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During this quiet time in the Olive Grove and keeping the mind that our inboxes are pretty full these days our newsletter will now be bi-monthly over the summer. We will revert to monthly as we approach harvest 2023. The wet ground is drying out with thankfully only the occasional rainy top up. Grass growth has taken off with a flourish and weeds are looking very vigorous. Keep the grass and weeds around trees under control as they will harbour disease and insect pests. With all the moisture in the ground and continuing overcast days disease will be more prevalent. Keep an eye out for early signs of peacock spot in particular (copper spray if it’s bad but avoid any sprays at flowering). Scale and leafroller may be a problem with young trees and lots of lovely, sappy new growth (a squirt of a general insecticide is all that’s needed). If you want to apply some soluble boron as a foliar spray October is the time to do so, just before flowering in November. Boron tends to be lacking in NZ soils and olives benefit from this nutrient for good fruit set. If you have new trees to plant October and November are the best months so trees have a chance to get established before Marlborough dries out over summer. Pruning should be completed in October before your trees flower in November (along with the grapes). See information later in email about a pruning contractor, from Waipara, who will be available in November if you need help. 
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Marlborough is saturated with what looks like the wettest Winter on record. Olive trees like free draining soil and are shallow rooted so wet feet over this winter could be a big stressor for your trees as they head into Spring. Olive trees use two thirds of their water requirements over Spring and Summer and have very little need for the water that they are sitting in now. Waterlogged ground deprives the roots of oxygen and also impedes the uptake of nutrients. Watch for signs of stress such as shedding leaves, a more grey than green appearance and slow development of new growing tips. An application of a general-purpose fertiliser may help to offset this stress until conditions stabilise again as we progress through Spring.  Try to reduce activity around your trees to minimise soil compaction. Under tree weeds will be growing vigorously soon so hopefully that may help with water uptake from the soil but we really need a prolonged period of no rain. Check the stability of your trees. With the waterlogged soil and shallow roots there is potential for top heavy olive trees to topple over when the strong winds start. Young trees are easier to manage with staking but recheck your stakes as the sodden ground will destabilise them. Pruning should be in full swing this month but ensure you pick a dry day or prune later in the day after the trees have dried out a bit with some sun or wind. Wet conditions just set your trees up to be susceptible to disease so keep and eye out for signs of peacock spot and other fungal diseases as you prune. Ensure your tools are clean, dry and sharp to minimise damage and potential entry points for disease. Your trees will soon be showing new growth tips as spring takes hold.  Pruning is the job in the olive grove for this month and the next few months right up until November when flowering and pollination occurs. Your first consideration with pruning is ‘How do you harvest?’ because that will determine the shape of your trees. Do you harvest by:
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. 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 just enjoy your beautiful fresh oil. Have a month off. Harvest 2022The olive press has had a good run this year and we continue to pick up new growers or people who have just found trees to harvest so they can enjoy their own olive oil. Growers were getting anxious in early May with fruit darkening early and heavy crop levels. By the time we opened the Press there was a full on rush for pressing over the first three weeks with weekends being by far the busiest to co-ordinate. The Press Operators were working long days and full weeks. The Booking Co-ordinator fielded most of the mayhem and made it all flow smoothly from booking through delivery to pressing and pickup. Always with a cheery smile. Huge thank you to Mandy!!  Leafblowing
With all the wet days during those three weeks a lot of fruit was full of leaf and debris -foliage tends to stick to the fruit when wet. There was a lot of leaf blowing required during this time. We have been very strict with our requirement for leaf blowing over the last two years and it has paid off. Removing excess leaf, twig and debris is very labour intensive as some has to be removed manually, even with mechanical assistance. If not removed the extra fibre in the pomace has potential to block the system, slow down processing, leave residue or even blow out pipes. It also adds a very leafy intensity to the flavour of the oil. This year we had no breakdowns for blockages!! We will be just as strict next season so if you don’t want that extra leaf blowing charge then think about what you could do to clean up your fruit. Oil Percentages This year you will have been given a Pressing Receipt when you picked up your oil. This had a record of your oil percentage. Over the season we find that the oil percentage increases with later loads of fruit, meaning that a lot of people probably pick their fruit earlier than is optimal. If your oil percentage was 9% - 12% then you were not getting maximum return of oil for weight of fruit. 17% - 20% is probably the best you could hope to get so congratulations to growers who achieved that. Press is closed The Press is closed for the season from 5 July. We hope you enjoy your Extra Virgin Olive Oil over the year (whether you get it tested or not, it will be EVOO) and come back again next season. Look after those trees, they produce a fabulous product and they look pretty good as well. We’re now off for a bit of a break!! It’s all about harvest!! If you haven’t already got your Supplier Declaration into the Booking Co-ordinator and booked a slot then keep monitoring your crop and think about when might be best. The Press will be open until the end of June so there is no rush if your fruit is slow to ripen. Remember black on the outside doesn’t mean ripe. Always check the flesh of your fruit and look for colour change from pale creamy green to a blush of pink. You will get a much better oil return with ripe fruit. You may notice some shrivelling of black fruit in this dry weather as the mature fruit struggles to get moisture out of the depleted ground. If the fruit is wrinkly and dry that is not cause for concern.  If we start getting frosts then watch your fruit for signs of ‘frost burn’ shrivel. Fruit can tolerate up to minus 2 degrees without damage. Frost burn will look brown on your fruit and flesh will start to go soft. If your shrivelled olives look moist and brown then that may be frost damage. Soft and ‘squishy’ means your fruit is starting to decompose and flavours will rapidly change to undesirable ‘musty’ notes.
When harvesting fruit take care not to crush or damage it as the olives will start to oxidise and this will taint the flavour of the oil. The sooner you get your olives into the Press after harvest the better for the quality of your oil so liaise with the Booking Co-Ordinator and plan your harvest. Bookings are very heavy over the first two weeks in June and especially over the weekends. If you can harvest outside these times then you are more likely to get the slot you desire. When delivering your olives to the Press you MUST REMAIN IN THE DESIGNATED AREA, i.e. the delivery zone. The Olive Press is a work area and compliant with Occupational Health and Safety as well as Food Safety rules. Our staff are busy working to press your olives for oil so be as efficient as possible in your delivery and/or pick up and follow instructions. DO NOT ENTER THE OLIVE PRESS BUILDING OR PASS THE TRUCK STATIONED ON SITE. |
AuthorJanine Mayson Archives
October 2026
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