Potted olive tree: care - Practical guide

The olive tree, with a scientific name Olea europaea, is a constant element in the landscapes of much of the Mediterranean area. However, when you think of an olive tree, it is common to think of large trees of great antiquity, especially in the fields of agriculture and ornamental gardening.

But this is not the only option: olive trees can be grown without any problem in pots and in much smaller spaces. In fact, there are those who cultivate them with the bonsai technique. If you want to learn the caring for a potted olive treeJoin us in this Green Ecologist article where you will see a practical guide.

Basic care of the potted olive tree

These are the main care of a potted olive tree:

Light: It must be put in a place with full sun, as the olive tree needs a large amount of light.
Weather: warm, especially in the early years.
Location: variable (exterior / interior) according to climate.
Substratum: very undemanding. All you need is good drainage.
Pass: an annual supply of organic fertilizer is sufficient.
Irrigation: scarce, but more frequent in young olive trees.

Climate and location for the potted olive tree

Olive trees are plants made from hot climates and lots of sun, and this is a characteristic that they maintain both when planted in a pot and in the ground. Choose one sunny area of your garden or indoors, next to a window or balcony where it receives a good amount of hours of direct sunlight per day.

Regarding the pot, the ideal is to use a sizable clay pot. Clay is heavy, but the material allows adequate breathability, helping the substrate not to accumulate too much moisture. If you live in a cold climate, you could choose a pot with wheels, since it is likely that in winter you will have to store your olive tree indoors: this tree does not stand frost well.

Thus, having the potted olive tree indoors or outdoors will basically depend on the local climate, being able to resort to one or another location, or even a combination of both depending on the season.

Substrate for the potted olive tree

These trees are not demanding in terms of the composition of the soil or its nutrients, since they are used to relatively arid areas. When preparing the substrate for the olive tree, it will be enough that you use peat mixed with gravel or sand to make it lighter and improve its drainage, which is the only really important point in this regard.

Use coconut fiber It will also help to give the substrate a light and drier texture, and a small contribution of earthworm humus It is not mandatory, but it will help to create a richer mixture and with beneficial microorganisms that will not be too much. In these other Green Ecologist posts you can learn about Coconut Fiber for plants: properties and how to make it and about How to make worm castings for plants.

Also, keep in mind that a bed of coarse gravel or pebbles at the bottom of the pot will help keep soil from leaking out of the drainage holes, as well as keep moisture further away from the roots.

Watering the potted olive tree

How to water the potted olive tree? The olive tree does not need hardly any watering in its adult phase. In fact, it is common for adult olive trees to not be watered at all in climates where there is occasional rain. However, in their first years the olive tree will need a frequent but moderate watering. It is about giving the young tree some moisture with which it can gain strength, but always without flooding it. Exceeding this point can rot its roots or cause fungal attack on the tree.

To get an idea of how often is a potted olive tree wateredWait until the first 3 centimeters of the substrate surface has dried.

Potted olive tree fertilizer

As it is not a demanding plant in terms of nutrients, it does not need periodic fertilization, especially if it is an ornamental and non-productive olive tree. One subscriber per year will be enough, which can be done simply by adding ecological organic compost down to earth Start of Spring. Here you can learn how to make homemade organic compost for plants.

Pruning the potted olive tree step by step

The pruning of ornamental olive trees It is very simple, since we do not have to worry about the fruit production of the tree. We tell you how to prune the potted olive tree step by step:

During the first 3 seasons It will be enough to keep the shoots of the tree at a height of between 80 centimeters and 1 meter, which is the most common to mark the branching of the olive tree.
After, up to 6 years formation prunings are applied to the tree, although they are not as important as in farm olive trees. Here it is only a matter of leaving about three main branches well marked, so that it grows with a good structure.
From then on it will only be necessary to practice every year a maintenance pruning, in which to eliminate branches and leaves in poor condition, as well as those that grow inwards or hinder others. We can also prune the branches that do not bear fruit, if what we want is to give some more.

Finally, you must always keep in mind that the pruning of the olive tree is between autumn and winter, when fruiting is over. To learn more about it, you can consult our guide: When and how to prune an olive tree.

Pests and diseases of the potted olive tree

To finish this guide on the care of the potted olive tree and how to prune it, we mention the most common diseases and pests in olive trees, both pot and soil: