Watering Olive Plants Well Can Increase Your Chances Of Fruit – These Are The Basics
Elizabeth is a Permaculture Garden Designer, Sustainability Consultant and Professional Writer, working as an advocate for positive change. She graduated from the University of St. Andrews with an MA in English and Philosophy and obtained a Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design from the Permaculture Association.
Reviewed By DAN ORI
Dan has over 27 years’ under his belt caring for plants and gardens. Working as a Horticultural Instructor and Consultant, he draws on a diverse range of experience that includes working as a Head Gardener, Tree Surgeon, Garden Centre Trouble Shooter, and writer of academic papers. Dan has a Level 3 Diploma in Horticulture and is currently a candidate for the RHS’s most prestigious award – The Master of Horticulture.
Contributions From PAUL & ANTONIA SMITH
With 30 years’ experience as an Arborist, Paul has a particular soft spot for olive trees, which he has been growing in the UK for over 10 years. The duo import their trees from licenced suppliers in Spain and select them by hand for their shape and form.
IN THIS GUIDE
Olive trees are appealing to British gardeners because they are one of a small number of evergreen trees that can potentially produce a yield.
Even though getting olive trees to fruit in the UK is easier said than done, it is possible.
Getting things right when it comes to watering and other care will greatly increase the chances that an olive tree might fruit, even here in the British Isles.
Here are the basic things you need to know:
- How much water an olive tree requires depends on where it is growing and the environmental conditions.
- Those growing in containers will typically need to be watered more frequently than those in the ground.
- Consistent moisture is required for good performance and for any chance of your tree fruiting in the UK.
- Olive trees will need more water in summer and less over the coldest part of the year.
- Water olive trees when the top few centimetres of the growing medium have dried out.
- Ensure that there is excellent drainage and that excess water can always drain away freely.
We explain all of this in great detail below.
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Equipment Required | Watering can or hose pipe |
| When To Water | During the growing season when the soil or growing medium is dry |
How Much Water Do Olive Trees Need?
Olive trees are a drought-tolerant species, capable of coping with fairly prolonged periods of water shortage in their native range.
However, in the UK, especially if you want your tree to fruit, it is important to provide olive trees with consistent moisture during the growing season.
“So many people neglect to water their olive tree in the first season in the ground,” shares Paul & Antonia Smith, Owners of The Norfolk Olive Tree Company.
“This is absolutely essential for them whilst they are establishing roots.”
It is also important to remember that these trees require free-draining conditions, so while they should be watered well and deeply, they should never be allowed to sit in saturated conditions.
Good drainage is vitally important when growing an olive tree, whether you are growing it in the ground or, as is common in the UK, in a container.
It is important to make sure that you not only have good drainage in the planting position for an olive tree but also that you provide the correct amount of water for your olive tree.
Unfortunately, there is no precise figure that can be given when it comes to how much water an olive tree will need.
This is because the climate, microclimate, soil or growing medium, and a whole raft of environmental factors determine in a given situation how much water an olive tree will need.
Of course, water needs differ depending on whether plants are grown in a container or in the ground and they also vary throughout the course of the year.
“As general guidance, the Arboricultural Association recommends that newly planted trees are given 50 litres of water per week in the summer months,” Gardening expert Dan Ori shares.
“Based on my experience, this sounds about right for an olive tree over 2m high. If you are trying to visualise what 50 litres looks like, it is 3-6 watering cans depending on the size of the can.”
With all of this in mind, how can we tell when our olive trees should be watered?
How To Know When Olive Trees Need Watering
“The most important factor in their cultivation is watering,” says Paul & Antonia.
“So many people assume that as it is a Mediterranean species, it won’t need water, which is completely wrong, especially if it’s in a pot.
“Soak it once or twice a week and do not let the soil dry out. Leaf curl is a sign of dehydration.”
Another way to tell when it is time to water an olive tree is to look at the soil or growing medium around the tree in question.
As a general rule of thumb, wait until the top few centimetres of soil or the growing medium in a container is dry before watering.
You can examine and feel the growing medium with your hands to determine whether it’s dry.
How To Water Correctly
Whenever it is time to water an olive tree, the key is to water it well to make sure that the whole area around the roots receives water.
When the olive tree is growing in a pot, this means making sure that the water goes through the entirety of the growing medium and flows out of the holes at the base of the container.
Water deeply, making sure that the water is directed to where it is needed by the roots of your olive tree.
Always ensure that the water has somewhere to go and that there is excellent drainage because if water sticks around and waterlogged conditions develop, this can damage your tree.
Watering well and letting the growing medium dry out moderately but not entirely between waterings is the key to growing an olive tree successfully in Britain.
