The home of the real olive tree, as the olive is botanically called, are the regions around the Mediterranean Sea. The climate here is Mediterranean, with long, hot and dry summers, while winters tend to be mild and rainy.
Water olives only moderately
In their native countries, the olive is used to a lot of drought. The plant acknowledges too much moisture with rotting roots and withered leaves, which are then often shed. Since it rains much more frequently (and also more heavily) in our latitudes, olives planted outdoors do not need any additional watering - on the contrary, you should make sure that the soil is well drained and that no waterlogging can form.
Water room olives regularly
The situation is different with olives kept in pots or tubs on the balcony and terrace or with indoor olives. These cannot cover their water requirements through the deep-reaching and branched roots and should therefore be watered regularly, but only slightly. Watering again becomes necessary when the substrate in the pot has dried off on the surface. However, good drainage, such as a layer of pebbles in the pot, is required. This measure should help to avoid waterlogging, because water that does not run off can damage the roots and cause them to rot.
Water and fertilize pot olives properly
This is how you proceed when watering and fertilizing olives kept in buckets:
- Water olives vigorously every one to two weeks in summer
- Avoid waterlogging - the substrate should be moist, but not wet
- Fertilize room olives regularly in spring and once a month with a complete fertilizer
- Dilute fertilizer with irrigation water if possible
- Water olives moderately and seldom during hibernation - but don't forget this!
tips and tricks
Indoor olives like it if you spray them all over - including the leaves and stem - with a little water from a spray bottle from time to time.