How to transplant an olive tree at home. How to grow an olive tree at home? Important conditions without which the harvest cannot be harvested
Olives are oily fruits that are used for food. AT open ground the olive grows in the southern regions and on the sea coast. Feels great in the Crimea.
Olive trees can be grown in a greenhouse or at home. It is a symbol of longevity and prosperity. The olive branch is on the coat of arms of Italy. In Athens, a wreath of olive branches was put on the winner of competitions and competitions. The olive also symbolizes peace.
There are several ways to grow a crop. It all depends on the purpose for which the plant is planted. If you want to get fruits, then it is recommended to propagate the tree with cuttings from an already fruiting mother individual. Of course, olive trees are grown from seeds, but in this case, it will begin to bear fruit in 10-20 years. If you are not ready to wait that long, then you can graft a cutting to the tree that bears fruit.
How to grow a plant:
- cuttings;
- seeds;
- seedlings.
The fastest way to acquire a fruitful crop is by purchasing a seedling. So you can be sure of the origin of the plant and its ability to produce fruits of a certain size and variety.
There is a division of olive trees depending on the purpose of the fruit. They are table, oilseed or combined. Note that houses are grown dwarf varieties, but in the garden you will need male and female individuals to harvest. A male or female individual will not produce a crop on its own. Under natural conditions, plant pollen is carried by the wind, and you will have to spread the pollen with a brush or put the pot in a place where there is a draft.
Olive Tree feel good in the conditions short winter and long dry summers. At temperatures below -5 ° C, the tree of the olive family feels uncomfortable. With more severe frosts, it dies. Therefore, if you live in the northern regions, plant a crop in winter garden or greenhouse. Alternatively, purchase a dwarf ornamental variety for growing in an apartment. What the plant looks like can be seen in the photo.
Growing an olive tree from seeds
Initially, purchase dry olives or fresh ones, a canned product is not suitable. The shell of the olive seed is very hard, so to speed up the germination process of the seeds, soak them for 12 hours in a solution of sodium or potassium hydroxide. This is the usual 10% alkali solution. It will partially destroy the shell of the bone and make it possible for the sprout to hatch. Next, cut off the edge of the bone or file it.
There are two options for seed germination. This can be done directly in the soil or in compost. To get sprouts, place the stone in the compost and press it a little into the substrate. Next, daily moisten the mass from the sprayer. Please note that the pot must be placed in a warm and well-lit place. This will take a long time, about 3-12 months. Please note that seed germination is only 50%. Therefore, do not be very upset if the seed does not germinate.
After the sprouts hatch, they are transferred to a separate pot. Little soil is needed. Choose breathable soils and light soils. A mixture of sand and peat will do. Plant transplantation is carried out only after it has been root system will cover all the soil. During transplanting, do not clean off the soil from the roots, just transfer the lump into a pot bigger size. A young plant is transplanted once a year, this should be done in the spring. Once an ornamental olive tree is 5 years old, it should be repotted every three years.
Seedling care
Put olive trees in the brightest place in the apartment. Water them regularly during the summer. Remember that in order for the plant to take on the appearance of a tree, the top should not be cut off. Remove side branches and dead leaves. To get flowers and fruits, it is necessary to provide an olive tree with wintering. To this end, reduce watering and place the culture pot in a cool place. There is no need to fertilize the tree. In the summer, top dressing is carried out once every 7 days. It is best if these are complex nitrogenous fertilizers.
Oliva has an excellent crown, it can be used to make any kind of bonsai. During the dormant period, the temperature in the room should be 10-12 ° C, and in summer - 18-22 ° C. All dried leaves must be cut off, they interfere with the growth of the crown. If you are in winter time do not transfer the olive tree to a cool place, it will not bloom and bear fruit. In the summer, spray the branches with a spray bottle.
