Ruqayyah Snyder
Olive trees are a popular choice for Australian gardeners due to their attractive appearance, drought tolerance, and long lifespans. With proper care, these trees can bear fruit and enhance the beauty of any garden or outdoor space. This guide will cover everything from planting and fertilising to pruning and harvesting olives, ensuring that your olive tree thrives in Australia's unique climate. Whether you're planting directly in the ground or opting for a potted olive tree, this guide will help you care for your olive tree and enjoy its fruits for years to come.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Lifespan | 500-1000 years |
| Climate | Tolerant of extreme heat, drought, winds, coastal salt spray, medium frosts and dry conditions |
| Soil | Well-drained, fertilised, enriched with manures and a balanced NPK ratio |
| Watering | Regular, but do not overwater |
| Sunlight | 6 hours a day |
| Pruning | Light prune each year to keep the canopy in check |
| Harvesting | When olives turn from dark green to light green or black |
| Fruit production | 30kg of olives per mature tree |
| Flowering | Early spring |
| Fruiting | From 4-5 years old |
| Pickling | Submerge olives in brine for 3 months |
| Potting | Choose a pot at least 600mm wide |
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What You'll Learn
- Planting: Choose a sunny spot with well-drained soil, and enrich with fertiliser
- Pruning: Remove dead, damaged or crossing branches to encourage growth and fruit production
- Feeding: Feed your olive tree with fertiliser in early spring and late summer
- Harvesting: Olives are ready to harvest from autumn to early winter, turning from dark to light green
- Potting: Olive trees can be potted, but require lots of natural light and drainage
Planting: Choose a sunny spot with well-drained soil, and enrich with fertiliser
Olive trees are a popular choice for Australian gardeners due to their attractive look, tolerance of extreme heat and drought conditions, and low maintenance. They can be grown in the ground or in large pots. When planting, it is important to choose a sunny spot with well-drained soil. Olive trees require direct sunshine and do not tolerate being overwatered.
To enrich the soil, use a fertiliser with a high source of nutrients, particularly nitrogen. A balanced mixture of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium is ideal. You can also use a fertiliser with a balanced NPK ratio, which will improve fruit yield and help the tree brave unfavourable conditions. Apply the fertiliser in early spring and late summer.
If you are planting in a pot, choose a container that is at least 600mm wide with plenty of holes for drainage. A cactus potting mix works well for olive trees. For in-ground planting, dig a hole that is twice as wide as the root ball and to the same depth. Remove the shrub from its container and gently tease the roots, cutting away any circled or tangled roots. Position the tree in the hole and backfill, gently firming it down. Form a raised ring around the plant to create a well for water.
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Pruning: Remove dead, damaged or crossing branches to encourage growth and fruit production
Pruning is an important part of olive tree care, as it helps shape the tree and encourages fruit production. When left unpruned, olive trees can grow quite large, making it difficult to harvest the fruit. Therefore, it is recommended to prune the tree to make it more manageable and to highlight its natural form.
To start pruning, remove any dead, damaged, or crossing branches. This helps open up the canopy, allowing in more air and light. The aim is to create an even and balanced canopy, which is aesthetically pleasing and promotes fruit growth. If necessary, completely remove some branches to achieve the desired shape and improve air circulation.
It is important to consider the timing of pruning. Hard pruning in late winter or early spring will encourage new growth, which may not be the desired outcome. Instead, it is recommended to give the tree a light prune each year to maintain the canopy. For a more extensive pruning, it is better to do a hard prune after the tree has finished fruiting, typically at the end of autumn or early winter.
By following these pruning techniques, you can encourage fruit production, enhance the natural form of the tree, and make it easier to manage and harvest.
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Feeding: Feed your olive tree with fertiliser in early spring and late summer
Olive trees are a popular choice for Australian gardeners due to their attractive appearance and tolerance of extreme heat and drought conditions. They are also incredibly long-lived, with an average lifespan of 500 years.
Olive trees require feeding with fertiliser in early spring and late summer. When selecting a fertiliser, opt for one with a high source of nutrients, particularly nitrogen. A balanced mix of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium is ideal. Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser is a good option, and you can also use organic manure and mineral-based fertilisers.
If your olive tree is flowering and fruiting, it is beneficial to feed it weekly with a product like Yates Thrive Citrus & Fruit Liquid Plant Food to promote fruit production. Olive trees benefit from an extra NPK feed in the spring to boost flowering. Additionally, ensure your olive tree receives sufficient sunlight and has well-drained soil.
Pruning is also an important aspect of olive tree care. If left unpruned, olive trees can grow quite large, making fruit harvesting difficult. It is recommended to give the tree a light prune each year to maintain an even and balanced canopy. Hard pruning is best done after fruiting, in late autumn or early winter, to avoid encouraging new growth.
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Harvesting: Olives are ready to harvest from autumn to early winter, turning from dark to light green
Olives are typically ready for harvesting from autumn to early winter, turning from dark to light green. However, the harvesting season can vary from late March through to September, depending on your climate and the cultivar you are growing. Olives are native to the Mediterranean, parts of Asia and Africa, and thrive in hot, dry summers and cool winters. They are long-lived trees with an average lifespan of 500 years, and even trees that are hundreds of years old will still produce fruit.
Olives can be harvested by hand if you only have a few trees. They fruit on one-year-old wood, so if you cut the growing tips, it will take two years to produce fruit on the new side shoots. It is important to prune your trees after harvesting.
When harvesting, it is best to aim for the middle of the season when the majority of the olives have ripened but are not yet overripe. The fruit should feel "right" when squeezed—not too hard or too soft. The colour of the skin is not a reliable indicator of ripeness, as even purple olives may not be ready for harvest. Olives can be harvested when they are green, or when they are fully black. Green olives can be picked earlier, and black olives should be left on the tree until they are past the olive green stage and are purply-black but still firm.
Olives must be pickled in brine before they can be preserved and eaten. Freshly picked olives are bitter, and the pickling process can take three months.
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Potting: Olive trees can be potted, but require lots of natural light and drainage
Olive trees are a popular choice for Australian gardens due to their attractive, elegant form, evergreen foliage, and Mediterranean beauty. They are also highly adaptable and can be potted, but they require lots of natural light and drainage.
When potting olive trees, it is important to choose a large container with plenty of holes for drainage. This is because olive trees require well-drained soil and room for their root balls to expand. Filling the pot with gravel or a similar filler at the bottom will also help keep the soil well-drained. Given their preference for dry climates, a cactus potting mix or a dwarf variety may be a good choice for potted olive trees.
Potted olive trees will require regular watering but be careful not to overwater them. They also need lots of natural light—around six hours a day. It is best to place them outside on a balcony or veranda so they can soak up the sun. To ensure even growth, rotate the pot every month so that the tree grows towards the light source evenly.
While olive trees can be potted, it is important to note that they may eventually outgrow their pots and need to be moved outside permanently. However, with the right care, you should be able to enjoy your potted olive tree for several years.
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