Leaves on Olive Tree are Curling up and Falling Off

[HomeJungle]

Hi Everyone,
I am new here and I am really hoping someone can help me. I have a 9' Olive Tree that my mom and I got from a Orchid Greenhouse. The owner did not want it any more, it was actually his wife's tree and she was not there. Here is the problem, it is winter here and the day we got the tree it was in the single digits with a wind chill well below zero. We put the tree into the back of a pick up with a cap on it. It was a hour and a half drive home with that poor tree in the unheated freezing back of the pick up. When we got home it was the first thing in the house. I repotted the tree the next day thinking that it would be root bound because there were branches everywhere with the top drooping. One side of the tree is completely flat because it was up against the west side windows of the greenhouse. The tree was root bound. A week later now the leaves have all curled up and are very dry and are falling off. I am wondering if the tree is just in shock from the cold or if I just plain killed it bringing it home. Is there anyone that can tell me how to fix this poor tree.

Thanks ahead to anyone who replies to this.

 

[deepestblues]

I'm not an expert with olive trees but it might be in some kind of shock. Maybe just find a nice warm spot for it with lots of sun and see what happens. Keep the soil kind of damp and see if any kind of new little green growth that looks like it has any life left in it. There's probably an Einstein here that can give you better advice than some of my tripe.

 

[Pat]

I do not know much about the Olive Tree, I did do a search, found a video that I have posted here. You may need to prune the tree to get it to start it to growing. I hope the article helps.http://www.gardenguides.com/video-58971-care-olive-trees.html

 

[ChanellG]

Can the root ball fit into a bucket? I'd sit it in water and then start doing some research. You might also want to use a spray bottle to mist the leaves. I'd say it is definitely in shock. but from your description it also seems to be dehydrated. Since you said the tree was root bound, you should also prune the roots a bit to stimulate new growth. Good luck!

 

[LIcenter]

Can the root ball fit into a bucket? I'd sit it in water and then start doing some research. You might also want to use a spray bottle to mist the leaves. I'd say it is definitely in shock. but from your description it also seems to be dehydrated. Since you said the tree was root bound, you should also prune the roots a bit to stimulate new growth. Good luck!

I fully agree ChanellG. It's going thru shock, and sounds like a good approach to nursing it back to health. One question I have is; What was the temp of that greenhouse, as opposed to it's new home. Might of woken it up, just a little too fast?

 

[HomeJungle]

Thanks Everyone for all the help. I'll be watching the video soon. I did trim the root ball some and gave it a good watering when I repotted it. The temp in the greenhouse I am guessing was in the mid 70's, 75 to 77 degrees. my house is around 67-70 depending on the weather outside. I live in a OLD house, I sometimes think there is not much insulation. I was planning on repotting again today to a larger pot. The new pot has the same diameter but is taller. There are some roots at the top near the trunk that I could not get covered since the pot I had was not tall enough to allow more dirt. I bought a deeper pot yesterday. I'll keep you all utd on how it is doing. Thanks again!!

 

[gata montes]

Hi and welcome HomeJungle - As the grower of a vast amount of Olive Trees - I would first just like to reassure you that all is not yet lost - as olive trees are a lot more hardy and far more resilient than many people think.

My immediate thoughts as to why your olive tree is losing its leaves - is because your tree is in shock - but not due to the fact that you re-potted it - but due to the change in its environment - for the simple reason - that Olive Trees are very definitely outdoor plants only and although they will sometimes survive if grown in a cool conservatory with plenty of sunlight - they rarely cope with the atmosphere when grown indoors which unfortunately is more often than not the cause of their untimely demise - mainly because the artificial environment is far too warm and dry for them - the first signs of which are very similar to what you are experiencing - the leaves start to show signs of drying, curling up and falling off.

In fact the very best thing that you could do for your tree if you want it to recover - is to put it outside in a sheltered south or west facing spot - as by doing that - providing your tree has good drainage, gets plenty of sunlight and is kept on the dry side - I think you will soon see it returning to how it originally looked.

I would just add that olive trees are actually quite hardy and can withstand temperatures of well below - 15 C easily and still survive - in fact mine often go to well below that without suffering too much - they also don't like being too moist and are best if kept on the very dry side and don't like to be fertilized too often either - once a year is more than adequate.

nearly forgot - although its always tempting in these situations to want to water more than is necessary - your tree will recover far quicker if kept on the dry side and also - I would not recommend pruning your tree just yet - as its way, way too young for that - pruning is best left until the tree has become more established and even then it would only be minimal - as Olives require very little in the way of pruning.

 

[HomeJungle]

Hi Geta,
Thank you for all the advice! You answered a few questions I had about pruning and fertilizing. A lot of sites I have been on say to fertilize every two weeks in the spring and summer and not at all in the winter. I am not sure this poor tree would survive outside here. We have been well below your -15 C. We are Fahrenheit and our temps right now are in the minus single digits. That would be around -20 to -25 for you, it's so cold here that it hurts to breath when you go out.

I have a question for you. The pot that the tree is in is 18" in diameter. If I were to put some trays full of gravel and water on top of the soil so the tree could get some humidity would that help?

 

[gata montes]

Hi Geta,
Thank you for all the advice! You answered a few questions I had about pruning and fertilizing. A lot of sites I have been on say to fertilize every two weeks in the spring and summer and not at all in the winter. I am not sure this poor tree would survive outside here. We have been well below your -15 C. We are Fahrenheit and our temps right now are in the minus single digits. That would be around -20 to -25 for you, it's so cold here that it hurts to breath when you go out.

I have a question for you. The pot that the tree is in is 18" in diameter. If I were to put some trays full of gravel and water on top of the soil so the tree could get some humidity would that help?