Growing an olive tree from cuttings
In order to grow a shrub or tree, a shoot aged 1-3 years is separated from the mother individual. After that, the cut site is treated with a root stimulator. Please note that the substance must be dissolved exclusively in purified or boiled water. The olive tree is very sensitive to bacteria found in raw water. Next, the cutting is placed in a moist substrate. It can be soil or sand. Before planting, stick a pencil into the substrate, so you get a recess. Place the cutting in the hole and cover it with soil.
Now you need to water the plant all the time and wait. The room temperature must be at least 20 °C. Please note that the cuttings really do not like waterlogging, so water infrequently, and try to spray the plants daily. To ensure adequate moisture levels, cover the sprout plastic bag and make some ventilation holes in it.
To check if roots have formed or not, gently pull the stem. If he resists, then the roots gradually grow back. Do not pull with force, as you will simply pull out the plant. The rooting process can take more than 3 months. If three months have already passed, and there are no roots, do not be discouraged. Pay attention to the stalk, if it is green and peppy, then everything is in order, continue to water the European olive.
Planting in a permanent place
The planting of an olive tree is carried out after its rooting. The soil must be river sand, garden and soddy soil. Add to this mixture quicklime. Do not forget to put a drainage layer on the bottom of the container with the olive tree. Water the olive tree often, but little by little. Spray the leaves during dry spells. Water for this take filtered or boiled. After about 3-4 years, you will receive flowers and fruits.
Reasons for the lack of flowers
- A wild plant grown from seed.
- No dormant period.
- Insufficient lighting.
In winter, the olive tree may lack light. That is why it is illuminated using lamps. daylight. Be sure to stop watering in winter and do not fertilize the plant. Fruit can be obtained by grafting an olive tree. To do this, a notch is made on the trunk, where a piece of a high-quality tree is inserted that bears fruit. It is usually necessary to graft an olive in the spring. This is done according to the instructions in the same way as usual. fruit tree. If you are growing house tree, then it is not necessary to graft it, since at home the culture rarely bears fruit. Grafting is carried out in a split or sprouting eye.
Mature tree, unlike young plant, unpretentious. It perfectly tolerates the lack of moisture and waterlogging. The olive tree that you planted in the garden does not need to be replanted. Just cut dry branches in time and shape the crown as you wish. From April to September, do not forget to water the olive tree nitrogen fertilizers. So you will accelerate growth and prevent diseases.
Olive tree (Olea europaea)– or the so-called "Olive Tree" refers to the Olive family. Mostly there are olive trees and shrubs.
The bark of the olive tree is grey. The most widespread species is the European olive. There are about 60 species. The native places of the plant are considered Southern Europe, Africa, South Asia as well as Australia.
Basically, when the fruits are harvested they Green colour. After cooking, they turn black, come with and without bones. Trees that are uneven can be knotty. Branches are long and can hang down. The mass of the ripe fruit of the olive tree is 4-5 grams.
This plant can continue to live up to 300 years. Many call him a long-liver. It is recommended to keep the Olive Tree in the room for up to 10 years. Then transplant into the ground. It grows rather slowly. The leaves of the tree are green-gray. In them, she can collect starch, which helps in very dry weather.
Olive tree - care:
Lighting:
The olive tree is a very thermophilic plant. Grows in sunny areas. Doesn't tolerate shade. But it can still withstand light partial shade.
Temperature:
The olive tree is quite a heat-loving plant. But sometimes it can endure low temperature down to minus 11-15 °С. But of course a short time. At lower levels, it dies. In warm seasons, the olive tree loves warmth. average temperature for its good condition 18-20 ° C. When it blooms, temperature conditions must be observed. At minus 3 - 5 ° C, flowers can be damaged. But still, if the temperatures are very high, this is also harmful.
Watering:
The olive tree is well watered. In warm seasons, it is often necessary to water the plant. If the soil is dry, the leaves may fall off. AT winter period You need to water much less, following the soil of the plant. For irrigation, it is good to take water that is not cold, standing at an average temperature.
