How to: grow your own Olive tree

I had a question in yesterday, from one of my "regulars" (*waves enthusiastically*) asking for advice about an Olive tree, which they have had for three years, and which was not  - as yet - producing fruit.

Olives are hardier than you would think, despite being a Mediterranean tree: they can live outdoors in the UK, as long as they are positioned with care. (I'll let those of you in other countries do your own calculations as to how your climate relates to ours!! ) That means, in a sheltered, sunny spot, and preferably close to a south-facing wall, so that they benefit from the reflected heat. Near to the house is therefore ideal.

But they don't enjoy our cold UK winters, as you would expect, so the options are to either protect them over the winter, by wrapping them in horticultural fleece, or hessian (not anything plastic!!): or by growing them in a pot, which you can move indoors in winter. Although having said that, they need their winter rest, in order to flower: internet research suggests "two months at below 10 degrees C" so put them somewhere sheltered from frost, but still receiving natural light (ie don't shove them into the garage), but which gets cold

Plants in pots...hmmmm,  I've given this advice many times (*cue Betty Marsden voice:* "Many, many, times...") but here it comes again - put them in a terracotta or ceramic pot, as opposed to a plastic one: get the largest pot you can reasonably manage: go for a straight-sided pot: put it up on feet to keep it clear of the ground: and bear in mind that you will need to both feed, and water, your plants in pots. Even if they are outdoors, and even if it rains. For all the reasons behind this advice, either type the word "pots" into the Search box, top left of the screen: or scoot over to this article and read all about it.

 

Here is the Olive tree in question: it looks like quite a young tree, and it's nice and healthy, but not very "lush" as yet. And not flowering yet.

My first thought is the pot: it's too small for the plant. So there's the first recommendation - pot it up, into a wider, slightly deeper pot. This also gives you a chance to put fresh compost in, and a small handful of pelleted slow-release fertiliser, if you have any. 

Next, I'd look at those spindly branches shooting off in all directions, especially the top left one, and those three to the right: and I'd shorten them by a few inches, to encourage branching out. In fact, I'd also say, at this point, that it's worth making a decision regarding the overall shape of the tree - do you want a "standard" or lollipop shape, in which case you can clear all the lower shoots from the main stem: or are you going for more of a "natural tree" look, in which case just shorten the sticky-out ones.

Next, I'd decide on a good location: I'm not entirely sure if the one in the photo is indoors or outdoors, the way the blinds hang suggests indoors: in which case I'd suggest moving it outside for the summer, as increasing the light it gets will also encourage it to thicken up, rather than growing long, spindly branches.

Then all it needs is regular watering, and also regular feeding - little and often is the key, for the feeding: a quick slosh of liquid feed once a month through the growing season. Watering needs to be more often, obviously!

Tail off the watering as the season ends, and if you leave it outdoors all year, make sure the pot is up on feet over the winter, as Olives really, really don't like have cold soggy roots. They are better at surviving drought, than they are at surviving waterlogging.

Pruning:  being slow-growing, they don't need much in the way of pruning, once you have done this early shaping, as mentioned above. If you do need to prune, try to do it in late spring/early summer if possible. The fruit appears on one-year-old wood, the branches

They should start to produce flowers and therefore fruit once they are 3 years old or so: although they are usually sold as being "self-pollinated", they really prefer to be wind pollinated, so they need to be outdoors while they are flowering. Another good reason for growing them in a pot, it means you can move them outside for the summer, then bring them inside when it's cold. Also, even a self-fertile plant needs the pollen to be moved from one flower to another, and there is much more chance of that occurring if the plant is outdoors, where there are absolutely bound to be more flying insects, than inside your house!

They also tend towards being biennial bearers: that means that they have alternate year of heavy cropping, and very light cropping: this is perfectly natural, if rather annoying, so don't be disappointed when it happens.

Fruiting won't occur on shaded branches, so thinning of the branches may be required: ideally, when you stand next to it, you should be able to just see through the canopy. If it's too dense to see through, then it probably needs thinning: if you can see little bits of daylight, then all is well. Besides, it is always good practice to ensure that air can circulate within the canopy of any tree, fruiting or ornamental, as it reduces the risk of disease, mildew, etc: plus, if you can "see" inside the canopy, you can spot any damage, or pests, or problems, as soon as they appear.

General maintenance - most Olive trees are grown with one main trunk, so check the base for suckers, and remove them as soon as you see them: and personally, I like a clear stem on a tree, so I'd also remove the lowest branches so that the bottom 1-2' of the trunk is clear. This also makes it easier to water, to remove weeds from the soil surface, and to spot those suckers!

One final point: Olives are evergreen, but they still shed their leaves, so don't be concerned if you find a lot of dead leaves on the ground in spring: rather than doing an autumn drop, they hold their leaves until the new ones push through. No need to panic!

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