Olive tree

Plant family

Season Overview

Details

Light requirement

Sunny

Water requirement

Dry

Soil

Medium (loamy)

Nutrient requirement

Low

Plant distance

500 cm

Row spacing

500 cm

Seeding depth

0.5 cm

Instructions

Description

All the wonder of the olive tree is in the pit of the olive, where the seed is located. You can also plant your own olive tree from this. However, you cannot use olives from the supermarket. This is because they are treated. It is therefore advisable to buy the seeds from a specialist shop or locally during your next vacation. You will find particularly germinable seed in ripe, fresh and undamaged olives. Once you have the seed, you must carefully separate it from the pulp. To speed up germination, it is possible to carefully score the seed. If you have ordered a dried seed, you will need to soak it in warm water for 24 hours before planting it. The olive tree will bear its first olives very late. You can expect the first harvest after around six years. However, your olive tree will not produce the same yield as an olive tree in a grove. This is because these are grafted to produce a higher yield. The older the tree, the greater the yield, which reaches its maximum at around 20 years of age.

Growing tips

As soon as you have pre-treated the core, you can plant it in germ-free potting compost with the tip facing upwards. The difference between potting soil and normal potting soil is that it is very low in salt or mostly salt-free. In addition, it does not contain any pathogenic seedlings that could impair the healthy development of the seeds. After planting, it is important to wait and keep the soil moist, not too wet! The seeds should also be kept in the pot at temperatures between 20 and 25 degrees.