Humidity:
The olive tree is neutral to high humidity. If the air humidity is high, then the air temperature should be high. When it is very hot, you can spray the leaves twice a day.
Top dressing:
The olive tree is a plant that, like all others, must be fertilized with mineral fertilizer. In order for it to winter well, it is necessary to feed it with nitrogen in the spring, and in summer nitrogen fertilizer helps to prevent it from freezing out in winter. Approximately once every two weeks you can feed.
Transfer:
The olive tree is not very picky. It does not require special soil. But if the soil is rotten and dry, then it will still not grow. It is recommended that the soil contains a sufficient amount of lime, the soil is rocky and sandy. These plants have very strong roots. Sometimes they are even found in the rock. You can add pieces of brick or charcoal to the soil.
Reproduction:
The olive tree in the larger case propagates vegetatively as well as seeds. But when it is hot, it is recommended to propagate by cuttings. Still, gardeners prefer to propagate the olive tree by seeds. This method is more suitable as it is demanding in reproduction. Seeds can germinate in 2 months. From seeds, the plant can bloom only after 10 years, from cuttings after 4 years.
Some features:
The olive tree is very useful. Fruits are recommended to be eaten as it improves metabolism. This product is also very useful in cooking. Popular use in salads and soups. Rich in vitamins. The use of olives once a day leads to an improvement in the condition of the body and weight loss.
Olive tree - diseases and pests:
The olive tree is a plant that can be attacked by olive moth, whitefly or the so-called "butterfly". The caterpillar eats leaves and buds. If the inflorescences are infected, then they must be cut off immediately. When it does not help, you can use karbofos. The butterfly can infect the leaves, later they turn yellow and fall off. In this case, spray with soap and water or use a suspension of pyrethrum, decis.
- Botanical description
- Growth and lifespan
- The benefits of a tree
- Olive oil
The olive tree plays an important role in various national cultures, is a universally recognized symbol of peace, longevity and prosperity. People have known it since ancient times. In Greece and other Mediterranean countries, it has been cultivated for many millennia. In honor of the olive, or olive, a botanical family was named, which also includes jasmine and ash. Of the 35 species, the most popular is the European olive.
The olive is a relic tree that began to be cultivated in the Stone Age for the sake of obtaining fruits.. The favorable warm and humid climate of the “cradle of civilization”, as the Mediterranean is called, contributed to its spread. cultivars were bred in ancient times, there are practically no wild varieties left. The olive is grown in Greece, Spain, southern Italy, Turkey, Iran, North Africa, on the Black Sea coast Russia. She was introduced into South America and Mexico.
Botanical description
At a young age, olives are short, thin-stemmed trees or shrubs, not exceeding 4–5 m. The bark is dark gray, furrowed, and rather thick. The shoots are elongated, the crown is narrow and sparse.
Olive leaves are simple, leathery, narrowly lanceolate, elongated, with pointed ends and entire edges.. On the shoots they are opposite. Top part bluish-green, with thin veins, back of a silvery shade. The leaves do not fall for the winter, the renewal occurs gradually, they live for about 3 years.
The flowers are axillary, unisexual, light yellow or cream, about 4–6 mm, collected in paniculate elongated racemes of 10–40 pieces. They bloom in early April, the duration of flowering is 2-3 months, depending on the region of growth. At this time, the trees emit a very delicate fragrance. After pollination, which occurs cross or with the help of the wind, fruits are tied, which are rounded drupes, shaped like small plums. Their size is from 1 to 4 cm. The surface in different stages of maturity has a color from light green to brown, purple or almost black. Sometimes the thin skin is covered with a wax coating. The fruits are called olives, or olives. Inside they contain a large hard furrowed bone, surrounded by pulp. AT favorable conditions trees bear fruit twice a year from 15–20 years of age.
