Care Instructions

HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR NEW OLIVE TREE

 

Watering
Once established in the ground, olive trees are drought tolerant.

In a pot, in full sun, olive trees need daily watering September to May. In Winter, approximately every 3 days is sufficient.


Pruning
Best time to prune is Spring to promote growth.

 

Harvesting & Picking Olives
Olive trees start fruiting, depending on variety, from four to five years old. The fruits are ready for harvesting from Autumn to early Winter. Freshly picked olives are bitter to taste and have to be pickled in brine before preserved for eating.

For black olives wait until they past the olive green stage and turn purply black but are still firm. Green olives can be picked earlier. Both can be pickled.

 

Position
Your olive tree will grow best in full sun, or a minimum of 6 hours of sun per day for your tree to be at its full potential. Any less than 6 hours, the tree will drop leaves. The less sun it gets, the more leaves it will drop.

The olive is very tolerant of windy positions, although young trees may require staking until they are established.

Basic brine Recipe:

100grams of salt to 1L of cooled, boiled water.

The olives need to be fully submerged in clean jars for 3 months.

Suggested additives – lemons, oregano, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and white wine vinegar.

 

IMPORTANT: We strongly recommend spraying your olive tree with FLYING Insect Spray every 14 days to prevent the Lace Bug attacking it.

     

     

    TOXICITY OF OTHER PLANTS

    Fiddle Leaf Figs

    Dermatitis is identified in plants under Class 4 toxicity. Lip and mouth irritation will be present if the plant is ingested and it can cause skin irritation and rash if you have come in contact with the sap.

     

    Sensation Lilly

    Peace Lily is a potential hazard to your pooch. If chewed or ingested, it can cause significant irritation of the mouth leading to drooling, vomiting, and difficulty swallowing. As such, it belongs on any list of toxic plants for dogs.

     

    Bird of Paradise

    This plant is toxic to your dogs, cats, horses and more so if you believe your dog ingested a part of it, contact your veterinarian immediately.