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[hills]

I have just purchased an olive grove in Spain, I would appreciate any advice on how to harvest, and on when and how to prune the trees. All advice is welcome, thanks.

[Sameer]

[quote="hills"]I have just purchased an olive grove in Spain, I would appreciate any advice on how to harvest, and on when and how to prune the trees. All advice is welcome, thanks.[/quote]

I have a house in Amman Jordan and my garden contains about 40 olive trees of various types and ages.
I have never bought olive oil or pickled olives for the last 23 years.
I care for the trees, prune them immediately after harvest and stand on the press day or night and receive my fresh oil in my special containers. The follwoing information is for you and all other olive tree owners.
weekly care ..... just cut away any dried up branches and burn them.
watering....... olive trees are great survivors and they do not need any watering except in the harsh hot summers, once or twice in July/August
during snow ..... if snow is mild do not touch. If snow is heavy just brush off lightly some of the snow.
The tree will flower in spring it is advisable to not to spray any chemicals so that all sorts of insects pass by and touch the flower to germinate.
If you like to spray..... do it once when the flowers turn into large fruit.
In October the friut will have arrived at its best size but like all fruits it is not yet ripe and does not have all they olive oil you are looking for.
Harvesting.... delay you harvest untill all the green olives turn brown and then black,,,, when they are black they are soft and juicy and ready to press.
When the olive is green in October it is hard to harvest and contains 50 % less oil. In November or when it turns black ... It is easy to harvest and contains all the oil you need... 100%
To harvest you need a large size cloth to suround the tree and all its branches laid on the ground.... You need a ladder and soft plastic pipe like the one you use of electric conduit .... with shich you hit the branches that carry the fruit. Do not hit hard and do not try to get all the fruits, so that you do not damage the branches which will carry next years fruits.
Once the fruit and some leaves collect on the cloth under the ladder.... go down and collect the fruit and in large cercular pans .... and lift them in the air and let the wind blow so that the leaves are blown away.
Collect the fruit in 50 kilo bags and let them stand in a cool and moist basement.
When you finish all harvest transport to the press and collect the oil in black 20 kilo/litre and store in a dark store.
Storage......In black plastic containers in dark moist basement, oil will stay fresh for years.
Pruning.... They minute you finish harvest in November ... cut all the dried up branches and remove all conjested branches in the middle.... lit all they leaves see the sun and air. Also cut all branches that are higher than your harvesting capabilities.
First aid..... cover all cut ends of branches with special material which will seal the wound.... every cut in the trunk or on the branches is a wound which should be cared for. either seal it of if it is large and oin the trunk cover it with mud and wrap it lightly with a plastic cover like a human wound.
Every 1000 square meters / about 20 mid size tree would give you an average of 40 litres of oil depending on the type, location and conditions.
Usually Olive trees give their best one year and their worst the other.
If you do not spray, water, prune, or give any care for the olive tree it will still flourish and despite all harsh conditions it will produce for hundreds of years to come.... this is Ideal for the lazy farmer.
In the Arab world we say .... They have grown ( meaning our fathers)
so we ate .....and we grow .....so they will eat ( meaning our children).
My heart bleeds every time I see an Israeli buldozer pluck out an old olive tree grown by my Cannonite fathers.... a tree which has seen genesis.... Moses... Jesus... and Mohamed.
I hope the above will help all olive tree owners all over the world.
Sameer of Jerusalem

[casa tapnalla]

Dear Sameer of Jerusalem,
Thank you so much for taking time to share you knowledge of olive farming with us, we recently bought an olive grove in Spain with 96 mature olive trees.
As they have like you say been on our earth for so long, like you my husband and I believe they deserve tender care.
Thank You with kind regards
Patricia from Albacete Spain

[almostphantom]

Wow! I feel for the loss of the trees also..so wasteful. I would like to plant some olive trees, but I'm not sure if they will survive in Virginia, USA. I am on the Coast between the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay.

