Olive Repoting

ConorDash

ConorDash

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I'd like some opinions on repoting an European Olive.

I have the info, from a number of sources online, the why and when is fine by me.. best repoted in summer, during active growth and repoted as little as possible as they don't like it.
What I am looking for is some people's experience of Olives, how they react (will have to bear in mind climate), so I can draw from that...

Here's my situation:
- Been in the pot 3 years, grown well.
- Tree is healthy, I have no doubt about its vigour or health, all good.
- The pot is crap, very deep and one big drainage hole at the bottom, it was never good but all I had at the time.
- The substrate is also crap, in pure small-medium particle size cat litter/molar clay. Very much exactly what advised NOT to use (although it has been completely happy in it and grown well over 3 years, but I am not going to make a big point of this, like others and professionals might).

Pics you can see tree overall, the shape and depth of pot, and the current situation under the surface. I wouldn't say its pot bound but as you can see, the top layer quickly vanishes in to dark, broken down substrate + its depth and poor substrate, I think is a disaster waiting to happen. It could stay too wet, very quickly and this is a species that prefers dry not wet + it drinks a lot, faster, in growth season.

pK3oBxg.jpgW77doLL.jpgZNW3f.jpg

In UK its growing season is short, it has just started to grow, so I'd look to repot in a few weeks or so, if advice of the WHEN is correct.

So, thoughts, experiences, opinions?
I am happy to skip over, 5 years of trial and error, if someone has done it for me first ;) (I joke but thats kinda a big reason for the forum, no? lol)
 
Sounds like your olive is due for a repot sometime in the next year or so. But I don't raise olives, I can not tell when the best time would be in your local climate. The good news is that it is not an emergency right now. There is time to plan, and to wait until the ideal time. Have you selected your next pot? Your next media blend? Get your materials together and ready.

Anyone near Essex, UK that raises olives? Please share your experience. Advise on timing is needed.
 
Leo in N E Illinois said:
Sounds like your olive is due for a repot sometime in the next year or so. But I don't raise olives, I can not tell when the best time would be in your local climate. The good news is that it is not an emergency right now. There is time to plan, and to wait until the ideal time. Have you selected your next pot? Your next media blend? Get your materials together and ready.

Anyone near Essex, UK that raises olives? Please share your experience. Advise on timing is needed.
Click to expand...

Well, so I don't think it is an emergency no,but thinking ahead, if it is not repotted, it is going to generate more roots over this next few months and so I might be dealing with a problem, for next year before I can then repot again next growing season...

Currently just thinking, people's opinions will help. At the moment, erring on the side of caution, as it is fairly happy now and they don't like repoting.
I could raise it out of the pot a bit and have a look at the roots.. may be worth it.

Appreciate the reply @Leo in N E Illinois
 
i think maybe youre overthinking just a little. ive not heard they dont like to be repotted. what i do know is they are pretty bomb proof and can take massive root reduction, they are in fact in the privet family of trees. they just dont like to be wet in winter, thats it. they are not fussy trees.

you can see what i did here to one

olea europaea development

I got this tree back in nov 2014 from a garden centre, ive been pretty brutal with it, here's its progress since then. after it was chopped it was left to recover indoors in a warm spot and i brought it outside in spring. from nov 2014 to now. i did some carving on it a few days ago...
www.bonsainut.com www.bonsainut.com

you can re pot them now. im sure it will be fine.

do you have a suitable pot in mind?
 
ive relayed this information from kaizen to you before, its all you need mate

Olea sylvestris is a small leaf variety of olive tree native to Mediterranean regions. It is prized for it's small leaf form and also it's vigorous growth and fast development. Olives are incredibly robust trees that are perfect for bonsai cultivation. They can be pruned, re-potted and worked with all the usual bonsai techniques and will not blink an eye. Many people have concerns about the hardiness of olives. Having cultivated this species in the U.K for a number of years we can say with authority that olives are completely frost hardy to -10 Celsius. The significant factor that needs to be considered in the U.K is that of soil. Olives are extremely tolerant of dry conditions. Over the winter here the combination of cold and wet in the roots can cause a problem. Therefore it is essential to use a very open soil with a particle size of not less than 6mm. Using our No3 Bonsai Soil Mix will ensure long term drainage and your olive trees will thrive out of doors all year round. Re-pot every third year in summer whilst actively growing. Olives like plenty of sun and will thrive in direct sun all summer. In summer water freely and feed heavily.
 
