Olive Tree Pruning and Olive Tree Care

Some information on how to #prune your #olive plants.
Also, some additional general information on the #care and maintenance of the olive plant.

Likes well drained soil. Add grit and crocks the the compost to assist with drainage. Doesn't like soggy roots.
Allow to almost dry out between watering in the growing season.
Reduce watering and feeding to zero during the winter.
Can survive outdoors all year but in the event of a very severe frost wrap the plant in horticultural fleece.
Feed and top dress regularly during the growing season. A top dress mulch will help keep the pot moist, supress weeds and enrich the soil.
Needs to go through a cold spell in order to fruit.
Fruits on 1 year old growth.
Pollinated by wind.
Prune freely, it is quite tolerant to pruning but be aware that pruning may prevent flowering this year.
Needs good light to flower. Consider pruning into an open bowl shape to allow light in to the centre.

#gardens #gardening #marksgardenuk #gardendesign

[TheChillmar]

I love the way you present your plant wisdom. Thank you, I now found the courage to start pruning my olive tree.

[wqlcfct]

Thank you, I'm really enjoying your channel! I live on the north-east coast of England and am striving to keep my four potted olive trees alive on a walled garden terrace (this sounds much grander than it actually is!). Thus far they have survived, though have suffered much from recent extraordinary extremes of weather, notably drenching rain storms. I'm grateful to you for your knowledgeable advice re drainage, etc. Also your examples of intrepid pruning, as I've been extremely reluctant to inhibit their growth in any way! Thank you again for your gardening wisdom, Kaye

[JuniperLynn]

I just inherited a 6 foot olive tree that has lost almost all of its leaves, it just has about 20 left. So I’m watching all your olive tree videos to see how I can bring it back to health 😊

[alexandraabraham]

August 2022:
I "Rescued" a very small olive tree from my mum (who's Italian!) and it's in a very sorry state; I think it has about 15 leaves in all, and is just two widely-spaced branches, about 8" apart. It's probably a foot high. So, it's 'Y' shaped, with a couple of bare side twigs.... today I lightly scraped the bark on the bare twigs, and it's green underneath, so I live in hope.
My mum told me in passing that it had been a bonsai, which explained the somewhat curled root system. It was badly over-run with campanula seedlings which as you know, spread like billy-ho by runners. By the time I had managed to remove all the seedlings and runners, the root ball was much reduced. I scraped all the invasive roots away, then covered the remaining root ball with mycorrhizal fungal powder. I also sprinkled some in the compost... Planted in all-purpose compost GENEROUSLY cut through with a good portion of grit. I also added some granules of slow-release fertiliser.
Now? I wait.

[reflct]

Thanks Mark, Great video. I am just about to embark on getting my clients Olive trees into shape, and this has really helped me understand the process. Top man.

[weromontiel]

Thank you so much for this video! greeting from Mexico!

[melafernandez]

Brilliant advice as the olive I inherited when my sister died is looking very sad and almost dead. I was going to replace it but instead am now going to follow your advice and try to bring it back to life so a big thank you ❤

[nrwrd]

great information, great voice. thanks for the video

[jessicafallon]

Thanks a lot for your videos on olive trees! I watched them all as I was researching how to save my little olive tree (I'm in Northern Germany). It sits on my balcony and has really suffered the last few years. I've repotted it in pumice and given a major prune this March...fingers crossed I can save it!

[NICKYPRIESTLEY]

Just bought a beautiful 5ft ish olive tree. I'm going to message the garden centre to see if it's been pruned already this year. It's quite full so I'm guessing not.

[melbdownunder]

I was watching you r video from July 21 about tree ferns,
in Australia we have grass trees which look magnificent;
might do well in your climate.

[jenniferedmonds]

Hi Mark, I recently discovered your channel and enjoy learning more about caring for olive trees. I purchased a small "twig" at my grocery store about three years ago. I was so, so excited to see flowers blooming on it in March. If you could mention in a future video how to correct a lopsided tree, that would be great. I keep mine in a southwest corner window(s) all winter and bring it out on the patio all summer. Cheers from northern Colorado.

[mariaespinoza]

Thank you, my two olive trees are through the cold season here in Florida and they look great growing, in West Coast Central Florida, USA!

[nonpareilstoryteller]

Brilliant . I just invested in a half dozen olive trees and my son sent me the link to your video from last year as I am just about to repot the trees. Now I know how to do it properly and I am delighted to watch this follow up that proves the method you proposed is a good one. I look forward to tending my olive trees to pass onto future generations with proper care and attention. And one day I hope to be bottling the fruit. That will indeed be a thrill. Thank you.

[TheEnthusiasticGardener]

Hi Mark, are you pruning these in March? If you do another video next time you prune, can you go into a little bit more detail as it was very quick and I couldn’t really see exactly where you were pruning? That would be so helpful as it’ll be my first time at pruning mine … need to get it right! Thanks so much, so glad I’ve found your channel and I’ll be catching up with your other videos now 🥰

[annieportch]

Thanks for advice. I didnt realose I had bought a lolipop olove tree. I have been hoping for an old knarled looking olive tree. Silly me. Now I do know. My tree is straggly and we have had it about 4 years. So I will prune it now and hope it bushes out a little.

[wendy]

Hello from Texas!

What a great video! I have 3 olive trees. They are doing pretty good and healthy. I would like to round the top so they can get full. After watching’ I’m still a tad bit nervous on where and how to cut back.

[ethicalpepper]

So wish I’d watched these before planting mine! I just bought 2 beautiful trees from a private garden, (they are quite large), and I may have overwatered them. Some of the leaves have gone brown. Shall I repot it in compost with feed mixed in with grit?

[myolduselessaccount]

Hi there. I’ve just bought a huge olive tree that clearly needs pruning & feeding. Can I prune now in July ?
Your videos have been helpful. Thanks so much. Lesley

[lzuiids]

Hi Mike, thanks for these videos which are very good. I bought a house 2 years ago with 2 olive trees and i'm owning up to not pruning them. They are both now very tall and leggy and the trunks are sizeable. How far back can I safely prune them without destroying them?