Olive tree suddenly losing leaves
 

My olive tree which has been thriving since last year has suddenly started
dropping all its leaves. Could I have over-watered it?

Jo

Jo wrote:
My olive tree which has been thriving since last year has suddenly started
dropping all its leaves. Could I have over-watered it?

Jo

I only have experience of olive trees in Spain. My trees have just
finished their "June drop", and have shed a large number of last year's
leaves along with the immature fruit. If your tree is losing leaves of
all ages, and not just those over a year old, it may well be
over-watering that is causing the problem.

Jo in sunny Spain

"Jo" wrote in message
...
My olive tree which has been thriving since last year has suddenly started
dropping all its leaves. Could I have over-watered it?

Could you have underwatered it?
Have you fed it enough?

I assume it is in a pot?

My olive seems to be thriving at the moment - looks as though it is about to
flower in a big way - so I don't think your should be dropping a lot of
leaves at the moment.

One thing I do with pot trees and shrubs - especially my fig - is to leave a
few weeds in the pot along with the tree.

The health of the weeds is a much quicker and clearer indication of
conditions in the pot than the apparent health of the tree.
The tree is generally very slow to react, but when it shows signs of
distress then it is very unhappy.

If the weeds are wilting, dying and going brown , the pot is too dry.

If the weeds are very pale green then there is not enough food.

If the weeds seem to be thriving I clear most out but leave a few as
indicators of conditions.

You could equally use a small bedding plant as an indicator if you want
something more decorative :-)


HTH
Dave R

On Wed, 22 Jun 2005 21:51:13 +0100, "Jo"
wrote:

My olive tree which has been thriving since last year has suddenly started
dropping all its leaves. Could I have over-watered it?

Maybe over or underwatering; maybe dry atmosphere.
Is it in a pot indoors? Mine used to stay indoors all winter, and
regularly lost most of its leaves, puttiing out new ones quite
quickly. Mine has now been outdoors, but protected in winter, for the
last 3 years. No leaves have been lost since it went out.



Pam in Bristol

On Sun, 26 Jun 2005 19:16:08 +0100, "David W.E. Roberts"
wrote:

One thing I do with pot trees and shrubs - especially my fig - is to leave a
few weeds in the pot along with the tree.

The health of the weeds is a much quicker and clearer indication of
conditions in the pot than the apparent health of the tree.
The tree is generally very slow to react, but when it shows signs of
distress then it is very unhappy.

If the weeds are wilting, dying and going brown , the pot is too dry.

What a good idea David! A good excuse for not weeding too!

Pam in Bristol

Pam Moore wrote:

On Wed, 22 Jun 2005 21:51:13 +0100, "Jo"
wrote:


My olive tree which has been thriving since last year has suddenly started
dropping all its leaves. Could I have over-watered it?


Maybe over or underwatering; maybe dry atmosphere.
Is it in a pot indoors? Mine used to stay indoors all winter, and
regularly lost most of its leaves, puttiing out new ones quite
quickly. Mine has now been outdoors, but protected in winter, for the
last 3 years. No leaves have been lost since it went out.

Mine live outside and do lose their leaves by drying out about now as
the new branches start to form. I suspect winter damp or frost damage in
N Yorks. The tree lives on quite happily. Odd bit of die back.

Regards,
Martin Brown

Martin Brown wrote:
Pam Moore wrote:

On Wed, 22 Jun 2005 21:51:13 +0100, "Jo"

wrote:


My olive tree which has been thriving since last year has
suddenly
started dropping all its leaves. Could I have over-watered it?


Maybe over or underwatering; maybe dry atmosphere.
Is it in a pot indoors? Mine used to stay indoors all winter, and
regularly lost most of its leaves, puttiing out new ones quite
quickly. Mine has now been outdoors, but protected in winter, for
the
last 3 years. No leaves have been lost since it went out.

Mine live outside and do lose their leaves by drying out about now
as
the new branches start to form. I suspect winter damp or frost
damage
in N Yorks. The tree lives on quite happily. Odd bit of die back.

For the reference file, I know a small olive which has been growing
in a 12"ish clay pot on a jetty on an exposed creek in Kent for about
three tears, treated with shocking neglect, and remains in perfect
health and flowered this year. No significant loss of leaves. Tough
old devils, they are.

I know nothing about them. Can anybody tell us about the varieties?
And which do best in Britain?

--
Mike.