Our growing season is a bit longer and warmer but I agree with the info above. Olives are bomb proof. We collect feral trees in this area regularly. Most come home with almost no roots. Some are just cut flat with a chainsaw leaving no roots at all. 99% of these survive and thrive within a year.
We favor late spring and autumn to dig olives but in Adelaide they have already started to dig in mid winter (nights down close to 0 C and days in teens C). A large one I repotted last November (late spring) has thrived after fairly ruthless root pruning. I will repot another large one this coming spring.
 
“They don’t like repotting”

where did you hear that? It’s ABSOLUTELY wrong!

olives are the easiest, most forgiving of trees regarding potting AS LONG AS IT’S DONE WHEN THEY ARE ACTIVELY GROWING.

heck, you could completely remove every shred of root, stick it in soil, and it would most likely come back!
 
I repotted mine when it started growing (may). Summer repotting is also possible, but because the growing season is so short and the tree has to recover from repotting, you no longer have that much growth. At least that was my thought. It is in 50/50 aka / pumich. Olives are strong, but it remains a difficult variety in our climate.
IMG_9701.jpg
 
Benauber said:
Right so practically nothing 🤣?
Click to expand...

erm wait:D

the final ingredient. it needs to be correct down to the last molecule

giphy.gif
 
Benauber said:
What differentiates Clay King with Boon mix and and APL?
Click to expand...
I don't know ratio...which is why I prefer to buy premixed. Less work, but I know Clay King is the original from Japan. Boon mix is basically comparable to Clay King.

I found a site that explains Boon mix, as to what is in it. Which is more than just APL .
www.superflybonsai.com

Boon Bonsai Soil Mix

SuperFly Bonsai's Boon Mix This mix is the most commonly used and accepted mix by bonsai professionals around the world. Here in the United States it is known as "Boon Mix" after Boon Manakitivipart who pushed the mix to promote better bonsai tree health in America. Some also refer to it (in...
www.superflybonsai.com www.superflybonsai.com
 
BobbyLane said:
i think maybe youre overthinking just a little. ive not heard they dont like to be repotted. what i do know is they are pretty bomb proof and can take massive root reduction, they are in fact in the privet family of trees. they just dont like to be wet in winter, thats it. they are not fussy trees.

you can see what i did here to one

olea europaea development

I got this tree back in nov 2014 from a garden centre, ive been pretty brutal with it, here's its progress since then. after it was chopped it was left to recover indoors in a warm spot and i brought it outside in spring. from nov 2014 to now. i did some carving on it a few days ago...
www.bonsainut.com www.bonsainut.com

you can re pot them now. im sure it will be fine.

do you have a suitable pot in mind?
Click to expand...
Vaguely rings a bell that you had another olive, I don't think I knew about this, or its been too many years and I'd forgotten. Thanks, is useful.
BobbyLane said:
ive relayed this information from kaizen to you before, its all you need mate

Olea sylvestris is a small leaf variety of olive tree native to Mediterranean regions. It is prized for it's small leaf form and also it's vigorous growth and fast development. Olives are incredibly robust trees that are perfect for bonsai cultivation. They can be pruned, re-potted and worked with all the usual bonsai techniques and will not blink an eye. Many people have concerns about the hardiness of olives. Having cultivated this species in the U.K for a number of years we can say with authority that olives are completely frost hardy to -10 Celsius. The significant factor that needs to be considered in the U.K is that of soil. Olives are extremely tolerant of dry conditions. Over the winter here the combination of cold and wet in the roots can cause a problem. Therefore it is essential to use a very open soil with a particle size of not less than 6mm. Using our No3 Bonsai Soil Mix will ensure long term drainage and your olive trees will thrive out of doors all year round. Re-pot every third year in summer whilst actively growing. Olives like plenty of sun and will thrive in direct sun all summer. In summer water freely and feed heavily.
Click to expand...

I've read a few times, had it in mind when i was typing this forum. Its not ALL you need to know.. no source of info in the world is "all" we need to know, thats impossible :).
For some reason I had got it in my mind that they do not like repotting, I must have got that info from somewhere, wouldn't just make it up to cause myself stress lol, but seems like this is wrong, which kinda answers all of this really..

Shibui said:
Our growing season is a bit longer and warmer but I agree with the info above. Olives are bomb proof. We collect feral trees in this area regularly. Most come home with almost no roots. Some are just cut flat with a chainsaw leaving no roots at all. 99% of these survive and thrive within a year.
We favor late spring and autumn to dig olives but in Adelaide they have already started to dig in mid winter (nights down close to 0 C and days in teens C). A large one I repotted last November (late spring) has thrived after fairly ruthless root pruning. I will repot another large one this coming spring.
Click to expand...

Thanks for info, good to know. I had it in my mind that they didn't like repoting, which appears to be wrong, so that kinda solves this :)
 
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