Pruning Olive Trees - Learn When And How To Prune Olive Trees

If you are wondering when to prune olive trees, it is between winter's end and flowering. You can prune olive trees in spring or in early summer once the tree begins to open its flower buds. Pruning an olive tree while it is in bloom allows you to assess the probable crop before you trim.

1. What month do you prune olive trees?
2. How often do you prune olive trees?
3. Can olive trees be cut back hard?
4. How do you espalier olive trees?
5. How do you prune an overgrown olive tree?
6. What is the best fertilizer for olive trees?
7. Can I cut the top off my olive tree?
8. Do olives grow on old or new growth?
9. Can you pick olives when they are green?
10. Do olive trees have deep roots?
11. How do you look after an olive tree?
12. How do I get my olive tree to flower?
13. What are the best plants to Espalier?
14. How do you espalier a tree?
15. How fast do olive trees grow?

What month do you prune olive trees?

You should be Pruning Olive Trees in late Spring or early Summer when the weather is milder but before flowering. As the olive tree is an evergreen plant, new growth will be produced from most of the pruning cuts. These fresh shoots will be susceptible to damage from cold weather.

How often do you prune olive trees?

Olive trees fruit along one-year-old wood usually at the periphery of the tree canopy. Prune each year to encourage wood that will fruit. Thin out broken, diseased, and unproductive wood.

Can olive trees be cut back hard?

If you prune back your Olive tree 'hard' it will result in a dense growth or a light 'formative' prune will give your tree a natural shape. As with many fruit trees, olives fruit on new wood, so if you're going to try for fruit a regular prune will increase your yield. ... Your tree will usually flower from late Spring.

How do you espalier olive trees?

Simple espalier technique

1. String rows of wire against your wall (at least 30cm apart). ...
2. Cut all growth except the top two strongest shoots, which are tied to the bottom wire.
3. Tie tips down and cut away all growth except one central upright that grows to the next wire. ...
4. Maintain by cutting upright growth in subsequent years.

How do you prune an overgrown olive tree?

Pruning an Olive Tree

1. Prune off suckers - as they rob the canopy of water and nutrients.
2. Remove dead, damaged or crossing branches.
3. If the tree is overgrown, reduce the main leaders by about a quarter. Branches may be removed entirely to allow in more air and light.

What is the best fertilizer for olive trees?

Young olive trees may require fertilizing after planting, depending on the time of the year (see below). Established olive trees require fertilizer to stay healthy and produce every year. They need a balanced fertilizer with a 16-16-16 nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium ratio or similar.

Can I cut the top off my olive tree?

You can also keep down the height of the tree by pruning out the tallest branches. This is often important when you are pruning olive trees in containers. Use thinning cuts, not heading cuts, since the latter will stimulate new tall growth.

Do olives grow on old or new growth?

Pruning for fruiting

Olive trees produce fruit on the previous year's branches. This means that in order for us to have fruit every year we must ensure adequate vegetative growth every year.

Can you pick olives when they are green?

Harvesting generally takes place from mid-autumn to early winter. For green olives, pick your fruit when it turns from dark green to light green, or you can wait for them to turn black, but still firm, for black olives.

Do olive trees have deep roots?

While other trees send their roots deep into the ground, olive trees feature shallow root systems. This allows olive roots to collect water from soil that typically dries fast, ensuring the tree gets enough moisture to stay hydrated. While shallow root systems get water faster, they can also become exposed more easily.

How do you look after an olive tree?

Caring for olive trees

Olive trees may be drought tolerant, but they need to be kept well-watered, as dry spells during early spring can affect flowering and fruiting. They also need feeding regularly with a liquid feed every two weeks during the growing season.

How do I get my olive tree to flower?

Despite the risk of cold, in order for olive trees to produce fruit, there must be at least 200 hours of cool weather of 45 degrees or colder. If the cold weather occurs while the tree is blooming in the spring or if conditions are hot and windy, this may also prevent the tree from producing fruit.

What are the best plants to Espalier?

What plants can I espalier?

• Bay tree.
• Bougainvillea.
• Camellia.
• Crab apple.
• Crepe myrtle.
• Flowering almond.
• Flowering apricot.
• Flowering cherry.

How do you espalier a tree?

The principle behind espaliering a tree is simple. Plants have a main growing point or stem, known as a leader. If you remove this leader, shoots emerge from buds found on the sides of the stem, and below the cut. You then choose the best side shoots to guide/train them to create the boughs of your espalier tree.

How fast do olive trees grow?

Generally speaking, olive trees grow to full maturity quite slowly, at most 2 – 4 inches (5 – 10 cm) of new growth a year. As well, olive trees planted in the ground grows faster than olive trees in pots.