[Guest]

[quote="almostphantom"]Wow! I feel for the loss of the trees also..so wasteful. I would like to plant some olive trees, but I'm not sure if they will survive in Virginia, USA. I am on the Coast between the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay.[/quote]

For all those who live in virginia....I am sorry it is too cold for the olive tree to survive...it is a mediterainian tree ...may be in georgia and florida and the southern states....
However ... my advice to the people of the north is to buy always pure olive oil and use it for your salad...never trust the suppliers and always read the small print on the 3 litre tins when it says it is a blend or pomace...always go to the darker, greener, and with special aroma..but you can never tell just like the pure and the impure honey...nowadays you can never tell if it is honey or a blend of somthing else.
I wish there were tests for the real thing ...

[encollazo@hotmail.com]

too bad it have to be that way, so much history so much pain, but we can always continue planting more. I have a small olive tree that miracuosly starting growing in my backyard. Now a few years has passed and this year we have little fruits. This is how I got to this site as I was looking for experts words on how to prune some of the branches. Thank you so much for your info and I will pass it on to whom ever will ask for info. Live and prosper

[Tiziano]

I beg to differ with the Guest who stated that olive trees will not grow in Virginia. I have several trees and not only do they grow, but they fruit. I am in Zone 7, and I know that there is an olive grove with over 20 mature trees in Maryland in Zone 7-A. You must, however, protect your tree from extremely cold temperatures, choose a cold-resistant variety, and plant it in a suitable location. Another option is to bring your potted tree in during the coldest parts of the winter.

[Djamel]

Greetings Tiziano,

You have mentionned the possibility of growing fruitful olive trees in Virginia/Maryland, using cold-resistant strains of olive trees. We have a small property in Northern Virginia, and I have been wondering about that very question. Could you please tell me what trees are more likely to resist our colder weather.

Thank you in advance

Kind regards

Djamel

[Macdorm]

Collect the fruit in 50 kilo bags and let them stand in a cool and moist basement.
When you finish all harvest transport to the press and collect the oil in black 20 kilo/litre and store in a dark store.
Storage......In black plastic containers in dark moist basement, oil will stay fresh for years.
Pruning.... They minute you finish harvest in November ... cut all the dried up branches and remove all conjested branches in the middle.... lit all they leaves see the sun and air. Also cut all branches that are higher than your harvesting capabilities.
First aid..... cover all cut ends of branches with special material which will seal the wound.... every cut in the trunk or on the branches is a wound which should be cared for. either seal it of if it is large and oin the trunk cover it with mud and wrap it lightly with a plastic cover like a human wound.
Every 1000 square meters / about 20 mid size tree would give you an average of 40 litres of oil depending on the type, location and conditions.
Usually Olive trees give their best one year and their worst the other.
If you do not spray, water, prune, or give any care for the olive tree it will still flourish and despite all harsh conditions it will produce for hundreds of years to come.... this is Ideal for the lazy farmer.

[California Guest]

To Sameer, Many thanks for your informative descritption of the care of olive trees. I AM that "lazy farmer" you mentioned and have been thinking of adding several olive trees to my large California property for a few years. This has inspired me to go ahead and do it!
I also love the connection that we get when we understand what role these wonderfully beautiful trees play in our world. I am saddened that you have watched so many destroyed, but gladdened that you have shared so that more can be begun -- with great hopes for "Feeding our children." Thank You.

[jannan of N. Tuscany]

I bought a house in Italy four years ago which included a very neglected olive grove which is in an elevated south facing position. Unfortunately other trees have grown up in between the olives as no husbandry has taken place for at least 20 years. I would dearly love to bring these trees back into production. There is a frantoio for pressing olives across the road from my house. The unwanted trees are to be cut down during this year, giving me the opportunity to access my olive trees and hopefully revive them with a little help from friends. The articles written by various people on your site have been very helpful as I really am a beginner and need easy to understand instructions. Many thanks.

November 2009

[RoxanneFalcone]

Sameer thanks for that amazing little guide. I purchased a house last year in Spain and it came with 25 olive trees and we never knew how to care for them so thanks for your useful guide.

[ksnetsolution]

i have recently purchase a farm with lot of plants of mangoes...now its the best season and this yr it have plenty of buds now...i think i will be getting more money by this...

[creator]

thanks for letting me know..