You've watched your olive tree thrive during the warm weather, but with the arrival of fall and winter, you're undoubtedly worried about how your tree will survive the colder seasons. Although an olive tree is an extremely resilient plant, if it is exposed to particularly harsh conditions it can develop a number of health problems that unfortunately result in death. Let's look at how to overwinter an olive tree. Depending on whether your trees are growing in the ground or in a pot or container, you will have to proceed differently.
Olive trees overwinter outside
It may come as a surprise, but the most fatal thing for olive trees in winter is not the cold, but the humidity. When cold weather sets in gradually and the air is dry, the trees are hardy down to temperatures as low as -8 to -12°C, and have been known to even survive temperatures as low as -15 to -18°C. But when moisture and water come into play, all is lost. If you live in a region where it rains a lot in winter, you need to take some measures to protect your olive trees:
- Use garden soil to create a berm around the base of your trees to keep water from flowing near their roots. It is important to direct water away from the trees as much as possible in winter: nothing is more dangerous for your tree.
- Stop watering completely after the olive harvest. In spring, when the frost has passed, you can start watering again. This will allow your olive trees to recover from frost damage.
- Fertilizenot after the harvest. Do not apply nitrogen-containing fertilizers, especially in autumn.
- Mulch the base of the tree to protect the roots from freezing. It's okay to use organic, plant-based mulch because it doesn't decompose until spring.
If you wrap your plant in garden fleece from December to February (or longer if the cold continues), it will be protected from frost and wind. Because the fleece traps a layer of air beneath it, the temperature remains one degree higher than the outside temperature, keeping the plant warm. Measure the diameter of your plant to determine how large of a fleece bag you need or how much of a roll of fleece you need. Place this over the olive tree and pull it down until it covers the trunk of the plant. You can then secure it at the bottom with some string to keep it in place.
How to care for trees in containers indoors
If you have an olive treein the potOverwintering, you can put it indoors to protect it from the cold. However, be careful that the move is not too drastic for the plant - that is, you should not go from a cold to an overheated temperature too quickly as this can damage the plant. You should also not try to warm the plant, otherwise it may drop its leaves. Although olive trees like frost-free conditions, they still need a cool, dry climate in the winter to survive - especially if you want to grow fruit, as they need two months of cold weather to improve flower and fruit production.
Potted olive trees can be left outside until the end of September or beginning of October and should then be brought indoors by the beginning of May. However, check the weather forecast and assess the impact it could have on your plants, as May may be too early and early October may be too late. A cold winter garden, a veranda with good natural light or a greenhouse are suitable for overwintering an olive tree.
- Only water when the soil is completely dry, and then only in small amounts.
- It is normal for the tree to lose some of its leaves during the dormant period, about 1/3 of the leaves fall off in winter.
- However, if you live further north, you should place your trees in a cool and bright place where it never freezes.
- Place them as close to a window as possible so they can benefit from the warmth of the home.
Protect potted trees outdoors
- Mulch the base of your olive trees to protect them from the cold.
- Wrap the pots with a thick cover and prevent rain from entering. Cover the pots with garden fleece, leaving a buffer all around so that no leaves touch the fleece. Again, it is important to avoid condensation touching the plant as it is a source of moisture.
- Pouras little as possible and only when no precipitation reaches the plant.
- Olive trees should be located in a location that provides adequate wind protection, as freezing temperatures combined with wind can penetrate the bark and cause cracking, leaf drop and dieback. Ideally, you should overwinter your olive tree by placing it in a south or west direction, as far away from north and east winds as possible.
Overwintering an olive tree: Avoid frozen root balls
If the roots are damaged, they have difficulty recovering and the olive tree dies because they can no longer absorb water and suffer from drought. Therefore, olive trees planted in the ground require well-drained soil to avoid waterlogging, especially during rainy periods. For plants that are in pots, you can place a layer of fleece on the outside of the pot to provide additional warmth if you are unable to bring them indoors.
Prevention is better than cure, because in most cases there is unfortunately no cureHealing your olive treecan. Therefore, heed these tips to help you overwinter your olive tree so that it can thrive and stay healthy for another year.
