Caring for Olive Trees: Pest and Disease Management
Olive trees are known for their resilience and strength, with the ability to withstand even fires. However, like all plants, they can be affected by pests and diseases. Often the leaves of an Olive trees appear ‘nibbled’. This is caused by a leaf beetle and is nothing to be concerned about. It is not detrimental to the tree’s health and hardly noticeable. Mealy bugs, on the other hand, can be a real problem, especially for indoor olive trees. These pests suck sap from the tree, and their presence can be detected by white, fluffy powder under the leaves and at the leaf axis. Early detection is key, and these bugs can be removed by blasting them off with water or wiping them off with alcohol or a soap solution. Despite these challenges, olive trees are generally quite resilient and can bounce back from most issues. Even if the tree loses all its leaves, with proper care, it will likely recover and thrive once again.
How to Water and Feed Olive Trees
Olive trees are known for their drought tolerance, and they can thrive in areas where water is scarce. However, commercial Olive groves often require irrigation to ensure that the trees produce high-quality fruit. In the UK, if an Olive tree is planted in the ground, it can usually survive on its own after the initial watering during the first growing season. But if it is grown in a container, it’s important to keep the tree well-watered during the growing season and ensure that it doesn’t completely dry out during the winter. While Olive trees can survive with minimal nutrients, adding a “tonic” of Tomato food to the soil in May and then again every 6 weeks throughout the growing season can be beneficial for trees grown in containers. This is not essential, but it can help the tree grow stronger and produce better fruit.
Pruning Olive Trees: A Guide to Proper Maintenance
Olive trees are known for their resilience and longevity, but they still need proper care to thrive. Pruning is an essential aspect of olive tree maintenance, as it encourages good leaf growth and helps develop the crown. In this article, we will discuss when and where to prune olive trees, as well as watering and feeding requirements, and how to deal with pests and diseases. When to Prune Olive Trees The best time to prune an olive tree is in late winter or early spring, just before the growing season begins. This is when the tree is dormant, making it easier to see and remove any dead or diseased branches. Pruning during this period also promotes healthy new growth and prevents the tree from becoming too bushy or overgrown. Where to Prune Olive Trees When pruning olive trees, it’s important to focus on developing the crown. To do this, start by pruning back each branch to a point where two or three new shoots will spur. This will encourage multi-shoot growth, leading to the development of a well-balanced crown. In the UK, open center pruning is less of a priority since olive fruit is not a significant concern. Instead, prune the tree to suit the available space. There is no science to pruning a tree outside of the commercial environment, and olive trees do not suffer from die-back. Therefore, you can prune anywhere without worrying about pruning just above a shoot.
MAINTENANCE/FAQS
Are Olive Trees Hardy? This is the number one question in the UK and there is a definitive answer – Yes. Olive trees are incredibly robust and can cope with a wide range of extremes. Villaggio Verde Olive trees are hard grown. All our trees are grown outdoors, not a poly-tunnel to be seen which means strength. No matter what the weather, our Olive trees experience it and that goes for a week of full hot sun right through to heavy snow. There are, however, certain things to consider. Do not let your potted Olive tree dry out in Winter. Here, at Villaggio Verde, we have seen very low temperatures in the UK over the past few Winters. It has given us the opportunity to further research how the Olive trees react to sub-zero temperatures. Villaggio Verde have studied this at our facility based in Worcestershire, middle England, and a few years ago saw the lowest temperatures for 100 years, minus 19.2! What we learnt from this was that the roots of an Olive tree can withstand being deep frozen for 2 weeks, providing the tree was hydrated prior to the freeze. In other words, the trees we left dry suffered more than the trees which were watered. During these extreme in low temperatures, we observed that the ‘dry’ trees suffered frost damage into the main branches and occasionally into the trunk, whereas the hydrated trees suffered less. A good hard prune the following spring encouraged the trees to bounce back. Olive trees are a little like Willow trees. Pollard or even chainsaw straight through the middle of the trunk, and the trees will start to shoot from the point where the tree was cut. Planting in the pots? Olive trees do extremely well in pots and can cope with being pot bound providing the crowns is kept cropped and in shape. You must also remember to water your Olive trees more frequently when in pots. Consider building a simple bottomless box around the base of your trees. This can be simply done using new sleepers (not old, contaminated railway sleepers), purchased from your local builder’s merchant. They are cost effective and easy to cut and put together creating a very attractive container. Make the sleeper container as large as you wish in order to balance the crown of the Olive trees. This also provides soil areas in which to under-plant with a herb for example. After one season, the sleepers ‘silver’ providing a super and cost-effective planter. Planting in the ground? Olive trees thrive when planted directly into the ground. They prefer alkaline soils and are happiest in poor soils, sandy, gravel types and chalk. They are also fine in any free draining soil. The trees also grown well in clay, however, our wet UK climate means if you have clay soils, you should consider how long it takes for the water to drain. This is easy to test, as you simply need to dig a hole, fill it with water, and see how quickly the water drains away. If it is still full of water after a few hours then imagine the roots of the Olive tree during the winter, probably too wet. You can help this problem, by only half planting the root-ball and then grading a freer draining soil from the existing ground level to the top of the Olive tree root-ball. If you choose to plant this graded soil with lavender, for example, then the tree will appear natural. Only part planting the Olive tree also means you retain some height, so the Olive tree is viewed and enjoyed even more.
