The cut on the olive tree depends on what you want from the Mediterranean tree. You cut a decorative potted plant according to different requirements than a planted olive with a high yield. This tutorial provides well-founded cutting instructions for both variants, peppered with practical tips and tricks.
How should you prune an olive tree?
Prune the olive tree in spring. Remove dried branches. Cut these back down to the short tenons. Also shorten the shoots that grow diagonally into the inside of the crown. Another care cut will take place in June.
Cutting types and dates
At this point the all-clear can be given to worried beginners in olive tree pruning care. The evergreen icon of the Mediterranean is distinctivefriendly to cutting You can't do any serious damage with scissors or saws, because the olive sprouts happily again even from old wood. Thanks to this property, a variety of options open up for skilfully pruning an olive tree as a decorative piece or as a productive fruit tree. The following overview summarizes useful types of cuts and recommended times:
| Cut style | Goal/Occasion | best date |
|---|---|---|
| Shaping and maintenance pruning of potted plants | shape and maintain a harmonious, densely leafy crown | Spring, just before wintering |
| care cut | Correct late frost damage | End of June (St. John's Day) |
| Educational Cut | Building a productive crown | 1. up to the 8th year (first flowering period) |
| Fruit woodcut | promote young fruit wood, preserve crown | every 2 years in February |
| Rejuvenation cut | revitalize old olive tree | January to the end of February |
Cut olive in the bucket
As a potted plant, an olive tree creates an atmospheric color in the garden, on the balcony and terrace. In the front garden on the south side, the wood acts as a picturesque reception committee for the guests of the house. Anyone who finds themselves the center of attention should always present a well-groomed appearance. A bountiful olive harvest fades into the background. The following instructions explain how to properly cut an olive tree in a pot:
- The best time is in spring, shortly before clearing out
- Remove all branches that are damaged, diseased or dried in the winter quarters
- Ideally prune to short stubs with two to three buds
- Do the same with unfavorably growing branches that point in the wrong direction
As shown in the illustration below, always cut backside shootson the crown or shrub framework toshort cones. Within a few weeks, these stubs sprout remarkable young shoots. Without a cone cut, sprouting at this point takes much longer or is eliminated entirely if there are no sleeping eyes. It is thanks to this ingenious cutting technique that even extremely cut-sensitive subtropical trees, such as rhododendrons or azaleas, grow again after a cut.
So that a maintenance cut does not leave holes in the crown, redirect excessively long branches to an outward-facing young shoot. If you can't find any young shoots near the cut point, cut the extra-long part of the shoot onto cones.
Background
Sleeping eyes – floral secret weapon against cutting errors
The tolerance of olive trees to pruning is primarily based on a whole group of sleeping eyes. In gardening terms, this is the name given to the dormant buds that are located along the branches. Parallel to the growth, the Mediterranean tree creates tiny vegetation points under the bark. Their only function is to replace parts of plants that fail due to accident, storm and frost damage or pruning. In addition, sleeping eyes are activated if the gardener makes a cutting mistake. Thanks to the floral “iron reserve”, holes in the bush or crown are overgrown in no time.
Correct late frost damage at the end of June – care pruning instructions
One time you weren't paying attention, you cleared out the olive too early and Grim Reaper has struck. Olive trees in pots are often victims of late frost. In the worst case, planted specimens are also affected. Classic symptoms are drooping leaves and shoot tips. In order to properly assess the extent of the damage, wait until the end of June to carry out a corrective pruning. Close to St. John's Day (June 24th), cut a frozen olive tree like this:
- Perform summer care pruning when the sky is overcast or in the shade
- Cut back frozen, limp shoots down to he althy wood
- Ideally cut to a he althy side shoot positioned further inwards
- Alternatively shorten to a 2 cm short tenon
At first glance it is usually not possible to see where the frozen wood on an olive branch ends and the he althy area begins. In this case, a simple vitality test will help you. Late frosts primarily cause damage to the cambium, which is located just below the bark. The bark itself is often not affected. Remove a little bark with a knife or fingernail. If a dark brown to black layer appears, you are in frozen wood. Work your way gradually towards the trunk. Scratch free fresh cream to green tissue and you have reached the he althy wood.
Tip
Frost cracks on the native bark of olive trees are often accompanied by typical late frost damage. You can effectively prevent the fatal “Labello effect” if you wrap the trunk of planted olives with reed mats or simply lean on wooden slats. It is important to cushion the combination of dry cold and intense spring sun. Place potted olives in partial shade or cover the branches with breathable fleece. Please don’t forget to water regularly.
