Outdoor Olive Care

Planting

• Olive trees need a long, hot growing season for their fruit to ripen properly. For this reason, they do best in places like the valleys of California. Your olive tree will not bear fruit if the environment is not ideal. Plant olive trees in the fall in full sunlight and well-drained soil. The soil should have been leveled before planting to ensure that the trees receive a balanced amount of water.

Watering

• Olive trees are drought-resistant but do need regular watering, especially after particularly dry periods. Watering once a month in places like California usually suffices, but you'll need to water more often in drier climates. It's best to simply keep an eye on the soil. If you stick your fingers into the soil and find that the soil feels damp, the tree has enough water. Water the tree when the soil feels dry and grainy.

Fertilizing

• While most olive trees do not require fertilizing, olive trees can flourish with the right fertilizers. Avoid fertilizers with high levels of nitrogen to phosphorus and potassium, as well as fast-release fertilizers, which will damage the plants. Liquid fertilizers are fine as long as you don't mind fertilizing often, as liquid fertilizers are short-lived. Homemade compost works very well if you place it next to the trunk of the tree. Do not fertilize in the fall or winter when the weather is cool.

Pruning

• Olives need regular pruning for optimal fruit production. Prune flowering branches in the early summer. Olive trees can withstand radical pruning, which will enable you to keep them at a desired height without worrying about the integrity of the tree. Olive trees never bear fruit in the same place twice, so prune alternate branches every year in order for fruit to develop on the previous year's regrown branches.

Pests

• Olive trees are generally pest- and disease-resistant, although you should watch out for a few potential problems. In California, verticillium wilt can be a serious fungal disease, and there is no treatment for it. If you find that the fungus has infested your tree, cut off any infected branches or remove damaged trees altogether. Olive knot is a bacteria that is spread when olive trees are pruned with infected tools during a rainy period. It causes knots to form at pruning sites, which can kill twigs and branches. Copper sprays usually help to control this problem.