Q&A for How to Prune an Olive Tree

The best fertilizer for olive trees is a nitrogen-based fertilizer given every spring.

The two most common reasons for leaves to be falling off is over or under watering. Only water when the soil is dry to touch.

Yes, they can grow in pots, but potted trees need to be watered and fertilized more often than a tree planted in the ground.

Trimming an avocado tree can be done by simply removing the tallest branch each year to reduce the height and removing dead and decaying branches or foliage. It is best to trim in late winter or early spring.

These branches may be dying and should be pruned to give your tree more energy for its healthy branches. If your entire tree is getting yellow and brown leaves, it may be sick from overwatering or poor soil drainage. Make sure that the soil around your tree does not stay damp from puddles very long after rain.

Most olive varieties produce a heavy crop every other year and this helps to even out the fruit production. Prune off suckers, as they rob the canopy of water and nutrients. Remove dead, damaged or crossing branches. If the tree is overgrown, reduce the main leaders by about a quarter.

The branches lower to the ground may not be producing fruit anymore, so you can prune these branches. Also prune vertical branches that are crowding the interior of the plant. Aim for a martini-glass shape, with the trunk being the glass stem, and around 4 strong lateral branches working out from that.

Use a pair of sharp, clean pruning shears to prevent spreading disease to the tree. Make slanted cuts flush with the branches to clip off small shoots and branches to give your olive tree a martini glass shape. For thicker branches, use a hand saw, but dip it into isopropyl alcohol for 30 seconds to disinfect it.

To minimize the damage to your olive tree, prune it only once a year in the late spring or early summer. The ideal time is to prune it before it's about to begin its new growth for the year. If your location starts getting warmer around late spring, then that's the best time for you to prune your olive tree. Because olive trees grow slowly, pruning once a year is more than enough.

Yes, some maintenance pruning can help your olive tree produce more fruit and encourage healthy new growth. However, olive trees grow slowly and pruning can increase the chance of infection, so pruning them once a year in the late spring or early summer is enough to keep them healthy.

You're lucky ! That's the way it should be; but don't let the branches touch the ground as they can be contaminated by ground soil and other critters that climb up on them.