Olive tree

Discussion in 'Trees' started by Aries, May 10, 2024.

  1. Aries

    Aries Apprentice Gardener

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    Hello everyone!

    Hope you’re all enjoying this glorious weather!

    Just looking for a bit of advice if possible on this olive tree.
    I’ve had it for 5+ years and this is where we’re at. I’m no expert of course, but this doesn’t look right to me :what:

    I do give it olive tree feed and have upsized it’s pot as it’s grown. But I saw some really beautiful huge olive trees in a garden centre yesterday and thought.. well mine is never going to look like that!

    I don’t really know what to do with it? I’m not really sure what I’m asking for here, besides perhaps a bit of guidance; or is it doomed?

    Please, please, please also ignore the absolute state of the garden around the olive tree. I took this photo whilst I was thinking about it mid garden rip out.
    The intention is to put the olive tree in a much larger pot on the patio when the garden is done - hopefully in a month or so.

    If it helps I am in a south facing garden.

    thank you!
    IMG_6651.jpeg
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 10, 2024
  2. JWK

    JWK Gardener Staff Member

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    Looks OK to me, olives are very slow growing. Maybe pot on to a terracotta pot with a soil based compost.
     
  3. Pete8

    Pete8 Total Gardener

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    Looks good to me too
    I've had one in a big pot for about 20yrs - it's still quite small
     
  4. Goldenlily26

    Goldenlily26 Total Gardener

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    Me too!
    I bought a baby stripling from Morrisons many years ago, which has lived in a pot, neglected for a large part of its life, which is still only about 4ft tall. It is looking very tatty at the moment because of the wet winter. It flowers every year and even has a few small olives on it, not enough for a bottle of olive oil yet. I must do better and give it some TLC. My aim has always been to have a lovely knarled olive tree growing in my garden. It has a long way to go!
     
  5. amancalledgeorge

    amancalledgeorge Super Gardener

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    Looks good to me too, can imagine your apprehension is from the way the branches have grown? Don't forget the large specimens you see are over a century old they are such long lived trees they take their time to grow.
    Being Greek I really dislike seeing them used for decorative purposes...so you can imagine my face when during one of the lockdowns my partner was sent one as a gift :smile: they are proud productive trees and the sense of antiquity you experience walking through a centuries old olive grove is unlike anything else. Just magnificent. A domestic garden will never give that feeling.
     
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    • Loofah

      Loofah Admin Staff Member

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      You need to buy olives as you want to see them as they're so slow!
      I'll be buying a new one soon and it's likely to be a few hundred which I'm not really looked forward to!
       
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      • pete

        pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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        It looks healthy enough to me and the pot looks big enough ATM, I'm not one to under plant trees growing in pots as the other plants get all the nutrients IMO.

        I planted one out some years ago and I've cut it down to 4ft high on a couple of occasions and it grows away very fast although it is now a bit over grown by other plants. 20240510_111838.jpg h
         
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        • DiggersJo

          DiggersJo Head Gardener

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          Have a look at images on the net and show us how you want it to look. It looks healthy enough to me, but not the shape/design I'm used to.
           
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          • pete

            pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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            I also dislike seeing mature old olive trees potted up in garden centres.

            I'm guessing they are ripped out of areas that are being developed, but it's still not good.
             
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            • infradig

              infradig Total Gardener

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              Agree, its the (horti)cultural equivalent of stripping meadow for turf.
               
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