How to Plant an Olive Tree From a Pit

Olive trees can easily planted from pits.

Olive trees (Olea europaea) are indigenous to regions in the Mediterranean, Central Asia, Turkey and Syria. They are subtropical, evergreen trees which are grown both for their ornamental value as well as for their fruit producing abilities. Olive trees can reach approximately 50 feet in height and, once established, can live to be several hundreds of years old. Olive pits must be prepared ahead of time to interrupt their dormancy

Things You'll Need

• Olives
• Bowl
• Food masher
• Scissors or small snips
• Bowl
• Vermiculite or sand
• Lidded container
• Seed starting tray
• Seed raising mix
• 2 or 3-inch plastic pot, glass or spoon
• Spray bottle

Instructions

Preparing Olive Pits

1. Pick olives from an olive tree when they are ripe. This is usually between the months of September through November, depending on the variety and where the tree is located.

2. Place the olives into a bowl and mash them with a food masher until they are well pulverized. Separate the olive pits from the pulp.

3. Nick off or snip off a minute portion of the pointed end of each of the olive pits. This helps improve the germination rate.

4. Pour water into a bowl and let it reach room temperature. Place the olive pits into the bowl and let them soak in the water for 24 hours.

5. Mix together 1 1/2 to 2 cups of fine sand or vermiculite with enough water to dampen the sand or vermiculite.

6. Put the dampened sand or vermiculite into an opaque container that has a lid. Any container that prevents light from reaching the seeds will do.

7. Place the olive pits into the container. Shake the container 2 to 3 times to distribute the olive pits throughout the sand or vermiculite.

8. Put the container in a dark location where the temperature will remain consistent at 60 degrees F. Leave the olive pits in their container for 30 days.

Planting Olive Pits

1. Fill up a seed starting tray with a quality seed medium until it is approximately one-third full.

2. Pack the medium firmly in the tray using the bottom of a 2- or 3-inch plastic pot, the bottom of a glass, or the back of a large metal spoon.

3. Plant the olive pits with the end you snipped off facing upwards. Space the olive pits approximately an inch apart.

4. Cover up the olive pits with about an inch of the germinating medium. Mist the surface of the soil in the tray until you are sure it is very well dampened.

5. Put the tray into an area in your home that can provide a temperature range of between 70 and 80 degrees F. Keep the tray out of direct sunlight, but provide 6 to 10 hours of indirect light daily.

6. Keep the germinating media moist, but never sodden. Germination of olive pits should begin in one month, according to George Martin at the University of California at Davis.

Tips & Warnings

• Before planting the olive saplings outdoors in their permanent location, acclimate them to exterior temperatures. Place them in a protected place in your garden for a few hours daily for two to three weeks before transplanting.

References

• Texas A&M: Growing Olive Trees
• Olive Propagation Manual, Landlinks Press, Andrea Fabbri (Author), et al
• National Seed Laboratory: Propagating Olive Trees