How to Care for Texas Olive Trees in Containers

Place the container in the sunniest spot you can find. Texas olives need plenty of light to produce the best foliage and flowers. Outdoors, put the container in an area that receives at least 6 hours of full sun daily. Texas olive trees have high tolerance for heat, so heat stress in particularly hot summers is usually not a problem.

Water established Texas olive trees once or twice a month, or whenever the growing medium is dry to a depth of about 2 inches. Texas olive trees are drought tolerant and will not thrive in wet soils. Too much water invites rot and diseases. If the tree is young, water more frequently to encourage and support growth.

Apply a slow-release, balanced fertilizer monthly. Liquid fertilizers often work best in the confined space of a container, because the nutrients reach the roots quickly. The Texas olive, like all container plants, uses up the limited nutrients available in the confined area of a pot. Consider spreading organic mulch on top of the growing medium to help retain moisture and add nutrients to the container. Follow label directions to fertilize the tree properly.

Prune dead branches and twigs to keep the Texas olive healthy and attractive. Texas olive trees may try to develop multiple trunks; if you want to train the plant to a single trunk, prune away all but the central leader (trunk) of the tree. Cut off new vertical limbs as they appear on the tree. Conversely, to develop a multi-trunked tree, choose which of the vertical limbs you want to keep, and prune the rest as close to the base of the tree as you can without cutting into the central leader. Cut off lower limbs to help the plant develop into tree form.