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Big straggly olive tree

borgadrborgadr Posts: 570
in Wildlife gardening
I have a large olive tree, about 5m (15') tall, which is looking quite straggly and leggy. I don't know how/if it's been pruned in the past as we only moved here last year.  So far this year, the only thing I've done is to remove any obviously dead branches. It's in full sun for most of the day. 

How would you rejuvenate it?  Should I remove the lowest branches to make it more tree-like? Or do the opposite and shorten it to make it more compact and stocky? Or should I just leave it be?

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  • borgadrborgadr Posts: 570
    Apologies..  I somehow put this in Wildlife Gardening..
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 9,974
    I guess it's really up to you to decide what shape tree you want, but now (june/early July) is the right time of year to prune.
    I have one in a pot that I hack back each year - they're pretty tough and soon re-sprout.
    Don't delay too much, or the new growth wont have time to harden off before winter sets in
    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • Joyce GoldenlilyJoyce Goldenlily Posts: 2,142
    Is the olive offending your senses?
    You could just leave it to carry on growing happily.
    If you want a more structured look you could thin out several of the thinner stems at ground level or even take out all but the thickest stem and create a single stemmed tree. It is unusual to see a multi stemmed olive tree, maybe the previous owners spent years creating the tree into a bush. From its size it is obviously quite a few years old.
    My olive sets fruit each year but they never mature as our season is not long enough for the olives to ripen.
  • tui34tui34 Posts: 2,727
    @Pete.8  Hello.  My olive tree is pruned during the winter months (maximum February)  so that the flowers can develop by June.  Maybe because I'm in a warmer region?  Harvest is usually from early September onwards depending if I want them green or ripen to black.

    Anyway, @borgadr  an olive tree should be clear enough in the middle for a dove to be able to fly through it....so the saying goes.  After that, it is up to you if you want to trim the tips.

    Here is a photo of mine:

    A good hoeing is worth two waterings.

  • tui34tui34 Posts: 2,727

    Takes about 5 years of cutting branches etc to get any form out of it.  You can train a branch to go where you like (outwards) by inserting a piece of wood low down between the branches.  That trains the branch to move outwards rather than upwards.
    A good hoeing is worth two waterings.

  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 9,974
    oooh - that's a big one! :) and a magnificent specimen.

    A few years ago there was a member here that had a garden with lots of olive trees and they suggested pruning in June/July - it seems to work for my potted tree.
    I don't take good care of it I'm afraid, but I've had it about 20 years now.
    I do get 20-30 olives that ripen each year, but not enough to invest in a press :)

    I don't really have the right place for it, so it sits in the corner of my patio and I chop bits off the top each time it hits the awning - which is probably not the recommended method
    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • tui34tui34 Posts: 2,727
    You could bottle your 30 olives in a brine, you know.
    A good hoeing is worth two waterings.

  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 9,974
    I suppose I could, but - 'Essex olives' - just doesn't sound right 😁
    If I get enough I'll have a go though.
    I do really like the un-stoned Greek Kalamata olives though and often buy them, or the green ones stuffed with pimento and manchego cheese

    10th Jan 2021  - the last one :)

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • tui34tui34 Posts: 2,727
    @Pete.8   B)
    A good hoeing is worth two waterings.

  • tui34tui34 Posts: 2,727
    PS  My tree has formed olives on them now - tiny - and dropping all over the tiles!!  They need sweeping up every day.  I thought I'd finished sweeping when the flowers started to form, unfortunately not. 

    I don't know if you have them in the UK, but small olives still with the stem on, preserved in brine.  Really cute - really expensive!!

    My species is Lucques which are meaty oval shaped olives.  I also make tapenade which is quite yum.
    A good hoeing is worth two waterings.

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