The beautiful, rustic olive trees from Tuscany, Piedmont or other typical growing areas are mostly many centuries, even thousands of years old. Until you own such a gnarled tree, you will have to be patient - in any case, you will be able to leave your children and / or grandchildren a very special inheritance. In this article we will show you how to grow an olive tree yourself.
Selection of the seed
First of all, you need the right seeds. Olives belong to the stone fruits, so they have - like cherries or plums - a seed core surrounded by pulp. However, you cannot simply go to the supermarket and buy pitted olives there in order to use them as the basis for your own olive cultivation, but usually have to order the seeds from specialist shops or online. Olives available in Germany are usually pickled or otherwise processed, which is why their core is no longer viable.
How to choose good olives for seed
You can find germinable seed kernels in
- fully mature, d. H. black olives
- that are as fresh as possible and not processed
- the fruits should not have any damaged areas
Another possibility would be to travel to the olive-growing regions at harvest time and bring back fresh, fully ripe olives from there.
Treat the seed kernel properly
Once you have a seed, the first thing you need to do is free it from the surrounding pulp. Then rinse it carefully under running lukewarm water and rub off the remains of the pulp. First, soak dried seeds in lukewarm water for 24 hours, changing the water several times. Now you can carefully scratch or file the seeds, this will speed up germination.
Plant the seed
Now place the pre-treated seed core in as germ-free a potting soil as possible. The tip of the core should look up. Cover it loosely with about ½ to an inch of soil and keep it moist - but not wet! The pot should be in a location that is as bright and warm as possible - around 20 to 25 °C. Germination occurs within four to twelve weeks. The seedling must be as bright as possible, otherwise its shoot will be too long and thin. You only have to repot the young plant when the soil in the seed pot is already well rooted. Only fertilize them when they are about three to four months old with some liquid fertilizer, but with a maximum of a quarter of the usual dosage.
tips and tricks
Young olives also need a lot of air and light. It is therefore best to grow the young plants in spring and then place them outside in a sheltered place from June / July. A semi-shady location is ideal to slowly get the olives used to the sun.