Propagating olive from large branch

[n8]

I'd wait until the summer heat and cut it straight off. Air layering would work, too, but there's really no reason because it should root easily. Get a large bucket and a slightly smaller bucket. Remove the bottom from the smaller bucket. Plant your cutting in several inches of sand, then put the smaller bucket over the top of the cutting and fill it in with some more sand.

Here's an example I did with some large pomegranate cuttings: https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/the-early-days-progress-thread.39525/#post-667477

I removed the top bucket in the fall and will be clearing the sand out and potting them up in early spring.

 

[Soup Dragon]

I'd wait until the summer heat and cut it straight off. Air layering would work, too, but there's really no reason because it should root easily. Get a large bucket and a slightly smaller bucket. Remove the bottom from the smaller bucket. Plant your cutting in several inches of sand, then put the smaller bucket over the top of the cutting and fill it in with some more sand.

Here's an example I did with some large pomegranate cuttings: https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/the-early-days-progress-thread.39525/#post-667477

I removed the top bucket in the fall and will be clearing the sand out and potting them up in early spring.

Fascinating. I assume all four of your 'cuttings' rooted successfully.

What is the purpose of the second, smaller bucket, given that the rooting will take place in the first bucket? Is it simply to keep the branch steady or is there another reason?

 

[Soup Dragon]

The other side is pretty much the same, except no branch stump. It is dark now so I can't take a photo.

Here is the other side:


Here it is rotated to give a better idea of what it might look like in a pot:

 

[n8]

Fascinating. I assume all four of your 'cuttings' rooted successfully.

What is the purpose of the second, smaller bucket, given that the rooting will take place in the first bucket? Is it simply to keep the branch steady or is there another reason?

Here's the other thread where I'm tracking the progress: https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/norcal-poms.40563/

They put out a bunch of shoots. I'll be getting them out of the sand soon because this winter has been so mild, but I have no doubt that there are a mess of roots down there. I did an air layer on an equally large section two summers ago and that had a big root system already.

I live in a semi-Mediterranean climate with very hot summers. My teacher tipped me to this and recommended using the double bucket. It definitely helped keep everything steady in the sand, but I also think the sun hitting the black buckets really generated a lot of warmth and go things moving inside. When I pulled the top buckets in the fall, some of the exposed root nodes switched and put out some branches. You have a piece with a much broader base than my pom segments and I reckon you could just use one bucket.

 

[Soup Dragon]

Here's the other thread where I'm tracking the progress: https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/norcal-poms.40563/

They put out a bunch of shoots. I'll be getting them out of the sand soon because this winter has been so mild, but I have no doubt that there are a mess of roots down there. I did an air layer on an equally large section two summers ago and that had a big root system already.

I live in a semi-Mediterranean climate with very hot summers. My teacher tipped me to this and recommended using the double bucket. It definitely helped keep everything steady in the sand, but I also think the sun hitting the black buckets really generated a lot of warmth and go things moving inside. When I pulled the top buckets in the fall, some of the exposed root nodes switched and put out some branches. You have a piece with a much broader base than my pom segments and I reckon you could just use one bucket.

Many thanks for this explanation and the pointer to your thread. You now have me eyeing up my pomegranate tree. I wonder when the wife is next out for the day!

 

[n8]

You now have me eyeing up my pomegranate tree.

Do it. We have a lot of olives in my area, too. I've knocked on a few doors, but nobody has let me in their yard with a chainsaw... yet.