I must say you have saved two mature olive trees of mine. I wish I could post a photo of before and after. They were failing miserably, wispy long branches with yellow leaves. When I got them out of their pots I could see no water could have penetrated, totally pot bound. Cut over half the roots off, pruned right down to 5 inch, short stubs of leafless branches. Sank in bucket of water for a few hours, repotted. After 4 months they are in leaf, gorgeous, vibrant. I would never have dared do this before your video, so thanks!
For over a year ive been seeing a parched and miserable olive tree in my partners office. Today I was told he's bringing it home so I can try and resurrect it but i had no idea where to start but this has really helped me so thanks! Ive rescued two from aldi before and they love my drive out the front of my house there absolutely massive 😂
Hello Mark! Love your channel! So, this early spring, I repotted two healthy plants that were about four years old. Shortly, after that here in the United States Midwest region, we have had so.much. rain. this whole summer. I tried to balance it by moving them in and out, but I believe in the end, I believe the soil,which is well drained, has just been too wet too long. The whole summer, the trees are bare with very few leaves remaining. The trunk and the branches are still green and lively within. What should my next steps be? Your help and advice would be greatly appreciated!
Such a great video and has given me loads of confidence and reassurance that (fingers crossed) my overly pruned olive tree starts new buds soon! thank you for sharing
Definitely going to take your excellent advice with my 2 trees. I probably should have watered more over the winter and thought they were dead. I've got nothing to lose and everything to gain! Thanks.
Great video, I did the exact same thing at my local aldi just last week... I paid £12.50 for an almost dead tree... I pruned off the dead branches and put it in a nice big pot full of good soil hopefully it will come back ready for next summer. in fact 3 of my trees are from aldi and were saved from a sorry state but are very happy now, very satisfying watching them recover.
Thank you for a great video! I followed your advice about three weeks ago and my olive tree that had completely dropped all of it leaves is back to life now and pushing out new leaves! I had to cut out all branches though because they were completely dead.
I recently bought an abandoned piece of land in spain with lots of young and old olive trees. The oldest ones are about 400 years old. As I have no experience with these sort of plants I took 5 young ones and replanted in pots. It was been several weeks, they were dry and dropped lots of leaves. But now that sprint start they look mosture and first signs of recovery is shown. Will do a prunning like that in you of then and see the results. Thank you for sharing this
Thanks Mark. I was in a panic as my olive tree is suddenly shedding leaves at an alarming rate. I repotted it last summer and it was beautiful till about 3 weeks ago. I didn’t water it over winter, didn’t know I had too, I realise now bad mistake. It’s rehydrated now and I’ll be sure not to overwater. I’ll top dress it too. There are loads of new leaves shooting so it’s definitely not dead. Would it be better off planted in the open ground rather than a plastic pot? We couldn’t find a terracotta pot big enough. Thank you I feel better already !
My couple months old olive tree is shedding a lot of leaves. You just reassured that I am dealing with a tree that can be resurrected from the dead (lol). My tree leaves 🍃 are still green. I just need to control the shedding so I will relocate it.
Hi again. They do naturally lose leaves especially if the surrounding climate changes. I would stay calm, wait until spring, prune a third of the branches, top dress the soil below, then patiently wait and enjoy 😊
Beautifully presented and very informative. I love that you are committed to save olive trees you find. Thanks so much for sharing, sir! Greetings from San Francisco bay area!
Well thank YOU so much for watching and commenting. Feedback like yours is most encouraging and much appreciated. ❤️ Hello to San Francisco a place I've visited several times and liked very much. Mark
Hello , Mark! Thank you for all this helpful information. A month ago I've bought 2 olive trees that wasn't in a good shape. I follow your tips and for 2 weeks they seemed to be alright, now one of them started to lose all the leaves. What should i do? Is this normal? The other one is doing fine but it doesn't have new growth yet.
Thank you for a good video. It gave me enough courage to cut mine down completely like you did. And yes, a couple of weeks later new green leaves/branches are starting to form. However, mostly near the bottom and only very small signs of greens at the top? Should I keep the branches at the bottom or are they stealing energy from the top?
