Olive Tree Winter Care Uk
Olives are not entirely hardy in the uk and will be damaged by temperatures below 10 c 14 f with young plants suffering after lighter frosts.
Olive tree winter care uk. Olive trees are hardy but may require some winter protection for the first few years. Don t worry about adding any unwanted and unnecessary feed or fertiliser in winter. Move potted plants indoors. Protect from excess water during the winter period by covering the pot or plant.
Olive trees are known to grow incredibly well in poor and even rocky soils. Yes olive trees are drought resistant in the ground but anything in a pot needs watering otherwise your potted olive tree will dry out resulting in leaf drop. So water well particularly through the summer months. We do recommend a decent compost to treat your olive tree too.
Ideally you should position your olive tree in a south or west facing direction away from northern and easterly winds if possible. There is normally no need to water olive trees during the winter only make sure the root ball does not dry out. So in colder areas of the country you can grow olives in large 60cm 2ft diameter and depth containers. If the cold sets in gradually and the air is dry olive trees are hardy down to 10 to 17 f 8 to 12 c and have been known to survive temperatures as low as 0 to 4 f 15 to 18 c.
Winterizing your olive trees it might come as a surprise but what is most fatal to olive trees in winter isn t the cold it s moisture. During a dry winter you may need to water your olive tree. If your soil is sandy or lacking in nutrients try adding a root growth stimulant or fertilizer after planting. Hardy but protect from cold drying winds and hard frost below 5 c.
If you have a potted olive tree then you have the flexibility to move it indoors to shelter it from the cold weather.