October in the Olive Grove

​Marlborough has certainly seen the Spring nor’westerlies return with a vengeance blowing around pollens, blossoms and anything else not secured.  Olive trees are quite flexible and can bend in the winds but make sure the canopy it kept light so the winds can blow through.  Shallow rooted olive trees can blow over easily in these ferocious winds if top heavy with foliage.  It certainly pays to stake smaller trees securely until they establish a good root system.
The weeds have also got off to a good Spring start and the winds have made herbicide spraying almost impossible.  Good luck with that.  Mowing/linetrimming might be a better option to keep under tree weeds at bay.
You should be finishing pruning early this month as we head towards flowering.  Continue to remove suckers which may appear at ground level or on the trunk these will just sap energy from the rest of the tree.  Kick or cut them off while they are small and soft.  They are much harder to remove once they harden off.

​This is a good month to apply soluble boron in anticipation of flowering next month.  It is not essential but it will help with flowering and fruit set. Boron is a trace element that can be lacking in soils and becomes available to plants as organic matter decomposes.  The availability of boron will depend on the amount or organic matter in your soil over time.
 
Olive Pomace Waste
What have you done with your pomace waste?  Have you applied it to your olive trees or is it still sitting in a heap? 
It is an effective weed suppressant so you may have bald spots where it has sat - that’s the polyphenols working – so it could be useful for under olive tree weed control as well as nutrition. 
It is high in potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen all of which are essential for tree growth.
Mixing it with sawdust, tree mulch, straw, leaves and twigs, horse manure or any other coarse organic material will enhance the texture and help to dry out the pomace faster.  Or you could go the other way and dilute it more and apply as a slurry under olive trees – full of nutrients, easily absorbed and weed suppressant effects all in one!!
Let us know what ideas you come up with or discuss thoughts on our private Facebook page.