As they grow older, the plants are distributed in breadth: the trunks increase in diameter, the shoots thicken, the crown acquires a spherical shape. In height, they can reach 12 m. The root system of adult trees also grows, becomes branched and powerful. The ends of the roots are sensitive to mineral compounds, which is typical for most sclerophyte plants. This allows trees to grow on steep slopes, in mountainous areas, poor rocky soils. Strong roots strengthen crumbling soil, so olives are often planted where there is a risk of landslides.
Growth and lifespan
The lifespan of olive trees reaches 1000 years. In old specimens, wide hollows are formed, the trunks are bent, becoming dumpy. At the same time, fruiting can be maintained if it is enough to periodically cut off old obsolete shoots. Then, after a while, young branches form on the trees.
Most of the year, soil moisture does not play an important role for these plants.. However, the lack of moisture before flowering negatively affects the quantity and quality of the future crop. In addition, the remoteness of planting olives from the sea matters. It turned out that in the depths of the continent without moist ocean air, they wither and cease to bear fruit even under favorable conditions. climatic conditions.
Olives are thermophilic plants. Minimum temperature, which they are able to endure, - 7 ° C. Trees can also survive short-term frosts down to -10–12 ° C. In more severe colds, they freeze out. The ideal temperature for growth and development is about 15–20°C.
The benefits of a tree
Olive wood is decorative, has high technical specifications. Its greenish-yellow coloration is very popular. olive color is a classic, widely used in decorating rooms and fabrics around the world. Olives are not straight-stemmed, they have many side branches. Curly areas, impossible to manufacture flat boards make wood of little use in the construction industry. But high strength, density, hardness, durability, as well as a unique natural pattern make it possible to use it for the production of furniture, various joinery, small wooden parts, souvenirs, inlays.
The fruits are of special value. They contain:
- vitamins B, C, A, E;
- organic acids;
- saponins;
- potassium, phosphorus, iron;
Olive oil
Olives are used for vegetable oil, which has nutritional and medicinal properties. WHO recommends using it daily.
The Mediterranean diet is considered one of the best in the world.. This is the great merit of olive oil. It prevents the synthesis of bad cholesterol, ensures the elasticity of blood vessels, slows down aging, supports metabolic processes, and prevents cancer.
Based on this vegetable fat produced at oilseed factories, soap is brewed, and various cleaning products are produced. in cosmetology and pharmaceutical industry it is used for the manufacture of preparations for skin care, treatment of the digestive tract.
The raw material for obtaining edible and medical oil is the pulp of olives, while the technical oil is squeezed out of the pits. In various varieties of fruits, it contains from 30 to 80%. The most saturated belong to the oil group. Less fatty combinations are used in cooking and canned after pre-soaking in saline solution. Despite all the benefits, they cannot be eaten raw because of the bitter and astringent taste. However, special table olives with a lower content of bitterness are consumed without pre-treatment with brine.
Olive leaves are also rich in nutrients.. They include oleuropein, elenolide. The greens contain healing bitterness, phytoncides, tannins, tannins, esters, etc. The extract from olive leaves has an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effect, and is included in preparations for the treatment of skin infections. The decoction lowers blood pressure, prevents the development of cardiovascular diseases.
Growing at home
The olive does not grow outdoors in temperate or continental climates. The tree will not endure severe frosts, it will die in the first year. It can only be bred under such conditions as a greenhouse or indoor bonsai culture.
Home olive - low, up to 2 m, a tree with a rounded, dense crown. It can also be grown as a pot plant. It is bred mainly as a decorative item, but it is possible to obtain fruits by grafting branches of adult crops to young ones.
Finished olive tree seedlings are sold in specialized shopping malls. Their cost varies from 2500 to 7000 rubles and depends on the age and ability to bear fruit.
