The olive tree is a Mediterranean plant, i. H. apart from a few wine-growing regions, it's just too cold for him in Germany. For this reason, the real olive tree, as the plant is also called, should preferably be kept in a bucket. In order for it to thrive there, it should be repotted every two to three years.

When is the best time to repot?

When and how often you transplant your olive tree depends primarily on its growth rate. Young plants in particular, which usually grow faster, should therefore be repotted more frequently. As a rule of thumb, as soon as the crown of the tree is the same size or even larger than the pot, the plant should get a larger pot. Even if the root tips are already sticking out of the drainage hole, it's high time. The best time for repotting is towards the end of winter, when the tree is gradually coming out of hibernation. With a larger pot and fresh soil, he can now start the new growing season.

Do not choose too large pots

When choosing the next larger pot, you should make sure that its diameter is no more than a third larger than the crown of the tree. The roots of the olive tree are very vigorous and can grow up to seven meters deep and twelve meters wide in the wild. If the pot is too big, the olive tree will invest more energy in the growth of the roots and neglect the parts of the plant above the surface of the earth.

Repot the olive tree properly

While the repotting of young olive trees is still quite easy, it becomes difficult with older and therefore larger specimens. It is best to repot them lying down, i. H. You carefully lay the tree on its side and pull the old pot off the root ball. When peeling off the pot, be careful not to damage the roots. Once the roots are exposed, inspect them carefully. Dead or damaged fine roots should be removed with a sharp knife, otherwise they could rot. However, under no circumstances should you damage one of the thicker main roots, otherwise the corresponding above-ground part of the tree will die off as well.

Correct the growth form of the tree

Olive trees on a balcony or terrace usually stand in a corner all summer long and thus grow - always towards the sun - mainly in one direction, while the other side withers away. You can avoid this by rotating the tree regularly. If it still grows crooked, you can correct the growth habit by cutting the roots. To do this, prune the underside of the root ball on the measly growing side. However, you should not remove more than 10 percent of the root ball and especially not cut off the main roots.

Plant the olive tree correctly

If you have prepared your olive tree accordingly, you can now plant it. To do this, proceed as follows:

  • Mix sand/gravel and commercial potting soil in a ratio of 1:3
  • Fill the pot with pebbles or pieces of pottery as the bottom layer
  • Now fill in the fresh potting soil until the pot is about a third full
  • Put the root ball of your olive tree in the pot and carefully fill it up with soil
  • Be sure to fill in the voids between the roots
  • Tamp down the soil around the trunk
  • Water your olive tree vigorously and maybe spray it all over with a mixture of water with some compound fertilizer

tips and tricks

Instead of mixing the soil for your olive tree yourself, you can also use conventional citrus soil. Citrus trees have similar needs to olive trees.

Category:

Trees