August in the Olive Grove

Now is the time to start pruning your trees.  There is already some new growth appearing on trees so they will appreciate a tidy up in anticipation of a Spring burst of growth.

Olive trees develop fruit on growth from the previous year so if you want fruit every year you need to continually refresh your trees and encourage new growth.  That means doing some pruning every year.  If your trees are large with long branches you will find the new growth is well out of reach and there will be barren looking branches with very little leaf.  If you haven't pruned for a while (or ever) then you may have to be a bit ruthless to get your trees back into shape.

The fundamentals of pruning an olive tree for fruit are:

1.Keep the height of the tree to a level where you can reach the fruit by whatever harvesting method you use.  E.g. if you harvest by hand you will need to be able to reach the top of the tree, unless you will be climbing it!!  If you use long poles or an electric rake your trees can be higher.
2. Keep the tree open in the centre and the growth on the outside of the tree.  Keeping the centre of the tree open means less chance of disease and it also make harvest easier if you don't have to fight your way through lots of foliage.  Olives require sun to grow and ripen so fruit will grow better on the outer branches.
3. Remove excess dead/defoliated wood, crossed over branches, suckers on the trunk or base and any over exuberant new growth which looks out of place as it will be even more of a problem next year.
4. Prune on a dry day.  Use sharp, clean equipment and make smooth cuts.  A pruning saw, loppers and secateurs are usually sufficient but a chainsaw may be necessary if  you haven't pruned for a while!!  Treat large cuts with pruning paste.
5. If you want to ensure a crop each year then prune only some of your trees.  That way you will always have some trees with vigorous new growth from the previous year and ready to grow fruit.  That helps to mitigate the biennial fruiting nature of olive trees across the grove.

nThis is a good time to apply some fertiliser while the ground is still soft and moist.  You could do a soil test to find specific nutrient needs or, if your tress are looking healthy then, simply apply a general all-purpose fertiliser around the drip zone.  This will soak in now and be ready for uptake when the trees start their Spring growth.

August is a good time to shift mature olive trees to new homes.  Large trees may need approximately 1/3 of the top and sides removed to help with re-establishment.  You will need a large root ball into a large hole and stake the tree well for a few years until to new roots dig down.  Olive trees tend to be shallow rooted so inherently unstable if top heavy with foliage.

If you are planting new trees, prepare your sites by clearing, digging and fertilising ready for planting when the weather is a bit more settled in September.