You can try to sprout olives from the pits if they were taken from fresh ripe fruits, and not from canned food. Before planting in the ground, seeds are recommended to be stratified, i.e. keep in a cool place at a temperature of about 3–5 ° C for 2 months. The material prepared in this way is soaked in warm water with caustic or ordinary baking soda for 12 hours. Then they are placed in small pots with a substrate of garden soil, leaf humus, peat and sand to a depth of 1–2 cm. The soil must be well-drained. Bones should not be planted in large containers, where they will grow with roots in breadth and depth, and the sprouts will not sprout for a long time. The soil needs to be moistened, cover the surface with cellophane, providing greenhouse conditions and place in a well lit area. It is advisable to plant several seeds at once, since the germination rate is about 50%.
Seeds germinate within 50-60 days. Young sprouts must be placed in a well-lit place, lighting will be required in winter. The ambient temperature should be about 22–24 ° C. It is required to regularly moisten and loosen the soil. At the age of 4-5 months, the plants are carefully transplanted into larger pots. The next transplant will be required in 2 years. This should not be neglected, because over time the roots fill all the free space in the dishes.
It will take at least 10 years to wait until a tree grown from a stone becomes an adult and begins to form olives. Olives purchased or planted by cuttings form fruits 4 years after planting. Segments of shoots about 30 cm long with several leaves are treated with phytohormones and buried 7–10 cm deep into a mixture of humus and peat. For several days they cover with a large jar. Shoots take root in 2-3 months. After that, they are transferred to permanent pots.
Care
Caring for olive trees is simple, but you need to monitor the degree of illumination, control soil moisture, and pay attention to the condition of the leaves. This will prevent you from missing the onset of the disease.
Watering required every 3 days. As they grow older in the summer, you will have to irrigate the crown with water. The humidity of the ambient air must be at least 80%. In the warm season, it is useful to take olives into the open air. In winter, watering is reduced to 1 time per week, and the temperature is reduced to 13 ° C.
Fertilizers are applied throughout the growing season, i.e. from March to October. On average, 1 top dressing in 2 weeks is enough. An aqueous solution of superphosphate, liquid organics are useful.
When laying buds, plant care should be especially thorough. For pollination and obtaining the ovary, it is recommended to slightly shake the branches or direct a stream of air from a hair dryer onto them.
Opinions differ on crown pruning.. If the olive is intended to produce fruits, then care must be taken with the haircut, since olives are formed only on shoots no younger than 2 years of age. ornamental plants can be shortened, giving the branches the desired shape. Weak and drying processes are removed in any case.
With excessive heat, dryness or waterlogging, the olive sheds its leaves or twists them. deficit nutrients in closed ground may slow down its development.
Olive- is pertaining to olive family. Its homeland is Africa, Australia, southern parts of Europe and Asia. In the world, the olive tree is known for the fact that it is made from healthy oil, and the fruits - olives - pickle. There are many legends about its origin. Despite the fact that the olive grows only in warm countries, it can also be grown at home. It is possible to do this from a seed - a bone. However, this will not work to enjoy delicious fruits - they will be tasteless and will appear only 10 years after planting. in this way can be grown only for decorative purposes. For information on how to grow an olive tree at home, read our article.
planting material requirements
If you were already going to put in a bone from a canned olive just eaten, then we hasten to disappoint you - such planting material won't grow. You will only need seeds of fresh fruit, which can be purchased at a specialized store.
When choosing a seed planting method, you should be aware that the germination process will be quite lengthy - about two and a half months. And the germination rate in this case is quite low - for example, out of five planted seeds, only two, or even one, can sprout. Usually germination is not more than 50%.
Did you know? The ancient Greeks revered the olive as the tree of life and longevity. It was considered as such because it was almost impossible to destroy it. Even shattered by lightning, it could live for a long time. If you need to uproot a tree, then for this you need to remove its roots within a radius of five meters, otherwise even from a small remnant it will grow again. AT wild nature the olive grows on average for half a century.
