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The weather continues to be incredibly variable with high temperatures and rain, overcast days and sunshine all in the mix. These are perfect conditions for peacock spot. If you need to do a copper spray for peacock spot get it done before mid April, well ahead of your anticipated harvest date. The grass and weeds also haven’t stopped growing in this uncharacteristic weather. With harvest in mind April is the time to spray weeds under your trees to keep it clear and keep mowing the grass around your trees to make life easier for yourself at harvest. Marlborough hasn’t had the total dry brown off we usually have over summer. If you have been grazing under trees get the animals out now so there is no chance of contamination at harvest and you can fill out your declaration form knowing you are well clear of the withholding period (60 days). It will be a good time to estimate your anticipated volumes and make sure you have enough equipment for harvest and containers for oil. The Grove Supply Company has a good range of harvest equipment for sale on their website www.grovesupply.co.nz. Farmlands and Fruitfed Supplies have hand rakes and gloves. Vitis in Blenheim www.vitis.co.nz stocks stainless steel storage cans in various sizes as does Viniquip in Nelson www.viniquip.co.nz . Plastic storage containers (20 litres, food grade) are usually available at Mitre10 or Bunnings and often on special. Get everything ordered now and avoid the rush next month. There is still a lot of growing to do before your fruit is ready for harvest but start monitoring for colour change later in the month. Fruit set will be well established now and those little green olives should be much easier to see as they grow in size. The Colour Maturity Index below shows the various stages of ripening and illustrates that you cannot judge ripeness solely from the colour of the skin. Harvesting at CMI 3 will give you a low percentage return of oil whereas CMI 5-7 will maximise the oil content. The degree to which you mix the maturity of your fruit at harvest will determine the flavour profile. Lots to consider as you watch your crop mature. Colour Maturity Index (CMI) Chart
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Marlborough is greener than usual for this time of year. The grass and weeds are still growing strongly with all the soil moisture that has been accumulated over a very wet summer. Keep grass growth in check under olive trees (herbicide spray or line trim or mow) so they are not competing for moisture when Marlborough does start to dry out. Your trees should have an indicative fruit set now with fruit well formed enough to give you an idea about your potential harvest volume. Flowering was a bit wet so there may be patchy fruit set depending on your varietal and when it flowered. February is a good time to do a leaf analysis and see what nutrients you might need to apply later in the year. Peak growing time shows up what nutrients your trees need to produce fruit. You don’t need to fertilise until after harvest but doing the leaf analysis now tells you the tree deficiencies. Pop into Fruitfed and get a sample bag to send off for testing or contact Hills Laboratories and do it directly. Sampling is easy. Taking four or five leaves from the periphery of each of 10 - 15% of your trees should be enough. Select leaves that are the youngest mature leaves on the shoot. A dry leathery feel indicates a mature leaf.  Disease is prevalent in the humid temperatures we have experienced this summer. The most common being Peacock Spot (yellowing leaves with circular blotches). It will not affect the fruit but can diminish the vigour of the tree if the infection is significant. A copper spray can help to control the spread. Keeping an open canopy to encourage airflow also helps.
There is still a lot of growing to do before your trees produce a good crop of olives so trim off excess foliage, especially basal shoots and new growth in the centre of the trees to encourage energy into fruit growth. Ensure trees get water as Marlborough dries out. Enjoy the shade olive trees provide during these hot days. The Spring months have certainly been a mixed bag weatherwise. Hot sunny days, humid days, calm, sunny days and howling gales. Rain has been regularly keeping the ground moisture levels topped up. Looking forward, anything could happen!! Flowering this year seems to be profuse, probably because of all the ground moisture. As the little flowers open your trees need warm, dry days and gentle breezes to distribute pollen effectively. Watch for the flowers to open, then the petals will fall and if pollination has been successful you will see a tiny little olives begin to grow where the flowers were. There will still be a bit of ‘thinning’ that happens over the next few weeks as the strongest growth dominates but by the end of January you should have a good idea of your fruit set.  There will be a lot of tree growth over December and January and with the demands for growth at a peak make sure your trees continue to get sufficient water if Marlborough does start to dry out. Keep that growth in check by removing any water shoots at the base of the trees and any excess growth in the middle of trees which will not get the sun. This is redundant growth energy which can be better utilised in growing fruit. It’s also much easier to remove young shoots now than branches later in the season. Keep weeds down so they don’t compete with trees for moisture. Most importantly spend some time relaxing in the shade of an olive tree over this summer. Perhaps enjoying a picnic with family and friends sharing some breads and home grown olive oil. We wish you a Merry Christmas, relaxing break and hope for a bountiful season in 2023.  |
AuthorJanine Mayson Archives
October 2026
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