It might seem hard to grow an olive tree from a pit, but if you’re careful and patient, you can have your own olive tree at home. Most olive trees are grown from cuttings, but pits can also be used. Even though it’s not likely, you can improve your chances of growing a beautiful olive tree if you do things the right way.
Getting Started with the Olive Pit
Getting olive pits is the first step. You should pick olives from a tree, not ones you bought in a store, because the pits in store-bought olives won’t work. The best time to harvest is early fall, when the olives are green and ripe. Take them slowly off the tree and put them in a bucket. Hinge or mallet the olives a little to get the flesh out of the pits.
Cover the crushed olives with water and let soak overnight. Drain off the water, then thoroughly scrub the pits with a scouring pad to remove all olive residue. Rinse them well. Use bolt cutters to nick the pointed end of each olive pit – this helps with germination. Then soak the prepped pits for 24 hours before planting.
Sowing and Growing the Olive Pits
Fill small pots with a well-draining soil mix of half sand, half compost. Plant one olive pit per pot, 1-2 inches deep. Place the pots in a clear plastic bag or propagator to retain moisture, and keep them in a warm, well-lit spot. Maintain constant moisture in the top inch of soil.
Expect olive seedlings to emerge after 1-2 months. Remove the pots from the bags once sprouting begins. Let seedlings grow until they reach about 18 inches tall before transplanting.
The ideal time to move olive seedlings outdoors is early fall. Pick a sunny spot with well-draining soil. Plant the seedling a bit higher than ground level water well and let it establish over winter.
Caring for Your Olive Tree
Olive trees are quite hardy once established. They need full sun and tolerate most soil types, as long as drainage is adequate. Water regularly when top inch of soil dries out, but avoid overwatering which can lead to root rot.
You don’t have to prune, but you can get rid of dead branches or thin inner branches to let more light in. If you grow an olive tree from a seed, it will not bear fruit for three to five years. The olives will be small and more like wild olives.
Tips for Success
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Start more pits than you need – germination rates are low.
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Use fresh ripe olives right off the tree for best viability.
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Maintain constant soil moisture while seeds are sprouting.
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Transplant in fall to give seedlings time to establish before winter.
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Pick a sunny spot with very good drainage.
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Water regularly but don’t oversaturate the soil.
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Be patient – olive trees grow slowly!
It takes time and care to grow an olive tree from a pit, but it’s very satisfying to see the tree grow and bear fruit. You can grow your own olive tree at home if you give it the right conditions and care.
How to Plant Olive Pits
Gather the seeds in the fall, after the fruit has ripened but before they turn black. This is the first step in growing olive trees from pits. Don’t gather the olives from the ground but rather harvest the fruit directly from the tree. Use only olives that are unmarred by insect holes or other damage. Put the olives in a bucket and lightly hammer the flesh to loosen it.
Cover the crushed olives with water and soak overnight, stirring the water on occasion. Skim out any floaters, which are likely rotten. Drain the water. Using two scouring pads or something similar, rub the olives to get rid of any extra flesh. Then, give them a good rinse.
Carefully, nick the pointed end of the olive pits with a pair of bolt cutters. Don’t break all the way through the hull or the seed will be ruined. Soak them for 24 hours in room temperature water. Now it’s time to sow the olive pits. Use a well-draining soil mix of half sand and half seed compost in individual 6-inch (15 cm. ) containers.
About Olive Pit Propagation
Yes, you can grow an olive pit, but there’s one caveat – it has to be a “fresh” pit. By this I mean not a pit from a store bought olive. The olives that we eat are treated with lye, among other things, and are unlikely to engender olive pit propagation. Also, did you know that green and black olives are the same? The only thing that makes them different is when they are picked. Green olives are picked before ripe, while black olives are allowed to ripen on the tree.
Olive trees (Olea europaea) grow in areas of long, warm summers and mild winters and can be grown in USDA growing zones 8-10. Olive trees are primarily grown from cuttings but growing olive trees from pits or seeds is also possible.
The pits need to be thoroughly cleaned and processed to break dormancy and facilitate germination. When growing olive trees from pits, keep in mind that the germination rate is frustratingly low, so hedge your bets by planting multiple pits. Wondering how to plant olive pits? Read on.
Growing Olives from Seed: A Complete Guide #olive #olives #gardening #gardeningtips #seedstarting
FAQ
Can you grow an olive tree from a store-bought olive?
Using olives purchased from a grocery store will not work. These have been processed for consumption which means they’ve been cooked. This process kills the seed inside the pit, so they are no longer viable.
Can you grow an olive tree from an olive branch?
Sever or hammer it to crack it 1/8 inch below a leaf node. Remove all the leaves except a few on top. Dip the cracked end in 0. 2-percent IBA rooting hormone and gently tap to remove the extra. Put the cutting into the hole in the wet sand mix and pack the soil around it tightly.