Pruning should be your major task in the olive grove this month.  Pruning can continue right through until flowering in November so it doesn’t all have to be done this month but don’t delay too long as Spring is just around the corner. It is also a good time to get your fertilizer on while the ground is nice and soft and we are still getting regular rain.  If you haven’t done a specific soil or leaf analysis for a targeted fertiliser application then a general all purpose fertiliser will suffice and set up the trees for the Spring growth burst and on into Summer.


Considerations 
Your first consideration with pruning is ‘How do you harvest?’ because that will determine the shape of your trees.  
Do you harvest by:

• hand onto ground nets 
• clappers/poles/mechanical rakes onto ground nets
• using a tree shaker into an umbrella/capture device

The second consideration is do you want fruit/oil each year?
Fruit forms on growth from the previous year and as the tree grows the old growth defoliates in favour of the new leafy fruit bearing branches.  With some new growth coming on each year there will always be some fruit from the previous year’s growth but you need to prune to encourage that new growth where you want it.  If you want guaranteed fruit each year then you could prune some of your trees one year and some the next.

 Pruning 
You will need a pruning saw, loppers and some secateurs.  You may even need a chainsaw if it’s a big catch up job!
Firstly, cut out all the old barren branches with no leaf.  They are doing nothing but taking up space.  Reshape your tree with harvest in mind. If you harvest solely by hand then your trees need to be a ‘reachable’ height, so cut down the height first.  If you have to reduce the tree height, be brutal.  You will lose fruiting branches (and crop for next year) but the regrowth will be abundant and you can reshape more appropriately next year.  Remember if you want some fruit next season don’t do all your trees at once. If your pruning cuts are on large limbs use a pruning paste to protect the wound.  If using clappers/mechanical rakes then you can let your trees grow higher. If you have tree shaking contractors harvesting with umbrellas capturing the falling fruit then the tree shape should be narrow so fruit falls into the umbrella and not the surrounding ground.   The height of the tree is not an issue.

Next, get into the middle of the tree and clear out all the crossed over branches, limbs growing the wrong way and things you can’t reach during harvest.  The birds love these places to build nests.  The centre should be cleared of growth because olives grow and ripen best in the sun so branches should be growing out towards the sunlight.  Dense foliage harbours disease and makes it difficult to harvest so keep the canopy light and airy.  Your pickers will also appreciate all the fruit being accessible. 

Lastly, refine the edges by lifting drooping branches off the ground and thin the branches to minimise disease and make the canopy open and accessible. Be careful not to trim off all the new growth as this will be your fruit bearing branches next season.  A good rule of thumb is to thin out the canopy so ‘a bird can fly through’ but doesn’t want to stay and build a nest!  This also means the wind can blow through, pollen can blow through to fertilise the flowers and leaves can be kept dry and less likely to harbour disease, fruit will also get good sun exposure to ripen. Your trees should look lush, bushy and green not grey, sparse and woody.
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Good pruning will set up your trees to be the best they can in the seasonal variance that occurs ever more frequently now.  Care for your trees with a bit of good pruning every year and they will produce well each year for a long time.  They are worth it for the gorgeous oil you can enjoy so easily all year.

​Harvest is over for another year. Its time to relax and enjoy the beautiful oil you got from your trees this season. Put your feet up and sit by the fire with a dish of olive oil and a nice fresh loaf, and maybe an olive or two!!
 
Harvest 2023
This season has had its challenges with fruit slow to ripen, regular rainy days, lack of sunshine and variable cropping levels. Growers have picked later so the Press got off to a slow start with a bit of a rush towards the end of the month. Much fruit has come in very green and small so oil percentages are down across the board but generally growers seemed happy with what they could get, given the challenges. We are still gathering more customers each year as people find trees to harvest and join a small grower mix to enjoy some locally grown olive oil.

Our press operators have calmly dealt with all sorts of fruit, a variety of bins/buckets/bags and boxes holding the fruit, an interesting array of oil receptacles (we will give you some suggestions about what is/isn’t acceptable before next season) and the constantly missing documentation (Supplier Delivery/Collection Forms). They are busy pressing your fruit and doing all the jobs that entails so being organised at your end really helps them. A real positive is the clean fruit that has come in this season. Apart from fruit harvested by a tree shaker there has been little need for leaf blowing.

​The Booking Co-ordinator is still managing to smile after a hectic season of uncertainty and changes in bookings, schedules, volumes and personnel.  She ensures volumes coming in are manageable on a day-to-day basis when really everyone wants to pick on the same weekend.  She controls traffic management with staggered bookings for receivals so you can all come and go and turn around with trailers.  And she’s even got a forklift licence so can offload for you as well.  Behind the scenes its emails, spreadsheets, phone calls, production schedules, volumes and invoicing.  We wouldn’t flow anywhere near as smoothly without Mandy.  A bit of a break is well deserved.

Our generous landlords at Golden Mile tolerate our ‘take over’ every year at this time and after four seasons remain welcoming and warm with all the comings and goings.  They are now busy preparing for their summer season so will enjoy a slightly quieter work space.
 
Press is closed
 
The Press is now closed for the season.  Over the next few months enjoy your trees and we will keep you up to date with helpful tips on how to maximise their potential for a good crop in 2024.

See you next year.