Do you love your olive tree or are you thinking of buying one? With its elegant, silver-green foliage and graceful silhouette, the olive tree is a time-tested, beautiful legacy tree for outdoor and indoor spaces that receive plenty of bright light.
The live olive tree plant variety is naturally pest and drought-resistant. But like all living things, they have their own requirements and preferences for care. Whether live or artificial, olive trees are easy plants to care for but both still need special attention.
Are you caring for a live olive tree or perhaps an artificial olive tree and want to keep it in its best condition? Here are some tips that can help you enjoy your olive tree for a long time.
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Live Olive Trees Are Drought Resistant, But Still Need Watering Care
Olive trees thrive in full sun during long, hot, and dry growing seasons in well-drained soil. They are very drought resistant; however, watering olive trees properly is still required for them to survive. Care must be taken to avoid overwatering versus underwatering olive trees.
When planting and first establishing an olive tree, keep the soil moist, yet not saturated. Water an establishing olive tree once weekly for the first year or anytime the top 2 inches of soil become dry. After an olive tree is established, deep watering on a once-monthly schedule is sufficient.
Live Olive Trees Also Need Occasional Fertilizer
Olive trees do not need special fertilizer but results will be significantly more satisfying with a good nutrition regimen.
With proper olive tree care, it is best to begin fertilizing in March. Use a premium slow-release high-nitrogen fertilizer for olive trees. Continue to fertilize your olive trees throughout the growing season.
Whatever type of fertilizer is used, it is best to feed lightly and often during the growing season. Avoid heavy applications of fast-release fertilizer that could damage plants and leach or run off into groundwater.
Never use wood chips for mulch as they rob the soil of precious nitrogen. Instead, use pine straw and keep it away from the trunk by several inches.
Periodic Direct Sunlight Is Best for a Live Olive Tree
If you plan to keep an olive tree indoors, keep in mind that the olive tree, like most fruit trees, prefers at least six hours of ample, direct sunlight to thrive and produce fruit. For indoor applications, a sunny, south-facing window is ideal.
Keep in mind that although olive trees can be grown indoors, they can’t be grown indoors forever. They typically can only live indoors for eight to nine years. This is sufficient time for you to enjoy your olive tree, and you may even get some fruit from it in the meantime.
Fake Olive Trees Are Easy To Maintain
While live olive trees are beautiful for outdoor and indoor spaces and are easy plants to care for, maintaining and taking care of artificial olive trees is even easier because they don’t need water or plant food.
Because they maintain their shape, there is no need for pruning so it’s easy to buy beautiful artificial olive trees that look just like the real thing and stay that way.
The intent of using artificial flowers and plants is to get the realistic look of live plants without the hassle and expense of caring for and replacing them. When choosing an artificial olive tree, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Focus on quality. High-quality materials will look, and even feel, like live plants
- Look for realism. The best are plants that resemble what you’d find in nature.
- Avoid “perfection.” Perfectly symmetrical plants don’t occur in nature.
Be Sure To Periodically Dust And Rinse Your Artificial Olive Tree
Cleaning and storing artificial olive trees is a breeze. Dusting and cleaning can ensure that olive trees remain clean and do not contribute to dust allergies.
Start by using a simple Swiffer Duster to remove any loose dust. Then use a wet cloth or towel and clean each flower or leaf individually. For areas that need a deeper clean, add a dash of mild dish soap.
Store Your Artificial Olive Trees Properly When Not Using Them
Although artificial olive trees need even less care to maintain than live ones, storing artificial ones is still important. Here are tips for helping your artificial olive trees look fit and fabulous when you bring them out of storage:
- Decide on a storage location. Choose a spot for your artificial olive trees that is out of the way and keeps a steady temperature above freezing, so they don’t become brittle and break.
- Clean them well. Before storing your artificial olive trees, clean them thoroughly following the tips above. Inspect them for damage and remove any irreparably damaged leaves.
- Bag them up. Storing olive trees for any length of them can leave them dusty unless you cover them up. Consider using a Christmas tree bag for larger olive trees. Simply cover it up and pull the drawstring.
Whether live or artificial, olive trees are beautiful plants that are easy to care for, but both still need special attention.
Live olive trees are drought-resistant and thrive in full sun but still need watering and benefit from fertilizing. Artificial olive trees are easy to maintain but should be periodically cleaned and carefully stored to avoid damage.
We hope we’ve answered all your questions about olive trees. If you have additional tips or ideas on your favorite to care for both live and artificial Olive Trees, please post in the comments.
