Pruning Olive Trees: All the Information you Need

The very health of an olive tree depends on its pruning, which is why it is so important to know the basic techniques for cutting its branches, working safely and using the right tools of the trade.

First and foremost, it should be made clear that the rules of cultivating olive trees always start with the choice of soil and the olive tree variety we want to put in our home garden or vegetable garden.

Once the plant has taken root and its foliage has grown lushly, it's time to learn the rules of pruning so that we can fill our baskets with a rich harvest of olives, healthy and at the right stage of ripeness.

From umbrella pruning to the most productive cuts: basic patterns for pruning olive trees

Olive tree pruning is a complex art with millennia of tradition, but all you really need to do is follow a few small tips to get good results, even if you don't have a green thumb. Don your goggles and gardening gloves, grab a pair of scissors and you’re ready to get to work among the branches and leaves.

• Umbrella olive pruning: eliminating vertical branches and leveling them on the tops is not the best choice if you want to encourage productivity in an olive tree, but it is definitely the winning one from a purely aesthetic point of view. This centuries-old tree is increasingly the star of the outdoors at home in its role as an ornamental olive tree. The headless tops will not yield olives, but they will be a green ally against the summer heat.
• Polycone potted olive tree pruning: this is the most plant-friendly pruning technique, since it provides ample light and aeration of the foliage due to wide vegetation at the base and less developed vegetation toward the top. This will also make it easier to harvest the olives, which will grow more in the lower part of the tree. The key is to make cuts at those side or upward-oriented branches that take strength away from the plant. The volumes should decrease as you go up, giving the olive tree its typical pointed silhouette.
• Olive pruning for beginners: here are the ABCs of pruning for aspiring olive growers. The first thing to do is to remove the basal shoots, which are the vegetative branches present on the roots or trunk of the olive tree, which can grow at the base of the plant surrounding the central stem. A garden shear will suffice to remove them. Next, thin out the center of the plant: check the backs of the branches and remove only the most vigorous epicormic shoots. Epicormic shoots are also non-fruit-bearing, but unlike the basal shoots, they grow on the trunk or branches (the more vigorous ones are found on the dorsal part of the main branches). Third and lastly, never make flush cuts.

Choose the technique that best suits your needs, but remember that a plant such as an olive tree cannot be allowed to grow without some trimming if you want it to have a good yield and have it stay healthy.

Which branches to cut and which to leave in olive tree pruning?

Unlike other fruit plants, the olive tree is an evergreen, and its branches deserve extra attention. Having removed all the most vigorous basal and epicormic shoots, which branches of the olive tree give fruit? The fruit branches are the mixed ones: they flower in the middle and basal part, while the top part gives rise to the new shoots of the season. The secret is not so much knowing what to cut, but having a clear decision about what to leave behind to achieve a harmonious whole, where emptiness prevails over fullness.

A smart tip for reaching the taller branches is to use a pole saw to avoid using a ladder, the number one cause of accidents in olive tree pruning work.

The best time for olive tree pruning

When are the best months for pruning your olive tree? January to May, or at any rate by the time the first mignole, or the typical inflorescences of the olive tree, begin to bloom. But beware of any frost, which could be lethal in the face of cutting too early in the winter season. Best to wait for March and early spring in the regions from Tuscany and above in Italy.

Steps after pruning the olive tree

Once the actual pruning is done, now is when you should add copper, because it heals the cutting "wounds" and helps fights some bacteria, such as that responsible for olive mange: pseudomonas savastanoi. In this regard, it's a good idea to disinfect your work tools to prevent it from spreading to multiple plants during pruning.

Having learned the main techniques on how to prune olive trees and how to take care of them, let's look at the recipe for making tasty 0-mile olives in brine. Harvest the olives from the tree in late September, select the firmest ones, rinse them under running water and place them in a large bowl, covering them completely with water (which you must then replace daily for 20 days). Prepare the brine, making sure it contains at least 10% salt (3,5 oz of salt per liter of water): pour the water and salt into a small pan and bring to a boil. When the brine boils, remove from heat and let it cool. Distribute the olives in sterilized glass jars. Season to taste with garlic, rosemary, and thyme. As soon as the brine is cold, pour it over the olives. Cap each jar and store in a cool, dry place away from light. Let the olives steep in the brine for up to six months before enjoying them.

While waiting for them to be ready, you can serve our Taggiasca Olives, perfect for adding flavor to a spread of homemade appetizers.