Nuttiest's olive bonsai

[nuttiest]

I will start posting here about my olive trees but a couple of things I want to ask first:
How often to fertilize? The ones in potting soil are good with the equivalent of 3x / year of 5.5.5 but in pumice it seems losing vigor. We have a lot of rainfall.
Second, one tree on its way next week is going in the ground. I have sandy loam slightly acidic, but I want to modify with pine bark or peat and limestone. Choices?
Third, where has castlevetrano been all my life. Never tasted anything like it, have you had this olive?

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

I will start posting here about my olive trees but a couple of things I want to ask first:
How often to fertilize? The ones in potting soil are good with the equivalent of 3x / year of 5.5.5 but in pumice it seems losing vigor. We have a lot of rainfall.

While I’m sure someone else will chime in, here is our experience. We fertilize olives the same as most other trees, base fertilizer then liquid miracle grow with Humic and kelp 5:2. However our media is APL + Biochar…. But I did add limestone as they are reputed to do better with this media. I think it just moved the pH needle to neutral overall.

Second, one tree on its way next week is going in the ground. I have sandy loam slightly acidic, but I want to modify with pine bark or peat and limestone. Choices?

While olives are supposed to grow well in most pH they normally prefer sandy soil, Ours sulked in basic APL until limestone was added.. since your sand is likely got limestone in it, don’t see an issue. Likely ours sulked due to the short cooler summers. However after a year ours perked up and are thriving in their fourth year.

You are in nice warm weather and olives will love that. Just protect them from freezing

Third, where has castlevetrano been all my life. Never tasted anything like it, have you had this olive?

Gosh, one really has to know a Sicilian to appreciate castlevetranos and all those great recipes they are in. Luckily our best friend was Sicilian.

Good luck with your olives!

Cheers
DSD sends

 

[nuttiest]

While I’m sure someone else will chime in, here is our experience. We fertilize olives the same as most other trees, base fertilizer then liquid miracle grow with Humic and kelp 5:2. However our media is APL + Biochar…. But I did add limestone as they are reputed to do better with this media. I think it just moved the pH needle to neutral overall.

Okay, going to try out in potting media as I like to use the quikrete limestone aggregate on some. Perfect size pebbles. Would be even better if I screened it.

While olives are supposed to grow well in most pH they normally prefer sandy soil, Ours sulked in basic APL until limestone was added.. since your sand is likely got limestone in it, don’t see an issue.

Okay then I am just going to plant no amendments. I like doing that because they need to get used to it eventually. Only better would be add coarse sand.

Likely ours sulked due to the short cooler summers. However after a year ours perked up and are thriving in their fourth year.

And then I can give the sulky one in pumice some lime. had it 3 years from collection it has not grown much.

You are in nice warm weather and olives will love that. Just protect them from freezing

Gosh, one really has to know a Sicilian to appreciate castlevetranos and all those great recipes they are in. Luckily our best friend was Sicilian.

Good luck with your olives!

Thank you for the great information, pretty sure it will weigh heavy in what I do for three of them next week.

 

[nuttiest]

This is one of the collected ones, it has a funny shape.