Raising a productive crown
The plate crown or hollow crown promise an optimal fruit yield on the olive tree. Many heat-loving fruit trees from distant countries benefit from these sun-drenched crown shapes, such as olive or peach trees. The framework is formed by five evenly arranged scaffolding shoots, the tip buds of which are in the same level, i.e. at the same level. With a hollow crown, the central shoot is removed. In the crown of the plate, all scaffold branches have equal status, without a dominant central shoot as a trunk extension. How to grow an olive tree with a productive crown:
- The best time is in February until you enter the yield phase
- Plate crown: select a total of 5 equally strong leading branches on the trunk at a height of 100 to 150 cm
- Important: Starting points of the leading branches are atdifferent trunk heights
- Extend guide branches by 10 cm annually
- Last year's growthcut back to 10 cm
- Place scissors just above an outward-facing bud
- Hollow crown: similar to the plate crown, but remove the dominant central shoot in the third year
By training the leading branches in stages to the desired final length, you promote lush branching with side shoots. Each training cut creates a local increase in sap pressure, whereupon dormant buds are activated and sprout. When the yield phase begins, it is the annual side branches that give you the flowers and olives you long for. The more stable a supporting scaffold shoot, the stronger the annual sprouting of fruit wood can be.
Branches that point vertically upwards are unfavorable for any fruit tree. During the training phase, make sure thatleading branchesare at an angle between45° and 90° to the trunk. If the growth is too steep, it can be easily regulated with spreading sticks from a specialist store or a clothespin. If a promising shoot is hanging too low, tie it up with sisal at an ideal angle of 60°. Consistently remove all tightly upright shoots that sprout from the scaffold shoots.
Excursus
Correct cutting tools - key to success in olive tree pruning
If you have the perfect cutting tool at hand, you can master the cut on the olive tree with flying colors. If the pruning care is dedicated to thin shoots up to 2 cm in diameter, abranded secateurs guarantees the best results. Cut branches with a diameter of up to 4 cm with pruning shears. In both cases we recommend bypass scissors with 2 sharp blades. For the challenges of cutting thick branches on an old, mighty olive tree, you are perfectly equipped with a handy Japanese saw. As accessories you will need a cleaning agent for blades and saw blades as well as a whetstone. Always cut your olive tree with squeaky-clean cutting tools so that diseases and pests are not accidentally transmitted.
Promote and preserve fruit wood
A fully trained olive tree is subjected to fruit pruning at 2-year intervals. The slow growth of an average of 10 to 20 centimeters per year makes annual pruning unnecessary. The most important goal is to promote young fruit wood. Furthermore, pruning ensures order in the crown so that sunlight can reach all regions. How to complete a flawless fruit woodcut on the olive tree:
- The best time is between the beginning of February and the beginning of March on a frost-free, overcast day
- Cut harvested shoots back to short cones
- If possible, do not prune shoots from the previous year because this is where the fruit thrives
- If necessary, shorten excessively long shoots from the previous year by a maximum of a third to an outward-facing bud
- Tighten out dead, weak shoots and shoots growing inside the crown
On the leading branches of the crown, prune the growth since the last cut by a third or half. The resulting sap jam allows fresh side shoots to sprout, which will bear fruit next year. If scaffolding shoots or side branches hang over in an arch, look for a side shoot or a bud that is behind the base of the arch and sits on the top of the branch. This is where we cut.
Conductor cut prevents unsightly gaps
Simply trimming extra-long olive branches anywhere can leave unsightly gaps in the appearance. However, if you are familiar with the cutting technique of a lead, you can effectively prevent the aesthetic disturbance factor. This is how it works:
- Near the desired interface, choose a side shoot on the top that faces outwards
- Place the scissors at the fork of the old and new shoot
- Ideal cutting point is 2 to 5 millimeters into the old wood
With the drainage cut you redirect the flow of sap into a previously subordinate side branch. From now on, this takes over the leading position without the removal of the old, overly long shoot creating a gap.
Rejuvenate old olive tree
If pruning of the olive tree is neglected for several years, the tree will initially lose its fertility. There can no longer be any talk of a decorative crown either. Instead, the former gem has turned into an impenetrable network of old and young branches that overshadow each other and become bare. The good pruning tolerance of olives allows radical rejuvenation pruning. How to proceed correctly step by step:
- The best time is in late winter, between the beginning of February and the beginning of March
- Examine the crown carefully for feathered or fur-bearing winter guests in order to postpone the cut if necessary
- Shorten all leading branches with the saw to 50 to 80 centimeters above the crown base
- Administer nitrogen-concentrated fertilizer to promote growth
The rejuvenation measure activates sleeping eyes, which will sprout vigorously over the next few years. Asecondary crown is created on each leading branch. Each of these secondary crowns acts as a starting point for an individual structure as a plate or hollow crown with four to five equal leading branches. Excess shoots are consistently removed.
