Potted Olive Tree Care: [Soil, Humidity, Pruning and Problems]

What characteristics does the potted olive tree have?

The olive tree is one of the best trees in nature, for its culinary and medicinal properties known since ancient times.

In Spain, its fruit, the olives, and the olive oil from the plant have become an exportable industry to the rest of the world.

As we all know, the olive is desired at the table in the preparation of meals, salads and the preparation of other products.

The olive tree is an ancient tree that can stand for hundreds of years and has been used to cure diseases since time immemorial.

It is believed that it comes from Asia Minor, but it has developed for centuries in the Mediterranean basin, where specimens that can be up to 2,000 years old still survive.

It is a plant of such resonance that UNESCO chose November 26 of each year as the Olive Tree Day, recognizing that it is a species that strengthens the human and cultural values ​​of peoples, in addition to the fact that the olive branch it is a symbol of peace.

It is also a plant that is used to fight cancer because the natural components of its leaves, the phenols, act directly on the cells affected by this disease. It also serves as an antioxidant, antimicrobial and antibiotic, so it acts against thrombosis and atherosclerosis.

It is a formidable tree that can reach thirteen meters in height and has leafy foliage supported by a thick stem of great strength, but it is also ideal to grow it in a pot, although in those conditions it does not produce olives.

Well cultivated and with the necessary care, the potted olive tree is a formidable ornament that will brighten up the living rooms of the house, the balcony, the terrace and the garden itself.

What soil needs does the potted olive tree have?

The olive tree can be planted in any type of soil, except in those compact lands lacking drainage. To grow it indoors we must choose a good pot because its healthy growth and development could depend on that.

The ideal is a large thick clay pot to promote good drainage, since plastic containers retain water and this conspires against the plant.

The land we choose should be of a rocky structure, potting soil mixed with stones, with the intention of creating a dry surface with sufficient drainage to grow healthy.

The substrate should have peat mixed with gravel and sand to make it lighter. Coconut fiber will also contribute to the substrate having a light and dry texture, and to create a richer mixture of microorganisms, it is good to provide it with earthworm humus.

As it is an ornamental and non-productive olive tree, one subscriber per year will suffice, and in this sense we will add ecological organic fertilizer at the beginning of spring.

How to make the potted olive tree grow strong and vigorous?

Just as when we plant the olive tree in the ground, in a pot we must provide it with a series of cares to keep it strong and vigorous and produce a beautiful plant, with an excellent ornament, that is our pride.

It is not a plant that we must constantly water because it likes the heat and resists drought; in fact, sometimes on land it is not even irrigated in those places where there are frequent rains.

Indoors, watering is appropriate during the first years and we will know how often we will do it when the first centimeters of the substrate have dried.

Irrigation should also be done when the water level is low, seeking to drain efficiently and remain healthy, which will result in faster growth.

The flooding is not adequate, as it is easy to suppose. We will change the pot every 2 or 3 years in spring in case the roots come out through the drainage holes or in case it has occupied the entire container and its growth has stopped.

It is necessary to have a lot of patience with the olive tree in a pot, because, if we take into account that an olive tree on the ground needs years to grow a few meters, imagine how it will be in a container where its growth is slower.

What humidity does potted oblivion need?

The potted olive tree does not need a lot of humidity. It is not the same as the tree on the ground. We will keep it in the house giving it the care of an ornamental plant.

As it needs a lot of light, it is preferable to locate it in a place with full sun in the garden or near a window inside the house where it will receive a good dose of direct sun for a few hours of the day.

We will keep it in warm weather, and we will change it from inside to outside or vice versa depending on the variations of the weather, taking into account that intense cold is not your ally.

Is it necessary to prune potted oblivion?

The pruning of the olive tree in a pot is very simple, especially since we do not have to watch over the production of the fruit. It is a pruning that will mark the path of the plant, because we will give it the shape we want so that it remains beautiful and in good condition.

When should we prune potted oblivion?

It is a pruning that we will carry out in autumn and winter in several stages. The first years we will keep it at a height of 80 cm or one meter, because that way we will mark the branching.

Later, until it is six years old, the pruning will be for training, leaving well-marked main branches so that a good structure can develop. From there, the pruning will be maintenance every year to remove leaves and branches in poor condition, in order to keep it healthy.

Another very interesting and beautiful way of keeping the olive tree in a pot is in the form of a bonsai, which we will achieve with training pruning. We will do a little pruning of these bonsai plants in March, and as they grow very slowly, we will transplant them when they are between three and five years old.

How to avoid pests and diseases of the olive tree in a pot?

The olive tree tends to be attacked by cochineals, olive worms, soapy olives, bold, olive tuberculosis, aphids and white worms.

In a pot it is easier to counteract the action of these pests and attack diseases, because the plant will be close at hand inside the house, so we must keep an eye on it to apply the necessary corrective measures if we observe abnormalities in its growth.

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