Potted olive trees
Old olive tree with gnarled trunk
Olive tree leaves and fruit
Yellow olive blossoms
Green and black olives
Contents
Find all our tips in the Monstera application
The olive tree, Olea europaea, a true symbol
Contents
Find all our tips in the Monstera application
Found around the Mediterranean basin, the Olea europaea, better known as the olive tree, is a tree laden with symbolism. This member of the Oleaceae family embodies Provence, ancient Greece, peace, wisdom and longevity.
How to recognize the olive tree, Olea europaea?
The olive tree, Olea europaea, lives for several hundred years. That's enough time to reach a height of fifteen to twenty meters. In the wild, the tree grows bushy to protect itself from the wind and animals that like to eat its leaves. Cultivated olive trees are generally kept at a height of three to seven meters and pruned to give them a ball shape. This facilitates cultivation and fruit harvesting.
The Oliver is a highly branched shrub. Over the years, its trunk becomes gnarled and its bark brown. Younger trees - those less than a hundred years old - have smooth, grey trunks.
The evergreen foliage is made up of tough, opposite blades. They grow on a short stalk. Oval and elongated, the leaves are three to ten centimetres long and one to four centimetres wide. The upper surface is dark green, while the underside is a light, silvery green.
Olea europaea flowers in spring. White flowers with four petals and two stamens bloom. Fragrant and discreet, the bloom is also short-lived, lasting an average of one week.
Fruiting begins in September and lasts until late autumn. The fruit takes the form of a drupe covered with a bloom. Green when young, they turn black when ripe.
The olive tree is not a toxic plant. Olives are harvested and eaten raw or cooked, green or black. They are pressed to produce olive oil. Renowned for its nutritional qualities and benefits for the body, olive oil is an indispensable ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine, alongside Thymus vulgaris and Salvia rosmarinus.
Our maintenance tips
Olive tree is renowned for its longevity, even immortality. Only frost, too much water and a little clumsiness can cause its premature death. Here's what you need to know to avoid killing your plant.
Watering
Your Olivier supports mains water. You can water it with reclaimed rainwater or tap water.
Before watering, make sure the surface of the soil is at least five centimetres dry.
Don't forget to drain any stagnant water in the saucer or planter.
Spray
Your olive tree hates wet foliage. You must not mist the plant.
Repotting
In spring, transfer your Olea europaea to a larger pot, so that it can continue to grow.
Choose a pot or tub as wide as it is tall, to give the roots room to grow. The container should be perforated to allow water to drain away.
To optimize drainage and prevent root rot, pour in a bed of clay balls or gravel and cover with drainage felt.
Add a layer of potting soil for Mediterranean plants. Loosen the root crown and plant the tree without burying the trunk too deeply. Fill in with substrate.
Rather than placing your pot in a saucer, place it on wedges. This will protect the roots from frost and stagnant water. You can also mulch the surface with bark or gravel.
Fertilization
You can stimulate the development of your plant during its growth phase, in spring and summer, with fertilizer.
In a pot, your plant doesn't receive all the nutrients it needs to grow. To promote its development, feed it with a soluble fertilizer for Mediterranean plants.
Harvest
Olive trees start producing olives at the age of five. However, you have to wait until they are at least fifteen years old to get a decent crop.
You can pick the fruit or drop it when it's green or black. But be careful, you'll need to prepare them before eating.
Prune
Pruning structures the habit and improves harvesting. It should always be carried out outside periods of frost and with a clean, sharp tool. This precaution prevents the spread of pests and diseases.
Start by removing branches that appear at the base of the tree or along the trunk. Then remove those that point downwards. Finally, you can cut the inward-growing twigs at the heart of the foliage to aerate it.
You can apply a healing putty to prevent the onset of disease.
Plantation
Once the last spring frosts have passed, you can plant.
Find a sunny spot, sheltered from the wind and from which rainwater runs off easily.
Dig a hole twice the size of the root ball. Place sand or pebbles at the bottom for drainage. Cover with garden soil mixed with potting compost for Mediterranean plants. Plant your specimen, making sure the rootball reaches ground level. Fill the hole with your mixture of garden soil and planting mix.
Form a trough around the tree and water abundantly for the first time (10 to 20 liters) to soak the soil.
If you're planting several trees, space them six meters apart so that they can grow unhindered.
If you're planting several trees, space them six meters apart so that they can grow unhindered.
Diseases / Threats
Information
| Family | Oleaceae - Oleaceae |
| Type | Olea - Olea |
| Species | Olivier - Olea europaea |
| Lifecycle | Perennial |
| Foliage | Evergreen |
| Exposure | |
| Substrats | |
| Planting methods |
Open ground In pots In tubs |
| Categories | |
| Tags |
Large pot Edible vegetable |
| Origin |
Western Asia |
| Hardiness (USDA) | 9a |
| Leaf color |
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| Flower color |
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| Fruit colors |
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