Hi there and thank you. Personally I'd let it build up a bit of energy for a month or so then take off the lower limbs in stages over time. You could do it all now I suppose but I'd like the roots to grow a bit first. Mark
I just did this to my olive tree that was struggling after knats attacked it. I didn’t do the perlite however, I didn’t know so I’ll add some in. Thank you for the info
Few weeks back I pruned my Olive tree and it started dying on me. many leaves started to drop and all. The soil is moist and damp... Had to dig out the whole tree and gently pulled some roots and they came off. (Is this normal?) After that I let the roots dry up a bit and put it back into the soil. Hopefully it could survive and thrive back :(
i think what you describe is normal, but I think it means your olive is overwatered and not sufficiently drained, I believe if you repot it and water it less it will recover over time. mark
Can you help Me? I have the opposite problem, my gorgeous Olive tree has been overwatered and dropped all its leaves over the winter. Ive taken it out of its pot, letting it dry out a bit and plan to repot it. I trimmed it and it seems to still be alive!!
Hi there. I would suggest repotting it in well drained soil and then water it less. Be patient. Feed monthly through the summer. They are resilient plants. I believe it will recover. I think you are probably correct to suspect over watering may have been the problem
Hi Mark, great video! I think our tree has the opposite problem. It has yellowing leaves and has become waterlogged following a very very wet winter. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated
Hello Mark, thank U for sharing this video, I have 2 olive plants that seem to be dying dead levels alll over. I think I'll try putting more nutrients in the soil start cutting off the branches hoping it will revive again. I did notice thst I have new branches growing near the stem so I know it's alive but I'll definately try your method.
@@PainConsultation done so and cut off the branches and and the stems to find a sign life on it but no luck. I've seen a video showing baking soda mixed with veg oil and water on the stems would revive the tree. Haven't tried that. But do you think it'll work?
Thanks for this Mark , I’ve just followed your advice on my two potted olive trees. I’ve given them a good water. How do I know when they are dry and need another watering? Thanks
I have exactly the same size olive tree, i trimmed it like this on winter and in spring they got two new leafs sprouting from the stem, after few weeks it fall. Now its being 4 months since i trimmed it remained the same. Can you suggest something to grow leafs again? Thanks
It's been a very wet winter and spring so far. How do you protect it from so much rainfall? My previously happy huge olive tree in a pot is dropping leaves. I've noticed it also has Peacock spot so I've sprayed it with a copper spray. We're due yet another week of rain......I'm not sure how to protect it, its to big and heavy to move. Help!
Hi Mark like you I love olive trees, and really enjoy your videos on them. I have several large and small trees but have been frightened off buying any more because of people talking about Xylella. I understand this is a very destructive virus that is particularly prevalent in recently imported olive trees. apparently the RHS has banned olives from its show gardens. I saw some really good value trees in Tesco recently, but didn't buy because the label said Sciliy. Do you think I'm overreacting?
Hi Mark, my potted olive tree started to have wilted leaves which started dropping from the bottom a couple of weeks after receiving from the nursery. I can’t quite diagnose the reason, other than knowing it’s not due to underwatering. I’m guessing it could be overwatering because the pot has stayed moist for a couple of weeks now. But is there a better way to diagnose? Could colder temperature also make the leaves drop? Im in rather mild climate where winter doesn’t really get below 0 and the tree is indoors, even if we left the heater off. I really don’t want to lose the tree since it’s beautiful…..
Hi there. This is only my opinion, I would stop watering it until the warmer weather and then I would keep it outside for the summer. Let it dry out for now though because my understanding is that the olive likes to dry out completely between being watered. They don't want to be wet constantly. Does that help? Thanks. Mark
Hi Mark. I bought 2 baby olive trees about a year ago and they were thriving for the whole summer last year. During winter, I decided to bring them inside to protect them from the freezing cold (below 0 degrees) temperatures and they continued to remain healthy inside by a sunny window. About 1 month ago end March 2024, I figured the olive trees could go back outside since the weather has been fine & to my shock horror, almost overnight, the leaves turned from green to brown. I’ve watered them and let the water completely dry out but it’s almost as if the sudden change from indoor to outdoor has killed them which is very sad. The garden is west facing and gets loads of sun so I’m not sure what’s gone wrong 😢. Any ideas please? 😊
Hi, sorry to hear this, I suspect they are not dead, be patient, when it is warmer do a little pruning and continue with the same routine which kept them healthy before. They will surprise you with fresh leaves soon. Mark
Are olives better suited to wider pots or long tall ones? I see both being used. Large ones in particular have the bowl shaped ones! I purchased a long tall terracotta for my fig tree, and wondered if the principles would be the same.
Hi there, I hadn't considered the shape of the pot, i think either would be ok provided they are well drained. i believe figs like to have restricted roots.