Preparation: sprouting
To begin with, the bones should be placed in an alkaline solution (10%) for 18 hours. This is necessary in order to somewhat soften the shell, which in this state can already be pierced by hatched sprouts. After treatment, the seeds are washed and dried. They must be placed in the soil only in a completely dry form. The sharp end is cut with a knife, secateurs or filed before planting. 
You can also place the seeds for several weeks in a bowl with wet for germination. The container must be kept at warm temperature, constant humidity and sufficient sunlight. This procedure can help increase the percentage of germination.
The soil
The following composition will be the best for planting olives
- river sand - two parts;
- sod land - one part;
- garden soil - one part.
If you will use a purchased substrate, then you need to mix the growing soil (three parts) and ordinary soil (one part), slightly diluting the mixture with sand.
Capacity
Olive planting container must initially be large- at least 60 cm in depth and width. The prerequisite is drainage holes, which will pass excess moisture well or take it from the pallet required amount liquids. The main enemy of the evergreen tree is high humidity soil, death is like its stagnation.
At the bottom of the pot, as a layer, you need to lay a layer of small or brick chips. 
Landing
Planting seeds in the prepared soil should not be too deep - at a distance of 2-3 cm.
For successful rooting and germination in the room, it is necessary to maintain the temperature at + 20 ° C. You also need to support high humidity, proper lighting.
The appearance of sprouts should be expected after two to three months.
Conditions and care of the seedling
The best place to grow olives is a window sill located in the south or southwest. That is where she will do enough sunlight. If there is not enough of it, the plant will signal this to you by dropping foliage. In this case, it will be necessary to look for a brighter place for the pot or additionally install a source of artificial lighting. 
Caring for an olive tree at home is simple and no different from caring for the majority. It will consist of watering, spraying when the air is dry, pruning and transplanting.
Watering is needed regularly, as the topsoil dries up. The plant does not tolerate drought well - its foliage begins to dry out and fall off. However, the tree will react even worse to constant waterlogging - up to complete death.
Important! Watering the olive should be carried out only with tap water at room temperature that has been settled for several days.
In the growing season (April to September) the tree needs to be fertilized. should be alternated with It is recommended to do this once every two weeks during the period active growth and weekly during spring and summer. Starting from October, all top dressing should be stopped, otherwise it will be difficult for the plant to survive the winter period, and it will not bloom in the end. 
In summer, it is necessary to periodically wipe the olive leaves from dust. In winter, during the period when the heating is turned on, they will need to be sprayed.
In winter, the olive should be left alone - water as little as possible, do not feed and move to a cool place (+ 10-12 ° C). Only under such conditions will it be able to bloom.
When flowering has occurred, the tree must be placed in a room with a temperature of + 18-20 degrees.
A year or two after planting, the plant should be transplanted. For this, the transshipment method is used (together with an earthen clod, without opening the root system). Carry out a transplant in the spring. The olive is transplanted annually until it reaches the age of five. Then the intervals between transplants should be increased to two to three years. 
Important! Soil acidity is important for olives. She prefers an alkaline substrate and cannot tolerate too acidic soils. Thus, when transplanting, peat should not be introduced into the soil.
After transplanting, as a rule, the tree grows quickly. Two or three years later, spring period or at the beginning of summer, an olive tree in a pot sheds its leaves and acquires a new one.
Should be carried out annually sanitary pruning dry branches. You can also carry out a formative haircut - it is not difficult for the plant to recover from it. The olive tree is great for bonsai enthusiasts because it can form a variety of miniature trees from its crown. 
The lower branches and leaves should be removed regularly - so the plant will grow better.
Since this evergreen tree has rather tough foliage, it is not damaged.
With a little effort, you can get olives yourself. It will be an environmentally friendly product grown, as a bonus, with love.
