order: lamiales
family: oleaceae
genus: olea
species: europaea
first published on 03.06.2012:
I acquired this olive tree well before spring started, while the cold spell was still ongoing outside. I wasn't sure if it had already been through dormancy. Since I couldn't find a suitable spot for this, I decided it's time for him to wake up (if he hadn't already). I placed it on the south window sill next to other plants. On sunny hours the thermometer read 25°C. When cloudy the heating unit would run to keep the room temperature above 15°C.
A few days upon its arrival the small tree began to shed leaves. Three leaves a day. There were roughly 60 leaves on the tree, I counted. A simple calculation showed that the tree would go completely bald in 20 days. Turned out that the lack of water was the main cause. I began to give it plenty of water and immediately defoliation ceased and few days later new growth appeared. Why had I given it so little water in the first place? According to most of the care tips I found on the internet, you want to keep the soil mostly dry and expose the plant to full sun. Their reasoning is that olive trees in their natural habitat in arid Mediterranean areas don't get much of water yet they thrive under hot sun. Seems like those trees aren't really as drought-tolerant as they claim. Apparently they have root systems that are deep enough to reach water table for continuous water supply. A small potted olive tree like mine still needs to be watered on regular basis.
I transplanted my olive tree into an aquatic plant basket, giving it fresh soil. An aquatic plant basket has the benefit that the soil dries up even quicker than in a clay pot. This keeps the root well aerated with oxygen supply and it will result in a more compact root ball and hence increases its ability to absorb water and nutrients. Of course eventually the tree will go into a nice pot. Say next spring. Until then I have time to look around for a suitable one.
>> Update:
This year (2013), my olive tree overwintered in the stairwell close to the entrance, where it received some degree of chill. This has an effect on the plant's physiology, in that it produced such a profusion of white flowers. Because of that, I skipped the spring pruning that I planned.
Earlier, as I moved the plant outdoors, I repotted my olive tree into a shallow oval pot. The pot I chose is dark brown and unglazed. Its brim extends outwards, making it looking wider than it really is. Four tiny legs elevate the pot slightly above the ground.
family: oleaceae
genus: olea
species: europaea
first published on 03.06.2012:
I acquired this olive tree well before spring started, while the cold spell was still ongoing outside. I wasn't sure if it had already been through dormancy. Since I couldn't find a suitable spot for this, I decided it's time for him to wake up (if he hadn't already). I placed it on the south window sill next to other plants. On sunny hours the thermometer read 25°C. When cloudy the heating unit would run to keep the room temperature above 15°C.
A few days upon its arrival the small tree began to shed leaves. Three leaves a day. There were roughly 60 leaves on the tree, I counted. A simple calculation showed that the tree would go completely bald in 20 days. Turned out that the lack of water was the main cause. I began to give it plenty of water and immediately defoliation ceased and few days later new growth appeared. Why had I given it so little water in the first place? According to most of the care tips I found on the internet, you want to keep the soil mostly dry and expose the plant to full sun. Their reasoning is that olive trees in their natural habitat in arid Mediterranean areas don't get much of water yet they thrive under hot sun. Seems like those trees aren't really as drought-tolerant as they claim. Apparently they have root systems that are deep enough to reach water table for continuous water supply. A small potted olive tree like mine still needs to be watered on regular basis.
I transplanted my olive tree into an aquatic plant basket, giving it fresh soil. An aquatic plant basket has the benefit that the soil dries up even quicker than in a clay pot. This keeps the root well aerated with oxygen supply and it will result in a more compact root ball and hence increases its ability to absorb water and nutrients. Of course eventually the tree will go into a nice pot. Say next spring. Until then I have time to look around for a suitable one.
>> Update:
This year (2013), my olive tree overwintered in the stairwell close to the entrance, where it received some degree of chill. This has an effect on the plant's physiology, in that it produced such a profusion of white flowers. Because of that, I skipped the spring pruning that I planned.
Earlier, as I moved the plant outdoors, I repotted my olive tree into a shallow oval pot. The pot I chose is dark brown and unglazed. Its brim extends outwards, making it looking wider than it really is. Four tiny legs elevate the pot slightly above the ground.
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| Olive tree in flower, June 2013. View 1. |
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| Olive tree in flower, June 2013. View 2. |
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