Olive trees are a cherished addition to many gardens, especially in Mediterranean regions, where they can even be grown outdoors. Whether cultivated as potted plants or in the open ground, olive trees require proper care, and pruning plays a crucial role in their growth and fruit production. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to prune your olive tree for optimal health, shape, and yield.
Pruning Olive Trees: Key Principles The type of pruning an olive tree needs depends on its intended purpose. For potted plants, the goal is typically to create a well-formed, dense crown, with minimal emphasis on fruit production. Some people prefer shaping their olive tree into a topiary. However, if you’re growing an olive tree for fruit, pruning takes on a different approach to encourage healthy fruiting and larger yields.
Here’s what you need to know:
- Pruning for Shape and Health: Olive trees are highly resilient to pruning and can be cut back quite severely without harm. Potted olive trees benefit from pruning in spring after winter dormancy to encourage a compact, balanced crown. Remove any dry, dead branches from winter storage, and trim any awkward, outward-growing branches. For a fuller, denser canopy, trim back stronger branches and even pinch back new shoots during the summer.
- Pruning for Fruit Production: For optimal fruit production, olive trees are typically shaped into a « teller crown » — a round shape with five main, evenly distributed side branches. These trees should have no central leader, allowing the branches to grow freely and fruit to develop on the previous year’s wood. Pruning should focus on removing vertical or inward-growing branches to ensure good light penetration. The main goal is to promote a well-illuminated and open canopy, which encourages better flowering and fruiting.During the growing season, young shoots should be shortened to half their length, while the top branches are pruned back to stimulate new growth. Over time, this method fosters the development of strong, fruitful branches.
- Fruitwood Pruning and Maintenance: In mature olive trees, pruning is generally done every two years to maintain a productive tree. During this time, remove the spent fruiting wood from the previous year’s growth and trim back the side branches to about 15 cm (6 inches). This encourages new fruiting wood that will bear high-quality olives in the next season.For older trees that have become overgrown, a more severe pruning technique may be used. In these cases, a portion of the main branches may be cut back to rejuvenate the tree, promoting new growth and improving fruit yield.
- Special Considerations for Olive Tree Shaping: If you aim to grow an olive tree as a topiary, shaping the tree with hedge trimmers is an effective technique, especially after the tree has gone through its winter dormancy. A second trim in the summer, around Midsummer’s Day, will help maintain the desired shape.
Important Notes on Olive Tree Pruning:
- Timing: The best time for pruning olive trees is in spring, after the risk of frost has passed, or occasionally, right before the end of the growing season if you need to remove long, unwieldy branches.
- Rejuvenation: Over time, older trees may need a drastic cutback, particularly if they produce fewer olives. Cutting back main branches about 50 to 100 cm (20-40 inches) above the trunk allows new, stronger shoots to grow, leading to healthier trees and improved yields within a few years.
Winter Care for Olive Trees: Aside from pruning, proper winter care is essential. Olive trees are sensitive to extreme cold, so make sure to provide protection if you live in a region where freezing temperatures occur. Wrapping or moving potted trees to sheltered areas can help ensure they thrive through the colder months.