Olive tree (lat. Olea) or European olive is a plant whose fruits are rich in oils and are used for food. These evergreen representatives of the flora belong to the genus Olive (Oleaceae). The species Olea europaea (cultivated olive), which is otherwise called the olive tree, has become widespread. In addition to growing a plant for fruit, it is cultivated in decorative purposes. At the first mention of cultivated plant such places as Greece (Crete) and the Black Sea coast appear. Olives, in general, love the sunny and windy climate of the Crimea, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and even India. And under more severe climatic conditions, they take root well in greenhouses or greenhouses.
An olive tree at home rarely reaches a height of two meters. As a rule, these are dwarf specimens with a straight long trunk and a spherical dense crown. 
In the case of a houseplant, the olive can be made in the bonsai style, while the straight and thin trunk is fancifully bent, and the root system is oppressed. Sometimes, from afar, the eye catches the silvery sheen of the crown, which looks amazing in home interior subject to good natural light.
The white calyx of the olive flower has the shape of a glass, rather small in size. The flowers smell very faintly and not sharply, rather like grass or dust beaten down by rain, figuratively speaking, like the steppe over the sea. 
European olive is a bisexual plant, the trees are male and female. To be fruitful, you must cross pollination, therefore, to obtain a crop, often two seedlings of different sexes are placed in one hole of the container. Contrary to popular belief that olives are green and olives are dark purple, it is worth noting that these are the same stone fruit. The only difference is ripeness. So that the tree does not bear fruit, but serves as a decoration, the ovaries must be removed after flowering. It hibernates without shedding dense narrow leaves and remaining green all year round, only renewing them once in 2-3 years.
Classification
The inhabitants of the Mediterranean have been breeding for centuries various varieties homemade olives, which differ in the percentage of oil. The most oily - belong to the oil group. Combined - suitable for processing and canning. Oil is not squeezed out of table varieties, but consumed raw, canned and pickled. Today, the olive is grown not only in plant nurseries, but also cultivated at home. Popular table varieties: Crimean 172, Revolution, Nikitskaya 1, Nadzhviyskaya, Razzo, Askelano, Mession, Sevillano, Urtinskaya, Otur, Coreggialo.
Application
The composition of olives includes oil rich in unsaturated fatty acids, which are very beneficial to the body. Vitamin F restores cell membranes, rejuvenating the skin. Medicine widely uses the leaves of olive trees.
Care
The principle of olive life is quite simple: the phase of growth and development, flowering, fruiting, dormancy or wintering. New shoots appear in February - April, when daylight hours increase and the plant begins to receive more light. Until then, the flower is dormant. During the dormant period, the plant accumulates forces.
If the tree has enough strength, flowers appear at the end of April. Flowering lasts several months, on average until early July. In order to start healthy fruits, it is better not to rely on self-pollination. Gentle shaking of the branches promotes the exchange of pollen between different inflorescences. You can use cotton swabs and transfer the pollen by hand.
In order for flowering to be plentiful, in autumn and winter the olive tree is provided with a dormant period (from November to February, when metabolic processes slow down), taking it out to an insulated balcony (10-12 degrees), watering is reduced, and not touched. Manipulation is carried out with plants older than five years, which have not been transplanted during the year.
If fruiting is not planned, then in addition to the above actions, to care for the European olive at home, artificial crown formation is performed. It is advisable to remove young shoots near the trunk so that growth occurs upwards, and not in breadth, and the tree does not become like thickets. In mature plants, dry or weak branches are pinched off. Decorativeness is achieved quickly if pruned regularly. 
Growing olives at home gives you the opportunity, with sufficient competent care, to get up to 2 kg of yield. In apartment conditions, it bears fruit every two years. The olive is not a simple culture; grooming it for the first six months can be more difficult than any other greenery. In particular, many difficulties arise when growing from seeds: the seeds are capricious, the germination rate often does not exceed 50%, and fresh shoots often lose their viability. But do not despair, because there are easier, and bringing many times the best effect, methods of reproduction, such as cuttings and grafting.