Just repotted mine and cut off the three leaves it had as the stems looked green - lots of roots dropped off however but cross fingers. Do you know if I should treat a small potted lime tree in the same way - again few leaves left? thanks
I have 2 olive trees since 2016 they are in large pots but they are getting bit woody in that the leaves are more on the ends of the branches. Can I cut back hard to encourage growth?
I got my fruitless olive plant about 3 months ago, it keeps losing leaves. The leaves fall off and curl. It looks healthy and green but to the slightest touch they fall off. It does grow small new leaves as well but same thing happens to them. I keep it indoor in a pot which does not have drainage hole. So i am confused as this happens due to overwater or lack of water. The leaves feel dry to touch and soil is dry too. So i thought it might be dryness. However, i hear a lot that an olive tree does not need much watering and maybe just once in few weeks. I appreciate if you help me figure out how to save my plant
Hello. I'm not sure but is there a possibility you could re pot the plant into a terracotta pot with drainage and then keep it outside? It may be your central heating? Mark
My daughter gifted me an Olive tree in 2016, I replanted it about 2 years ago, but noticed the leaves are getting less and less every year. What can I do to make it flourish it more?
I would say make a judgement, when you feel it has a good base of roots in the pot to keep it stable i would take it out. Certainly after a few months growth it should be fine. Mark
I am in America and I want to care for my olive trees well I confess I have no pruned them at all! And now they are flowering I’ve had them 2 years I don’t know when to prune them now
If you want the flowers to turn into fruits I would leave it alone. But if you don't care so much about fruiting you can prune when the plant is out of dormancy. Mark
I must say you have saved two mature olive trees of mine. I wish I could post a photo of before and after. They were failing miserably, wispy long branches with yellow leaves. When I got them out of their pots I could see no water could have penetrated, totally pot bound. Cut over half the roots off, pruned right down to 5 inch, short stubs of leafless branches. Sank in bucket of water for a few hours, repotted. After 4 months they are in leaf, gorgeous, vibrant. I would never have dared do this before your video, so thanks!
I'm so delighted and encouraged to hear this. THANK YOU for letting me know 😊 made my day. Mark
For over a year ive been seeing a parched and miserable olive tree in my partners office. Today I was told he's bringing it home so I can try and resurrect it but i had no idea where to start but this has really helped me so thanks!
Ive rescued two from aldi before and they love my drive out the front of my house there absolutely massive 😂
I really appreciate this feedback, good luck with your Olives 😊 Mark
Hello Mark! Love your channel!
So, this early spring, I repotted two healthy plants that were about four years old. Shortly, after that here in the United States Midwest region, we have had so.much. rain. this whole summer. I tried to balance it by moving them in and out, but I believe in the end, I believe the soil,which is well drained, has just been too wet too long. The whole summer, the trees are bare with very few leaves remaining. The trunk and the branches are still green and lively within. What should my next steps be? Your help and advice would be greatly appreciated!
Such a great video and has given me loads of confidence and reassurance that (fingers crossed) my overly pruned olive tree starts new buds soon! thank you for sharing
Definitely going to take your excellent advice with my 2 trees. I probably should have watered more over the winter and thought they were dead. I've got nothing to lose and everything to gain! Thanks.
Great video, I did the exact same thing at my local aldi just last week...
I paid £12.50 for an almost dead tree... I pruned off the dead branches and put it in a nice big pot full of good soil hopefully it will come back ready for next summer.
in fact 3 of my trees are from aldi and were saved from a sorry state but are very happy now, very satisfying watching them recover.
I think you're on to a winner. Sending your new plant positive growing vibes. Mark
Have been handed the exact same tree, bone dry and frazelled, so this video is a godsend, thanks!
Brilliant that's great to hear. Thank you. Mark
Thank you for a great video! I followed your advice about three weeks ago and my olive tree that had completely dropped all of it leaves is back to life now and pushing out new leaves! I had to cut out all branches though because they were completely dead.
Excellent news. So pleased for you and your tree. I appreciate your comment. Thank you. Mark
I recently bought an abandoned piece of land in spain with lots of young and old olive trees. The oldest ones are about 400 years old. As I have no experience with these sort of plants I took 5 young ones and replanted in pots. It was been several weeks, they were dry and dropped lots of leaves. But now that sprint start they look mosture and first signs of recovery is shown. Will do a prunning like that in you of then and see the results. Thank you for sharing this
Great job once again, Mark, I'm sure it will look much better this time next year 👍
Thanks Peter i hope so.
I love olive trees so much.
