whats happened to my olive?

plant has been growing away on window seal for last 5 years
but now looks vey sick ,is this a result of not enough water ,too much water ,some sort of disease ??
there are green parts when you scrape the bark so i hope it can recover

 

It looks like not enough water to me, but thats only a guess.
Having said that I would have thought it would actually shed the dead leaves if that is the case.

It might be caused by red spider mite, but usually if its that bad some fine webbing would be visible on the shoots.

 

Looks like a combination of dehydration and frost damage,don't think rsm would be a problem outside at this time of year Pete.

 

plant is kept inside year round only taken out for pics!

 

Gherkin said,

Didn't realise it went out for a photo-shoot so I will stick with the dehydration theory,keep it just moist don't go flooding it and keep your fingers crossed,would suggest if it recovers putting it out in the summer.

 

If you have single glazed windows with curtains, then the problem is a combination of cold and lack of water. Otherwise, probably lack of water.:thumb:

 

Has it been in the same pot for 5 years? If so, it probably needs re-potting, some fresh compost and a good feed, and no extremes from wet to dry. :flwsml:

 

Olives grow where very little rain falls , usually it copes very well.
I think its lack of food in the soil.
Pot it up in some good soil , J.I No 3.
Dont drown it with water, little and often.
It will pick up, my olive went a month with little water, it is outside though.

 

Hello gerkin ....

I am probably not the person to speak here but I feel I must say something ...

You say you have had this olive tree on your windowsill for five years and it has obviously been well and happy all this time as you seemed to have cared for it well.

Like pete I thought is there something like a mite that has invaded the tree?

I'm not sure I agree with other comments because my feelings are that trees (like bonsai as I do) need to be outside or at least have fresh air all the time and in my opinion you have treated your olive tree as a bonsai ... ie, a tree shrub in a pot. I have been 'doing' bonsai for 15 years plus and have never fed mine. Most were started in the UK and to-d and fro-d to Portugal yearly until they became permanent residents here like us.

Olive trees in their natural habitat ... ie, growing wild and annoying to us against our kitchen wall, do not require food or drink actually. They thrive in the poorest soil I've ever encounterd and then suffer no watering for at least six months in the summer.

However, I have never had an olive tree in the UK so I cannot make judgement there but I thought you might like to know how they cope naturally.