How to plant olive trees?

The olive tree is an evergreen tree that resists drought without difficulties.. This is because it originated in the Mediterranean region, where the drought can not only last several months but also occurs during the hottest time of the year. Despite this, it is capable of producing many fruits, olives, which is why it is frequently cultivated in orchards and rainfed or low-maintenance gardens.

Now, although it is very easy to buy an already grown specimen, since you only have to go to a nursery or visit an online plant store, it is interesting to know how to plant olive trees. Why? Because it's a way to save money, but at the same time, to gain experience planting a tree and watch it grow.

What is the best time to plant olive trees?

The seeds of the olive trees ripen in spring., when the temperatures are already mild or even high depending on the area. As is to be expected that the weather continues to improve, that is a good time to sow them in a seedbed, since in this way the seedlings will be able to grow during the remainder of spring, all summer, and can even continue to do so in autumn if temperatures remain above fifteen degrees Celsius.

Could they be sown at another time? Yes of course. For example, they could be sown in winter if you have a greenhouse or an electric sprouter; or in summer as long as it is done at the beginning or at the end, and only in the case that there have not yet been heat waves, or when they have already ended.

Where should we put the olive seedbed?

The olive tree is a sun tree, so it is important that the seedbed is placed in a sunny place so that the plants can grow correctly from the first day. Now I will explain how you have to sow the seeds, but what I want you to keep in mind is that if you put the seedbed in the shade or inside the house, your future olive trees could not have a correct development, because they would spend a lot of energy growing towards the source. of more powerful light -which could simply be a reflection of light on a piece of furniture for example-.

Thus, you would see that they grow very quickly, but at the same time they would become increasingly weaker, because their stems would become thinner and thinner, with less force. And then if you put them in direct sunlight, they wouldn't last long, because they would burn and die because they weren't used to it. Therefore, the seedbed must be placed in the correct place as soon as the seeds have been sown.

How do you plant the olive tree step by step?

To sow the olive seeds first you have to place on a table what is going to be needed, What is it:

• Substrate for seedlings, such as this.
• Seedbed, which can be a tray with holes like this, or a pot.
• Watering can with water.

Once you have it all you just have to follow these steps which I will tell you next:

1. The first is to fill the seedbed with the substrate, almost completely.
2. Then, water it consciously so that it is very moist.
3. And then, all you have to do is take the seeds and bury them one centimeter.

Now, you don't have to put many in one place, otherwise if they all germinate you would have problems separating them and getting them to survive. It is better to put one or two in each pot or alveolus, and they must also be separated from each other.

To prevent them from growing without problems, you must not only put the seedbed in a sunny place, but also I advise you to apply spray fungicide every fortnight. And it is that fungi are one of the most dangerous enemies that tree seeds have, to the point that newly germinated seedlings could die as a result of a disease known as damping-off, which is caused by fungi that attack the stem of these plants, causing them to die in a matter of days.

How long does it take for the olive tree to germinate?

You have to have a little patience to see the olive seeds germinate. If they are fresh and the temperatures are right, that is, if they are kept between 15 and 30ºC, it is normal for them to germinate after a month., or two at most. But if it's colder, or hotter, they'll probably need more time.

There is no need to despair. If the substrate is kept moist -but not flooded-, and fungicide is applied from time to time, all that remains is to wait. Anyway, If you see that the months go by and nothing has sprouted yet, extract the seeds to see how they are. If they had shrunk, or if they had fungi - you would know this because they would be turning white - then they will no longer germinate. But none of this has to happen if the seedbed is taken care of as I have explained throughout this article.

Have a very good planting.