wrote in message
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Janet wrote:
My olive is how about a metre high and across; would be twice that but
prune it quite hard; it grows about a foot every year. The trunk is
getting thick and gnarly, looks great. It flowered last years but no
fruit

When do you prune? I've got an olive in a pot that is about 2 or 3 years
old, it gets as far as tiny little fruit every year, but doesn't go any
further. It's getting a bit one-sided and thought I ought to prune it
back,
but haven't got to finding out how and when to do it yet.

Advice from someone who's managed to not kill one always appreciated. ;-)

I haven't really pruned ours much - it seems to be doing fine at the moment
but no doubt will need pruning eventually.
About 6-8' tall including pot.
The tiny little fruit may be as designed.
Our tree produces loads of small fruit - nothing like the commercial
olives - which overwinter then go black in the spring.
Then something eats them.

From
http://www.bigplantnursery.co.uk/GrowingGuideOlives.htm
"Olive trees can be easily pruned to maintain the size and habit required.
We recommend that light, formative pruning is undertaken in mid-spring with
heavier trimming in early to mid-summer. Never prune during the winter and
be cautious in the autumn: like many Mediterranean trees, olives need some
heat and recovery time to heal wounds before the dormant winter period."

This sounds sensible advice.

--
No plan survives contact with the enemy.
[Not even bunny]

Helmuth von Moltke the Elder

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