General FAQS 2
What sort of soil and drainage do olive trees like? Olive Trees will grow at their best in a normal topsoil. Drainage is the main criteria for a happy health Olive Tree. Topsoil and compost mix can be used; however, soil holds moisture much better than compost. Good drainage can be acquired by using crocks and broken bricks/stones in the bottom of a pot/hole. The use of a French drain can also help if you are planting into poorly drained soil. How long will it take a young olive tree to grow to maturity? A young Olive Tree will have a smooth trunk, this will take many, many, years to change. I don’t want a tree that will grow too large – how large will an ancient olive tree grow? An Olive Tree trunk will not change substantially in this country. The crown will grow but will require an annual pruning in the growing season, this means you can choose how big your tree rows. Can I keep an olive tree indoors? Given enough light and the correct watering, olive trees thrive indoors. Large olive trees look fantastic in hotels, restaurants, shops and offices. Stunning in art galleries and make a lovely backdrop to shopping malls. Olive trees make glorious container trees for the home. And finally: “Olive trees – surely they won’t survive in the UK”! The trees we supply are Olea Europea and these are very well adapted to the UK climate. Remember that the Mediterranean winters can sometimes be as harsh as ours, so Olive Trees are no strangers to cold or even snow!
General FAQS
How to buy your Olive Tree in the UK? Olive tree specialist, Villaggio Verde has been promoting Olive trees in the UK for more than 20 years and are now the specialist Olive tree suppliers with more than 2000 Olive trees available. Villaggio Verde are committed to supplying ‘best value’ by keeping costs to a minimum. No ‘flashy’ expensive display areas meaning we simply offer quality and value Olive trees direct from ‘our door’ to ‘your door’. All you need to do is drop us an email. info@villaggioverde.co.uk Who do we supply with Olive Trees? Villaggio Verde supply Olive trees to a diverse group of plant users including the general public, garden centres, plants nurseries, mail order companies, garden design companies, construction companies, local authorities, country estates, high profile personalities and celebrities, television companies, film sets and some very important households! How will you deliver my olive tree? We offer a daily Olive Tree delivery, via a national pallet delivery service. Delivery is to the door/drive and is an all-day delivery with no time slot specified. The driver should call 1 hour before arrival. The tree will arrive on a pallet in a large lorry (dustbin lorry size) with a tail lift, please let us know if there are any access problems for a large vehicle. The vehicle does not have any lifting equipment, nor can the driver take the tree to your required planting destination. Please ask us about Saturday AM deliveries if required there would be an additional Saturday charge and a weekday AM delivery. There is also an evening delivery available between the times of 5pm – 9pm, however we do need to check with the individual depot for this service. Please ask about additional cost if any of these services are required when placing your order. For many properties access is limited and the only way into a garden can be either taking the tree (well wrapped) through the house, may be a side gate or sometimes up and over which may require a crane! If the latter is required, it is best you find a local contractor. we will of course always be there to offer advice to you or the contractor if required. We understand this is a large item to purchase and will always do our best to help inform you of a possible solution to getting your order to its destination as we have come across so many scenarios over the years. Lastly, I am certain before you place your order you will have thought about access, doors, gates, steps etc., weight/width of the tree and pot, and how you are going to move it. If you are unsure about anything, please call us to discuss it rather than receiving the tree and realising it is too big or too heavy for you to handle and take to its new home. (Office number 01886 887822) I live in London at the top of a block of flats – I want an old olive tree for the balcony, is this possible? Yes, it’s certainly possible, although it will depend on the load bearing of your balcony. Many of our deliveries in London require special logistics and this is no different. For a balcony tree, if the tree is too large for stairs and lift, it is possible for you to hire a crane locally and we can offer advice at this time. I want an old olive tree in a container on my patio – is this possible? Absolutely yes! Please make sure that there’s adequate drainage and that you’ve sited the container where you want it. Make sure the container is big enough to house the root ball of the olive tree.
Water, Water, Water !
