Image – Wikimedia Commons / Nephron
The olive tree is an evergreen fruit tree that is very popular in gardens. It is one of those that best resists drought and heat, and also one of the few that does not need to be cold during the winter to produce a large quantity of fruits.
However, if we want it to have good growth and better development it is important that we know when to transplant an olive treebecause if we do it at the wrong time we can harm you and thus lose a season.
How is an olive tree transplanted?
Its cultivation and care is very simple, since you only need a sunny exposure and one or two weekly waterings. How it grows wild in limestone soils, which can get flooded once a year with the torrential rains typical of the Mediterranean, if we have this type of soil in the garden we can plant it there without problems.
But When is an olive tree transplanted? That is, when do you have to move it to a larger pot or to the garden? To know for sure, the best we can do is watch for roots growing out of the pot’s drainage holes. If so, then it will be time to transplant it. Now, you have to know that it is not a good idea to pass it to the garden if it is 20 centimeters high or less, since we could easily lose it unless we protect it with a wire mesh (grid).
It is done as follows:
Find the right location
Olive trees are trees that they need to be in a sunny exposure all dayand at a distance of about 5-6 meters from pipes, paved floors, other tall plants, and so on.
Its roots are not invasive like those of the Sauces for example, but because in their place of origin it rains little, they can spread out a lot in their search for water.
Make a planting hole
Ideally, it should be at least 1 x 1 meterespecially if the specimen purchased already has a certain height (greater than 1m). Think that the bigger the hole, the more ‘loose’ soil the roots will find and the easier it will be for the tree to root.
Once done, add several buckets of wateruntil it is completely filled, and let the earth absorb all the liquid. This will help you for several things, which are:
- Find out if the soil you have in the garden has good drainage or not. If it is good, you will see that the water is absorbed at a good rate when you pour the first bucket; In the event that it has poor drainage, it can take hours for all that water to be absorbed.
- Keep the roots hydrated – and consequently the olive tree – from the first moment it is planted in the ground.
Fill it with quality soil
Once you have the hole finished and watered, it is time to fill it with quality substrates. The mix will vary depending on whether or not the garden soil has good drainage:
- Well drained soil: you can use the same soil that you have extracted from the hole, or if you prefer, mix it with 30% perlite, arlite, quartz sand or the like.
- Poorly drained soil: If this situation occurs, a first layer of about 20cm (or more) of quartz sand, pumice, volcanic clay or similar must be applied, and then finish filling with universal growing substrate mixed with perlite in equal parts.
It is important that you do not fill it completely, since the tree is not inside yet. To find out how much soil to add more or less, measure the height of the pot. If, for example, it measures 40cm and the hole is 100cm deep, you have to add soil to fill 60cm of the hole.
Introduce the olive tree carefully
It must be in the center of the hole, neither too high nor too low. The surface of the root ball should be about 2-5 centimeters below ground level. This is done in order to make better use of the irrigation water, because on the one hand you avoid wasting it in vain, and on the other you get the tree to use it to the maximum.
Finish filling
Now that the tree is inside, It is time to finish filling the hole with the substrate or soil mixture that we have mentioned before. with the help of a hoe for example, or from your own hands if the hole is small. Then, feel free to pack the soil well and add more if necessary.
Make a tree grate
A tree grate is a low natural barrier, of variable height but not usually exceeding 10 centimeters, which it is made with the same soil that is in the garden around the plant. It is a very easy measure to carry out and above all useful that will allow you to make good use of irrigation water.
Put in a tutor if necessary
If it is a young tree or, on the contrary, large and heavy, and if the wind tends to blow strongly in your area, you can help it by placing a stake and tying it to it.
When should it be transplanted?
As for the most favorable season for transplantation, it is spring. At the beginning of this season it will be a good time to transplant the olive tree, just before it resumes its growth.
What if the olive tree is in a pot?
When growing a potted olive tree you have to transplant it every 2 or 3 yearsas soon as you see that the roots come out through the drainage holes or if you see that it takes time (more than 2 years) that it hardly grows.
The way to proceed is similar to if you planted it in the ground, the only thing that changes is that it will be planted in another pot, which must be about 10cm wider than the previous one. The substrate to be used will be the universal substrate for plants, which you can use alone or filled with 30% perlite.
Has it been useful to you? We hope that from now on it will be much easier for you to transplant olive trees .