Unless you value an olive harvest, train the secondary crowns in a pyramidal shape. Choose a strong central shoot around which four leading branches are evenly distributed. The tip of the central shoot should be about a scissor length above the tips of the leading branches. The tips of the leading branches grow evenly when their terminal buds are in the sap scale.
Frequently asked questions
Since the beginning of summer, my olive tree has been suffering from fungal infestation. Can I cut the tree back in June so that it becomes lush again?
Olive trees generally tolerate heavy pruning. However, the time should not fall during the main growing season, which extends from April to September. The best date is between January and February, when the Mediterranean tree is at the end of its winter rest period.
Is an olive tree self-fertile?
An olive tree usually thrives with hermaphrodite flowers, so it is self-fertile. Cross-pollination by a second specimen significantly increases the yield. A few varieties rely on a genetically different pollinator. Be sure to ask carefully when purchasing from a tree nursery or garden center if you are aiming for an olive harvest.
My olive tree is 3 years old and is in a bucket that I overwinter in the winter garden. This year the tree has lost many leaves, so some branches are completely bare. What are the causes? What can I do?
Leaf fall on the olive tree usually signals a lack of light or an unbalanced water balance. If the winter quarters are too dark, compensate for the lack of light with a plant lamp. Too much water causes the leaves to fall, as does drought stress. Potted plants often suffer from waterlogging. If the soil is too moist, the roots can rot and mold can develop. As a result, water and nutrients are no longer transported to the shoots and leaves. Unpot the olive tree and examine the condition of the substrate. You can eliminate waterlogging by repotting the plant. If you are experiencing drought stress, immerse the root ball in a bucket of soft water until no more air bubbles appear.
How much winter can an olive tree tolerate?
The olive tree is native to the Mediterranean, where temperatures can drop below freezing in winter. In general, the fruit tree can tolerate up to -10 degrees Celsius. In mild winter regions of winter hardiness zone Z8, such as the wine-growing regions or on the Lower Rhine, planted olive trees can be admired. But here too, constant winter wetness represents a massive problem and requires extensive protective measures. Cultivation in a bucket is usually advisable to protect the Mediterranean tree from severe frost in the bright, cool winter quarters.
I would like to transplant my olive tree to a better location in the garden that offers more sun and wind protection. When is the best time? What should I pay particular attention to?
Within the first three to five years of existence, an olive tree can still cope well with being transplanted. Older specimens have already pushed their dominant taproot so deep into the ground that changing location no longer makes sense. The best time is in spring when the ground has completely thawed. Cut out the root ball in a radius that roughly corresponds to the height of the trunk. Since a lot of root mass is still lost, prune all shoots by a third or half before or after. Pruning restores balance between above-ground and below-ground plant components.
Olive tree loses its leaves. Should I cut the crown back?
If individual leaves fall off, it is a natural process. After a few years, evergreen leaves are replaced with young foliage. The most common unnatural cause of leaf fall on the olive tree is a lack of light. Potted plants in winter quarters that are too dark are primarily affected. Other triggers for the dilemma include waterlogging, drought stress and nutrient deficiency. In all cases, cutting does not solve the problem. Plant lamps or a change of location ensure better lighting conditions. Repotting eliminates waterlogging, dipping in soft water regulates drought stress. Regular administration of special fertilizer for olives helps against nutrient deficiencies.
I would like to plant an olive tree in the front garden. It must not be higher than 2 to 3 meters. There are no restrictions on the width. Can I limit the height of the olive tree by cutting it regularly?
Since you have enough space in width, we recommend training with a plate crown. Construction and maintenance involve regular cutting work. In return, you limit the height growth to match the space capacity. With four to five horizontal leading branches, the crown is not only beautiful to look at, but also gives you your first olive harvest after six to eight years in a sunny, warm location.
The 3 most common cutting mistakes
If an olive tree is only remotely reminiscent of the original piece of jewelry with Mediterranean charm, it is usually due to incorrect pruning care. The following table lists the three most common cutting errors on olives by name, provides information on typical damage patterns and has tips for safe prevention:
| Cutting errors | malicious image | Prevention |
|---|---|---|
| never cut | premature baldness, misshapen growth | blend every 2 years |
| no parenting cut | dense crown, few flowers and olives | educate with light-flooded plate or hollow crown |
| Excessively long shoots cut off somewhere | unsightly gaps, uneven growth | long shoots lead to an inner side shoot |
Tip
At the age of 7 or 8, a home-grown olive tree blooms for the first time. If you don't want to be patient for that long, you can use an early olive from the tree nursery. The young plants are usually 3 to 4 years old, so they don't put the gardener through torture for long before they bloom for the first time. In order for you to be able to harvest olives from your own cultivation, they should be a self-fruitful variety, such as Arbequina, which is also frost-resistant down to -11 degrees Celsius.
