Small olive tree getting fruit

[nairb]

I bought a small olive tree last year in the supermarket, not really bonsai material but it had a few olives on it which I thought was fun. The tree is really small about the size of a house plant. Now the tree is covered in small flower buds. If I want it to produce olives do I need to do anything? do I need to remove some flower buds? When I bought it it only had about 3 or 4 olives which I presume is all that it can support?

thanks
Brian

 

[nairb]

I bought a small olive tree last year in the supermarket, not really bonsai material but it had a few olives on it which I thought was fun. The tree is really small about the size of a house plant. Now the tree is covered in small flower buds. If I want it to produce olives do I need to do anything? do I need to remove some flower buds? When I bought it it only had about 3 or 4 olives which I presume is all that it can support?

thanks
Brian

I'll answer my own question
I found an article from someone with a crabapple tree, they left all the flowers on and when the fruit appears removed any fruit that they reckoned it couldn't support.

 

[JudyB]

I imagine that would be a safe bet. My olive doesn't fruit (yet) but may never do so.
post a pic if you have the time...

 

[nairb]

I imagine that would be a safe bet. My olive doesn't fruit (yet) but may never do so.
post a pic if you have the time...

Here's some photos, sorry about the quality, I just saw now that the third one is blurred. A bottle of wine for scale (only thing I had to hand..ahem)

 

[JudyB]

Thanks for the pics, I'd never seen olives with fruit. Looks like multiple olives on stems?

 

[Poink88]

Thanks for the pics, I'd never seen olives with fruit. Looks like multiple olives on stems?

Try google https://www.google.com/search?q=oli...GwBQ&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=893#imgrc=_

The one I bought (Wilsonii) have a couple before it was chopped. It is being sold as ornamental and supposedly is fruitless but I've read that they do fruit but not nearly as prolific as the orchard grown variety for fruit and oil production.

 

[nairb]

Thanks for the pics, I'd never seen olives with fruit. Looks like multiple olives on stems?

Yes, when I bought it last summer there were only 3 or 4 olives on it but now with spring its completely covered in flowers, thats why I was worried about it being too much for such a small tree. It looks like the flowers are about done now as they are falling off so we'll see what develops!
I'll post some more photos as soon as I see some developments.

 

[Julius Tristan]

I bought a small olive tree last year in the supermarket, not really bonsai material but it had a few olives on it which I thought was fun. The tree is really small about the size of a house plant. Now the tree is covered in small flower buds. If I want it to produce olives do I need to do anything? do I need to remove some flower buds? When I bought it it only had about 3 or 4 olives which I presume is all that it can support?

thanks
Brian

Yes exactly you have to do something, you have to give them a right way of giving a fertilizer, including also the proper way of giving the water so that it can easy to produce the fruits.

 

[nairb]

Yes exactly you have to do something, you have to give them a right way of giving a fertilizer, including also the proper way of giving the water so that it can easy to produce the fruits.

thanks Julius do you have any tips about the watering? I just give it water as I normally do with other bonsais (I try not to let it dry out, though its getting harder now with the Italian summer sun!)
Also about Fertilizer what would you recommend? I have never really done much in the way of using fertilizer except for using watered down standard house plants fertilizer.

thanks

 

[nairb]

Olives!

Just adding a photo of the olives fruiting! sorry the photo is out of focus, my phone camera seems to focus on the wrong part...