Me too Betsy 😊
Thanks Mark. I was in a panic as my olive tree is suddenly shedding leaves at an alarming rate. I repotted it last summer and it was beautiful till about 3 weeks ago. I didn’t water it over winter, didn’t know I had too, I realise now bad mistake. It’s rehydrated now and I’ll be sure not to overwater. I’ll top dress it too. There are loads of new leaves shooting so it’s definitely not dead. Would it be better off planted in the open ground rather than a plastic pot? We couldn’t find a terracotta pot big enough. Thank you I feel better already !
Excellent ! I love your confidence 🙂 . This informative video might give me some courage to buy an Olive tree .
My couple months old olive tree is shedding a lot of leaves.
You just reassured that I am dealing with a tree that can be resurrected from the dead (lol). My tree leaves 🍃 are still green. I just need to control the shedding so I will relocate it.
Any suggestions to control shedding of leaves will be most appreciated.
See below.
Hi again. They do naturally lose leaves especially if the surrounding climate changes. I would stay calm, wait until spring, prune a third of the branches, top dress the soil below, then patiently wait and enjoy 😊
Hi Mark
Thanks for your video and yesterday I did as you suggested on my 2 olive lollipops, both of which cost me £40 each!!
Beautifully presented and very informative. I love that you are committed to save olive trees you find. Thanks so much for sharing, sir! Greetings from San Francisco bay area!
Well thank YOU so much for watching and commenting. Feedback like yours is most encouraging and much appreciated. ❤️ Hello to San Francisco a place I've visited several times and liked very much. Mark
Hello , Mark!
Thank you for all this helpful information.
A month ago I've bought 2 olive trees that wasn't in a good shape. I follow your tips and for 2 weeks they seemed to be alright, now one of them started to lose all the leaves. What should i do? Is this normal? The other one is doing fine but it doesn't have new growth yet.
I would say be patient and don't panic. Avoid over watering until it recovers. It's probably just a little shocked. Mark
Thank you for a good video. It gave me enough courage to cut mine down completely like you did. And yes, a couple of weeks later new green leaves/branches are starting to form.
However, mostly near the bottom and only very small signs of greens at the top?
Should I keep the branches at the bottom or are they stealing energy from the top?
Hi there and thank you. Personally I'd let it build up a bit of energy for a month or so then take off the lower limbs in stages over time. You could do it all now I suppose but I'd like the roots to grow a bit first. Mark
@@MarksHouseandGardenUK Thank you for a quick and descriptive response, will follow your advise. 👍
I just did this to my olive tree that was struggling after knats attacked it. I didn’t do the perlite however, I didn’t know so I’ll add some in. Thank you for the info
Few weeks back I pruned my Olive tree and it started dying on me. many leaves started to drop and all. The soil is moist and damp... Had to dig out the whole tree and gently pulled some roots and they came off. (Is this normal?) After that I let the roots dry up a bit and put it back into the soil. Hopefully it could survive and thrive back :(
i think what you describe is normal, but I think it means your olive is overwatered and not sufficiently drained, I believe if you repot it and water it less it will recover over time. mark
😅@@MarksHouseandGardenUK
Can you help Me? I have the opposite problem, my gorgeous Olive tree has been overwatered and dropped all its leaves over the winter. Ive taken it out of its pot, letting it dry out a bit and plan to repot it. I trimmed it and it seems to still be alive!!
Hi there. I would suggest repotting it in well drained soil and then water it less. Be patient. Feed monthly through the summer. They are resilient plants. I believe it will recover. I think you are probably correct to suspect over watering may have been the problem
Great video, love the knowledge. Hope to have a successful olive tree. 🫒
Love your olive tree videos!
Thanks Angie nice to hear from you. Mark
Hi Mark, great video! I think our tree has the opposite problem. It has yellowing leaves and has become waterlogged following a very very wet winter. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated
Hi Gavin. Sorry for the delay. I think basically add grit and crocks and water less. If it's in the ground you may need to do some digging.
Hello Mark, thank U for sharing this video, I have 2 olive plants that seem to be dying dead levels alll over. I think I'll try putting more nutrients in the soil start cutting off the branches hoping it will revive again. I did notice thst I have new branches growing near the stem so I know it's alive but I'll definately try your method.
Thank you. And good luck with it. Also, try to avoid over watering it. Best wishes. Mark
Put stone
@@PainConsultation done so and cut off the branches and and the stems to find a sign life on it but no luck. I've seen a video showing baking soda mixed with veg oil and water on the stems would revive the tree. Haven't tried that. But do you think it'll work?