Conditions of detention
olive tree like indoor plant, grown in a pot requires certain conditions for healthy development, no matter how it is planted, consider them in order:
The soil
Since in nature olives grow on loams and sandstones, it is necessary to choose a soil of similar composition. Trees do not like acidic soil, but a slightly alkaline environment suits them perfectly. As a baking powder, you should choose a coconut substrate, volcanic tuff, fine expanded clay. Before planting, the land should be loose and moderately moist.
Temperature
Oliva in room conditions grows well at a temperature of 18-22 degrees. However, during the wintering period, a decrease in temperature to 10-12 degrees is considered acceptable.
Lighting
A lot of light is required, it's good if they are bright Sun rays from dawn to dusk, not desk lamp several hours a day. Otherwise, the tree will begin to wilt and shed its foliage. It is recommended to expose the seedling to a fresh warm air- this activates growth, it is useful for the ovary of the kidneys.
Watering
It is desirable to control the soil moisture, the adult olive tolerates dryness, but the roots begin to rot from the bays. However, with young seedlings, you need to be especially careful not to dry the barely hatched shoots. A sign that the olive does not receive enough water is dull, withering leaves, which, curling up, begin to fall off. During hot summer days the crown should be irrigated with water from a spray bottle.
Lure
In order for development to proceed actively, from March to mid-summer, it is recommended to apply complex mineral fertilizers, with a frequency of up to two times a month. Possible as root dressing, and foliar - by spraying the leaves. Special tonics maintain the elasticity of the leaves, stimulate their growth. There are ready-made balanced compositions in stores.
reproduction
There are three ways to grow a fruit bearing olive tree.
From the bone
More drupes should be prepared, from live olives, and not from canned ones, because heat treatment fruits destroys the biological bonds in the seed. The kernels are kept under conditions close to the natural landing environment. This is room temperature, soaking for 12-14 hours in a slightly alkaline solution (10%). For the first planting, it is enough to have a pot of 10 cm in diameter. The washed bones are immersed in the ground by 2 cm. The first sprouts are shown after six to eight weeks. Such a plant will be able to form ovaries only by the tenth year of life. If you want to speed up the process, graft young plants to older varieties.
Graft
In stores, you can buy an olive tree in a pot, it looks compact, but has a thick trunk. Such specimens are obtained by grafting adult olive cuttings to seedlings grown from seeds. Cuttings are taken from fruit-bearing individuals, therefore, the trees obtained in this way are quite quickly ready to bear fruit. If there is a place to take a “mother”, you can independently propagate the olive at home.
cuttings
Several summer branches are split off from the mother plant with an oblique cut. The ends are sprayed with a growth stimulator, the cutting is lowered into the hole 10-12 cm deep into the ground, the pot is needed with a depth of 20 cm. It is desirable to create the effect of a greenhouse, for this you should cover the seedling with a transparent jar. Heat varies from 25 to 30 degrees, without drops. The olive takes root in the fourth or fifth week, which will be signaled by the appearance of young leaves. The root system will be finally formed in 3-4 months, followed by transplanting inside a larger container to a permanent place.
Transfer
The first four years the tree is transplanted annually. To figure out which month to transplant a room olive, you need to take into account the flowering period (end of April - beginning of July), for relocation to new pot the period from February to mid-April is selected. Before flowering, the olive feels a lack of nutrients, so the new soil will help increase the number of flowers, the yield of the tree.
Diseases
it evergreen, has practically no diseases, is resistant to pests, and leaf fall is not the norm. If this does occur, close attention must be paid to watering and possibly introducing crown spraying. You can also try to make a complex mineral fertilizer, to restore the strength of the plant.
Many tourists bring olive trees as souvenirs from Greece. The island of Crete is a leader in the cultivation of olives, supplying most of the olive oil to the world market. The average life expectancy of the Cretans is 80 years, they explain their longevity by the regular use of olives and their products. Therefore, grow them at home, enjoy healthy fruits and watch the beauty of the olive tree all year round! 
