How to Cultivate Olive Trees

Olive trees are sub-tropical evergreen trees or shrubs that can grow up to 50 feet and have silvery green leaves and small white flowers. They are responsible for producing both the olive fruit and olive oil. They are hardy in zones 9 and 10 in the United States, the southern states where temperatures do not drop below 20 F. Cultivating olive trees is not difficult as long as you grow them in the correct region. Knowledge of how to care for the plant will give you a healthy olive tree.

Things You'll Need

• Water
• Dirt
• Pruning shears
• Fertilizer

Instructions

1. Plant the olive tree in spring in full sun and well-drained soil. Olive trees are tolerant of almost any type of soil from sand to clay, as long as it drains well and is within a pH of 5.5 to 8.5.

2. Water the olive tree daily over its root ball in the summer, always keeping it moist. Taper watering as the temperatures begin to cool, giving water only when extremely dry until the following summer, when you should increase watering again.

3. Build a mound of dirt about 1 to 1 1/2 feet tall around the base of the trunk in November to protect the tree from cold temperatures. Remove the mound in March when the cold weather has passed.

4. Prune with pruning shears in early spring before any new growth appears. Cut off any branches that are dead or diseased as well as those that are rubbing together. Also, cut off any suckers coming off the roots.

5. Fertilize the tree annually in spring after it has started growing. Olive trees do not need much fertilization and only sometimes suffer from a nitrogen deficiency. Use a nitrogen fertilizer and follow the directions on the package.

Tips & Warnings

• Clean your pruning shears with rubbing alcohol before pruning to prevent the spread of disease.

• Cover the leaves of the olive trees if temperatures drop below 17 F.

References

• Texas A&M Agrilife Extension
• University of California, Davis: Planting Olive Trees
• University of California, Davis: Fertilizing Olive Trees