually die. Try spraying the trunk of your next Norfolk Island pine with a bad-tasting repellent like Ropel.