Now I understand the problem - as yes I would agree - that even if you wrapped it in horticultural fleece - its highly unlikely that your olive tree would survive in temperatures as low as yours - unfortunately however I'm not altogether not too sure what to suggest - as unless you have a room with a south facing window where the temperature ranges somewhere between 30 - 50 F and never exceeds 50 F - you are going to have problems trying to keep it alive.

In answer to your question - as olive trees are arid plants and prefer extremely low humidity and don't fare too well in areas of high humidity - I wouldn't recommend placing yours on gravel filled trays to create a more humid environment - as to be honest apart from the fact that doing that is likely to lead to fungal infections - its quite the opposite of what your tree requires and could even weaken the tree more - particularly as olive trees are normally best kept on the dry side and especially at this time of year.

I realize I forgot to mention earlier that although olive trees do only require a light dressing of fertilizer once a year - they do best with a potassium rich fertilizer as opposed to one that has a high nitrogen content.

 

[HomeJungle]

OK, I got ya. I have a office that is colder than the rest of the house with a south and a west facing window. I'll move it in there.

You kept say how dry they like it but I kept thinking about the other articles that I have read where they tell you to put the trees on trays of rocks with water. I was not thinking of the regions that they are from-Arid. The other articles don't make sense. I will let it dry out and then water and no gravel. Thank you Gata, I think I have a good idea of where I am going with this tree now.

 

[ChanellG]

...One question I have is; What was the temp of that greenhouse, as opposed to it's new home. Might of woken it up, just a little too fast?

I was thinking the same thing. It probably went through the opposite of hardening off in the transport/transplant experience.

...You may need to prune the tree to get it to start it to growing...

Pruning a transplant is generally a good idea, but that is usually when you dig something up from the ground and it looses some of its roots. If this one is really young though, Gata is right - if you prune too soon, you limit the tree's future height and bushing out.

Hi and welcome HomeJungle - As the grower of a vast amount of Olive Trees...

I fell in love with the look of Olive trees when I was in Spain. A couple years ago they started becoming available at my local farmer's market and now we have them at work. I really want one, just because I love the leaves on them. However, in summer it gets pretty humid. The one at the market seems fine, and may even be in partial shade. Are they fussy to grow? Are they a good tree to espalier?

 

[gata montes]

Pruning a transplant is generally a good idea, but that is usually when you dig something up from the ground and it looses some of its roots. If this one is really young though, Gata is right - if you prune too soon, you limit the tree's future height and bushing out.

To be honest that is not entirely correct - as whether or not pruning is beneficial or harmful at the time of transplant also very much depends on the type of tree, whether it is deciduous or evergreen and also whether it is grown for ornamental or fruiting purposes - however in the case of an olive tree - pruning a non established olive tree is not recommended - as not only does it stunt the growth but will also weaken the tree - so much so that it generally kills it.

I fell in love with the look of Olive trees when I was in Spain. A couple years ago they started becoming available at my local farmer's market and now we have them at work. I really want one, just because I love the leaves on them. However, in summer it gets pretty humid. The one at the market seems fine, and may even be in partial shade. Are they fussy to grow? Are they a good tree to espalier?

If grown in their correct environment - olives are extremely easy to grow - however as they are known to be one of the most drought tolerant plants known to man and need an extremely arid environment with very low rainfall and very low humidity - as well as an enormous amount of sunlight - I think you may have trouble growing one successfully in a humid climate especially if you have reasonable amounts of rain throughout the year too - particularly as moisture is an olive tree's worst enemy and although generally more or less disease and pest free if grown in the right conditions - a moist humid environment can very quickly lead to root rot, various fungal diseases and an untimely death.

Although there are a couple of varieties of olive tree that may - if grown for purely ornamental purposes - survive in a slightly shady spot - the majority of olives do require a minimum of at least 7 hours of sunlight per day in order to survive.

I would say not - in fact olive trees are rarely grown as espalier trees - for the simple reason that as espaliered trees require constant ongoing pruning and olive trees only require very minimal pruning - they are not really suited - especially as regular pruning of an olive tree generally encourages an over production of suckers - which of course over time will weaken the tree.

 

[ChanellG]

To be honest that is not entirely correct - as whether or not pruning is beneficial or harmful at the time of transplant...

If grown in their correct environment - olives are extremely easy to grow - ...need an extremely arid environment with very low rainfall and very low humidity - as well as an enormous amount of sunlight

I wasn't speaking specifically of trees, however if you dig something up and don't get the entire root ball, it won't be supported so pruning would make sense.

I will have to inquire into the variety of olive tree that is planted in a container at the farmer's market. I have never known anyone to grow them here and had not seen one in person until I went to Spain. My yard gets too much sunlight so that would no be an issue.

 

[gata montes]

I wasn't speaking specifically of trees, however if you dig something up and don't get the entire root ball, it won't be supported so pruning would make sense.

I must have misread the thread title - no idea why - but I felt absolutely sure that we were discussing olive trees here - but yes the same would apply to shrubs too - especially bare rooted ones

 

[gata montes]

I have never known anyone to grow them here and had not seen one in person until I went to Spain. My yard gets too much sunlight so that would no be an issue.

It is not just the amount of sunshine that is important - but also the climate and as it is those two things combined that are needed in order to successfully grow Olive Trees - although the amount of sunlight may not be an issue - your climate very definitely would be.

So as I'm not altogether sure that you fully understand what was said - I will say again - as moisture is an olive tree's worst enemy due to the fact that - Olive Trees are best suited to hot arid (desert like) climates with an extremely long dry season, very low humidity and hardly any yearly rainfall - your humid climate with no dry reason and fairly high average rainfall would not be suited to growing olives - which is most likely - one of the main reasons why you haven't seen growing in your area.