Olive tree care

[welwell]

Hello all, hope you are all well. Got a quick question. Has anyone got experience in pruning olive trees? I've been asked by a local company to prune their old, and expensive to re-place olive tree at the front of their restaurant (they are kinda known for the olive tree outside, so no pressure!!!).

 

The tree is not looking too healthy, it's lost a lot of leaves, so I was thinking about reducing by 1/3rd in the hope that some newer growth comes through lower down next year and then maybe the following year taking another 3rd out.

 

This seems to be what the advice online is to re-juvinate olive trees. Just wanted to know if anyone had done this themselves on here?

 

The tree is in a really exposed north facing position and it gets battered by the wind, which I know Olive's don't like, so another question....shall we offer to wrap it up for winter??

 

Any advice gladly received.

 

Ta very much

[nepia]

In olive producing countries hard pruning is done for just the reason stated - to reinvigorate. My mother-in-law lives near Malaga (result!) and her firewood is mostly winter olive prunings a couple of inches thick.

 

North facing in this country must spell eventual doom for the tree I would have thought but is it potted? If so it would undoubtedly benefit from topdressing or replacement of the top couple of inches of soil/compost. Also - if potted - I'll bet it doesn't get the summer water or winter root protection it needs.

[likeitorlumpit]

I would prune it next April

Olives generally tough as old boots- we spent about £750 on three last november and they all survived the winter

Phormiums and Bays didn't

[welwell]

It's planted in a retaining wall, I agree with the north facing aspect, it will in all likelihood die, but I'd rather it didn't the year after we prune it!!

 

I would say its quite well planted and better off than being potted, but not as well off as if were in the ground?

[welwell]

I would prune it next April

Olives generally tough as old boots- we spent about £750 on three last november and they all survived the winter

Phormiums and Bays didn't

 

I think the problem here is it's north facing on the sea-front. the Northerlies are battering the poor old thing.

[RobArb]

Any chance of planting a shelter belt for it?

 

Sent from Rob's GalaxySII

[agg221]

You mentioned in your first post that the tree is old and that the restaurant is known for it - does that mean they planted it some years ago (already as an old tree)? If so, has it been in steady decline since they planted it, or is it more recent?

 

If it's been steady, I'd agree it just doesn't like it there. If however it's been happy for a number of years, has anything obvious changed (building knocked down, trees felled etc.) to make it more exposed? If not, then there's every chance of getting it back to its former happy state. Last winter was really bad for them - ours lost all its leaves and didn't leaf out again until July (only beaten by the fig which didn't leaf out until August!).

 

As such, I would agree that fairly hard cutting back to promote rejuvenation is likely to work.

 

Alec

[VEG]

may also be worth testing the soil to see if it is lacking anything.

[smiles]

We've got a young olive tree (10years) in the ground,it has been thriving for years,then suddenly all the leaves on one side,where the tree forks came off after the snow last year.

The other "half "started looking a bit tentative,drying leaves with blackspot etc,so cut the whole thing back hard to four main forks.

The side that went first has not recovered,but the better side has gone absolutley mad and will recover and balance the tree within a year I should think.

[windfall]

My oldies live in france and have a small juvinile olive grove, but they have a good sized one in their garden and they paid an expert to come and shape it for them. The idea is a sparrow or similar is supposed to be able to fly through the tree! Anyway since the reshape there have been very few olives on the tree, apparently after a pruce the tree can take a few years to recover and start producing again. Yes there will be re growth and plenty of it but the fruiting is effected.