grocery store olive plants

[Joe2758]

I picked up these two olive plants at a grocery store yesterday. US zone 6; we are just about past our frosts...but I can bring them in if I need to.

So what now? I took pictures of where I would cut first if I wasn't going to take the time to ask. I took pictures to show what stage the new growth is at; generally putting out its second set of leaves. I took pictures of the roots.

So I am choosing between:
1. cut at the red areas
2. air layer the cut areas
3.repot
4. nothing

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Why would you cut? Why would you grow?
For us to give some advice it is very handy to have a sense of direction as to where you want to take these youngsters.

I have a bunch of olives but I decided to just keep them as ornamental plants. Because they simply grow too slow here to have a decent trunk within my grandchildrens lifespan (and I don't even have kids yet).
So without knowing what sparked your interest in these trees, we can say a bunch of things that don't help you forward.

 

[Joe2758]

Thanks! So cutting now would be to get the movement before the wound is too big. But I think now when I cut those I may leave as jin just in case I want them in the future. But then again, I may want to air layer.

I picture them 1 inch thick trunk; about half inch right now.

What interested me was the trunk line already has movement, and I heard olives were good.

Goal is backyard only, I'll never be showing them (or anything). I just want to make things I will still enjoy many years from now as my tastes change or mature.

If I were to repot the purpose would be to get them in better soil.

If I were to do nothing the purpose would be to start thickening the trunk

Right now I am leaning toward doing the jin bc it may be the only thing that can add interest

 

[Tieball]

Repotting could be helpful to better growth if your plan is a larger container and appropriate substrate mix. If you feel the need to have to chop it, assuming the red marker, I would recommend you plant it back at a strong angle. And then let it grow to thicken the trunk a lot more.

 

[Joe2758]

The plan was 75:25% perlite to potting mix for soil.

Does anyone support the idea of doing the cut/jin and repot now at the same time (with stronger angle), then letting it grow to thicken?

Also what do you think about even extending the jin down into a shari

 

[Tieball]

Likewise lower cutting and planting on your other olive.
I would not bother with any jin and shari until the trunks significantly thicken.

 

[Shibui]

Cut now and grow or grow now then cut are just 2 sides of the same coin. Either way it will take years for these to develop into good trees while in pots.
Olives do make great bonsai but they are slow to develop so most good olive bonsai are started from larger trees and cut down to bonsai size.
Dead wood is a great and natural addition to olive bonsai but very skinny jins do not look great. Need to be aware that the wood inside that trunk only about 1/2-2/3 of the current size because of bark. By the time your trunk thickens your jin made now will be insignificant, if it doesn't rot away before then. If jin is the aim grow first then carve the jin to suit the size of the trunk when it has grown.

 

[Tieball]

Cut now and grow or grow now then cut are just 2 sides of the same coin. Either way it will take years for these to develop into good trees while in pots.
Olives do make great bonsai but they are slow to develop so most good olive bonsai are started from larger trees and cut down to bonsai size.
Dead wood is a great and natural addition to olive bonsai but very skinny jins do not look great. Need to be aware that the wood inside that trunk only about 1/2-2/3 of the current size because of bark. By the time your trunk thickens your jin made now will be insignificant, if it doesn't rot away before then. If jin is the aim grow first then carve the jin to suit the size of the trunk when it has grown.

Excellent true observations and recommendations. Good to follow.

 

[Joe2758]

So here is where I ended up. I didn't pot them up because the roots were climbing around and up the trunks like vines. I took off about 75% and got better soil in there. Should I just give them some shade or do you think they will need extra humidity or something?

 

[Shibui]

Olives are very hardy. I don't bother giving extra shade or humidity and they recover from way more than 75% root reduction

 

[jradics]

I picked up these two olive plants at a grocery store yesterday. US zone 6; we are just about past our frosts...but I can bring them in if I need to.

So what now? I took pictures of where I would cut first if I wasn't going to take the time to ask. I took pictures to show what stage the new growth is at; generally putting out its second set of leaves. I took pictures of the roots.View attachment 484962

So I am choosing between:
1. cut at the red areas
2. air layer the cut areas
3.repot
4. nothingView attachment 484965

they are winter hardy only to zone 8. it will have to come inside in winter

 

[rockm]

Hope you're not planning to keep these outside if you're under Zone 8 or 9. Olives in containers are mostly not winter hardy in areas that get constant freezing or snow. Even the "winter hardy" varieties of olive aren't really all that capable of standing up to those conditions, particularly in a container.

 

[Joe2758]

Thanks again everyone. Right, I was planning on bring them into my garage with my yaopon holly and others. Stays 40-60 deg F in winter.

On another note speaking of hardiness...

I managed to successfully start a whole big batch of seeds that have been sprouting the last couple months. I am trying to plan ahead for their first winter.

1. European Beech
2. Japanese maples
3. Korean Hornbeam
4. Scotch pine
5. Eastern Larch
6. Trident maple
7. Ginkgo
8. Japanese red pine
9. Japanese black pine

With all of these I have some in the ground and some in containers, except black pine which are all in containers.

I feel comfortable that my in ground plants will mostly be ok through winter.

But when I picture these tiny seedlings not even a year old in these little containers going through winter, even with protection, I see myself being tempted to bring them into that garage when it starts getting much below freezing. Will they be ok in a cold frame that still may get in the teens or less F?

I was on the fence with Black pine and trident. I am leaning toward black pine in cold garage and trident outside.

As always, any advice greatly appreciated