How To Prune Olive Tree In Pot
Keep your olive tree pruned.
How to prune olive tree in pot. Even the smallest garden or balcony can accommodate a pot grown olive tree. Free the center of the tree trimming branches growing towards the inside. Use a pair of sharp clean pruning shears to prevent spreading disease to the tree. The ability to place your plant in the best possible location regardless of soil conditions is perhaps the greatest advantage of pot growing.
You should use a lopper and a pruning saw to make these cuts. Heavy pruning can damage a tree s fruit production for years to come. Open pruning also increases the surface fruiting area of the tree. Once the previous soil has been removed gently trim off any dead or dying roots.
Remove the olive tree from the container you purchased it in and gently shake off the soil from the roots. For thicker branches use a hand saw but dip it into isopropyl alcohol for 30 seconds to disinfect it. Plant into the new container gently pack down the soil and then water in well. Make slanted cuts flush with the branches to clip off small shoots and branches to give your olive tree a martini glass shape.
How to prune olive trees. Pruning and caring for a potted olive tree remove branches that have grown from the foot of the tree or along the trunk. Identify branches rubbing against other branches and branches that grow down or at awkward angles. Hold back one of the branches near the middle region of the tree and examine at the inner branches of the olive tree.
Start by trimming out any shoots growing up from the root stock. Only those branches growing horizontally towards the sky must be kept. If you are keeping your olive tree in a pot the root system has to be able to send nutrients to the tree canopy if you don t prune your olive tree the canopy will grow too big for the pot size the result is leaf drop die back straggly branches and pale magnesium deficient leaves. For this type of pruning you remove the tree s central branches to allow sunlight to penetrate the tree.
Open center or vase pruning is very common with olive trees. Growing olive trees in containers is a great way to keep olive trees. Cut branches that point downwards. Next cut out any diseased dead broken and crossing branches.