In this blog, VV will be showing the importance of watering your tree. If your Olive Tree is looking a tad under the weather, give this a read ! Remember! You cant over water in a pot. If you need advise in regards to buying or caring for an Olive Tree, please get in contact 🙂 VV
How to Buy Your Olive Tree
1. First choose your olive tree! From our vast range of olive trees – old, young, ancient and gnarly, even twisted or shaped, there is probably one style – or even one particular olive tree – that’s just right for you. But if you can’t find the perfect tree, just contact us and we’ll SEND YOU A PHOTO or VIDEO of a tree that we’ll select for you. Then you can order it, without even leaving your chair! Important – when picking an olive tree – choose it by trunk! When choosing an olive tree from our range whether it be an actual olive tree for sale on our web site, or ones we have selected and sent you a photo or video of, it is important to choose the trunk that really appeals. Due to the short growing season in the UK, the Olive Tree trunks develop slowly. We are often asked, ‘if a buy a younger smooth trunk, how long will it take to become gnarly’. The answer is simple, it will not become gnarly. If you want an Olive tree with a characterful gnarly trunk then you will need to have one from the outset. The other thing to consider when choosing a tree is the crown (the leafy bit). We prune our Olive trees to encourage the branches to produce more and more shoots which in-turn develop into branches. The leafy bit grows and changes quickly so if you find a tree with the right trunk, do not be put of if the crown appears small it will not be small for long! Right: Here’s a tree that a customer asked us to select for them. The photograph shows the sort of detail you can get, plus one of our team standing next to it gives a great idea of height. We are happy to provide a 360 degree video of an olive tree too – simply ask and we’ll email it to you. 2. Young and smaller Olive Trees Smaller olive trees are packed carefully in robust cartons to protect them in transit. Then we usually deliver these ourselves on our own transporters from one of our UK bases, or for more remote/special orders we can arrange for courier delivery to suit. Left: Packaging the selected olive tree. When you receive your olive tree, you will be able to plant or repot it where you wish. 3. Moving a mature Olive Tree Mature olive trees are also carefully transported. Normally we will carefully “contain” the leaves and branches to prevent damage, then we will place onto a pallet and transport by truck. Very large and old olive trees can weigh a LOT! Please remember that after wrapping the crown of the Olive tree there will be some damaged bits to prune off. This is not a problem and infact at the point where you prune, multiple new shoots will grow. Access to the delivery address. For old, large olive trees, or if you have any concerns about access, we will discuss a full delivery strategy with you. Questions to ask yourself: What are the access situations to get to the final planting place? Walk through the route the olive tree will be taking from the road to the garden – eg: through archways, alleyways, overhanging trees or roofs. Also think about the driveway surface? Is it level? Stepped? Gravel? We’ll need to know as much as possible to ensure we can find the best way to get you the perfect tree. Sometimes we can work out the best access with you (For example, a number of properties in London simply don’t have any other access to their gardens than through the house) But the important thing is we’ve supplied so many olive trees, there’s no delivery issue we haven’t seen – and that means we’ve usually got the answer! 4. Delivering and setting your large olive tree When we discuss delivery over the phone we’ll sort out the best times and dates to deliver your tree. It will be delivered on a pallet. If you require assistance planting or repotting please ask at time of booking. This is an additional service, but as specialists in olive trees, we have many excellent gardeners and landscapers on our books so we can advise at time of ordering. 5. Once your olive tree is delivered…. Of course the next stage is all about where you want the tree, how it will be sited and, of course, how big that Olive Tree actually is! Here’s a fairly standard scenario with the siting of a large olive tree at a house in the countryside. The hole had been prepared at the right size (we tell you what size over the phone, according to the tree you buy). The soil here was perfect, well drained and not too rich, so a few bags of John Innes compost Number 3 were added into the hole before the gardener sited the tree. For this project the contractors used a telehander to put the tree into position. There are 1000’s of local farmers around the UK who are normally happy to oblige. Extra information on how to make the most of your Olive Tree “Potting” your Olive Tree Many people tell us they want to site their olive tree in a large pot on their patio or balcony. Of course if it’s a balcony tree you’re after then you don’t have much choice and a pot is the way to go… However, if you want to give the illusion of a pot for your olive tree, or raise your tree above the ground, but at the same time save on money and work – consider “building the pot around the olive tree”. Here’s how to build your own “pot” for a potted olive tree Starting place: Here’s where you start thinking about the combination of the tree you want, and the space you have. You’ll know what sort of olive tree you want – old and
Olive trees Live for Thousands of Years!
Olive trees Live for Thousands of Years! Did you know that olive trees can live for thousands of years? There are many cases of olive trees growing for well over two thousand years, and even stories of a town in the Lebanon that claims to have living olive trees from 4000 BC. The olive trees that we specialise in (Olea europaea) here at Villaggio Verde, range from a year old to 100’s of years old. It is possible for you to own an Olive tree which was originally planted by The Romans! Each gnarly olive tree may have witnessed many incidents. An ancient tree may have supported hundreds and hundreds of people, not to mention wildlife, as its fruits were eaten and used in the production of oils for cooking, ointments, ceremonies. Perhaps it is because they are so dependable, and their fruits so versatile, that Olive Trees have long been revered. “Extending someone an olive branch” is an ancient offering intended to mean peace, and is written about in ancient literature. As you can see, your ancient olive tree is not just a tree… and nor is it just symbollic of past eras. It is possible that your beautiful gnarly olive tree once played a part in history and grew a peace-extending olive branch that changed the course of history.
Olive Tree Size
Olive Tree Height and Size Although they do not grow greatly in height, an olive tree will grow in “personality”, and you can watch this noble specimen through the seasons as it settles into its new environs and becomes home and shelter for birds, and lends a tranquil, sophisticated Mediterranean style to any space. Pot plant to keep height and size down Their size also lends an opportunity to pot your olive trees, so even if you are planning a house move, or you’re just not sure where to home your tree, in the right pot, you can move it and enjoy it anywhere (ask Villaggio Verde for potting information for each tree)