Thanks for this Mark , I’ve just followed your advice on my two potted olive trees. I’ve given them a good water. How do I know when they are dry and need another watering? Thanks
I have exactly the same size olive tree, i trimmed it like this on winter and in spring they got two new leafs sprouting from the stem, after few weeks it fall. Now its being 4 months since i trimmed it remained the same. Can you suggest something to grow leafs again? Thanks
oh and thanks for a clear practical video - really great!
Thank you so much!!
You're welcome. And thanks for watching. Mark
It's been a very wet winter and spring so far. How do you protect it from so much rainfall? My previously happy huge olive tree in a pot is dropping leaves. I've noticed it also has Peacock spot so I've sprayed it with a copper spray. We're due yet another week of rain......I'm not sure how to protect it, its to big and heavy to move. Help!
Hi Mark like you I love olive trees, and really enjoy your videos on them. I have several large and small trees but have been frightened off buying any more because of people talking about Xylella. I understand this is a very destructive virus that is particularly prevalent in recently imported olive trees. apparently the RHS has banned olives from its show gardens. I saw some really good value trees in Tesco recently, but didn't buy because the label said Sciliy. Do you think I'm overreacting?
Hi Julie. I don't think you're over reacting. Seems sensible to hold off. I'm going to read up about it.
Great video! Would it be ok to prune an olive tree down to the top of the trunk or would that kill it?
Hi Jane I think it would be risky but I'd love to try it....I may have a spare olive we could try it on...watch this space. Mark
Hi Mark, my potted olive tree started to have wilted leaves which started dropping from the bottom a couple of weeks after receiving from the nursery. I can’t quite diagnose the reason, other than knowing it’s not due to underwatering. I’m guessing it could be overwatering because the pot has stayed moist for a couple of weeks now. But is there a better way to diagnose? Could colder temperature also make the leaves drop? Im in rather mild climate where winter doesn’t really get below 0 and the tree is indoors, even if we left the heater off. I really don’t want to lose the tree since it’s beautiful…..
Hi there. This is only my opinion, I would stop watering it until the warmer weather and then I would keep it outside for the summer. Let it dry out for now though because my understanding is that the olive likes to dry out completely between being watered. They don't want to be wet constantly. Does that help? Thanks. Mark
@@MarksHouseandGardenUK thank you very much! I will try that and let you know how it goes!…
Hi Mark. I bought 2 baby olive trees about a year ago and they were thriving for the whole summer last year. During winter, I decided to bring them inside to protect them from the freezing cold (below 0 degrees) temperatures and they continued to remain healthy inside by a sunny window. About 1 month ago end March 2024, I figured the olive trees could go back outside since the weather has been fine & to my shock horror, almost overnight, the leaves turned from green to brown. I’ve watered them and let the water completely dry out but it’s almost as if the sudden change from indoor to outdoor has killed them which is very sad. The garden is west facing and gets loads of sun so I’m not sure what’s gone wrong 😢. Any ideas please? 😊
Hi, sorry to hear this, I suspect they are not dead, be patient, when it is warmer do a little pruning and continue with the same routine which kept them healthy before. They will surprise you with fresh leaves soon. Mark
Are olives better suited to wider pots or long tall ones? I see both being used. Large ones in particular have the bowl shaped ones!
I purchased a long tall terracotta for my fig tree, and wondered if the principles would be the same.
Hi there, I hadn't considered the shape of the pot, i think either would be ok provided they are well drained. i believe figs like to have restricted roots.
Very interesting Mark
Thanks Samie. Much appreciated. Mark
Mark im from south africa it is june now and my olive tree look like yours in that video how to save my olive tree what can i do now
Just repotted mine and cut off the three leaves it had as the stems looked green - lots of roots dropped off however but cross fingers. Do you know if I should treat a small potted lime tree in the same way - again few leaves left? thanks
I have 2 olive trees since 2016 they are in large pots but they are getting bit woody in that the leaves are more on the ends of the branches. Can I cut back hard to encourage growth?
I got my fruitless olive plant about 3 months ago, it keeps losing leaves. The leaves fall off and curl. It looks healthy and green but to the slightest touch they fall off. It does grow small new leaves as well but same thing happens to them. I keep it indoor in a pot which does not have drainage hole. So i am confused as this happens due to overwater or lack of water. The leaves feel dry to touch and soil is dry too. So i thought it might be dryness. However, i hear a lot that an olive tree does not need much watering and maybe just once in few weeks. I appreciate if you help me figure out how to save my plant
Hello. I'm not sure but is there a possibility you could re pot the plant into a terracotta pot with drainage and then keep it outside? It may be your central heating? Mark
My daughter gifted me an Olive tree in 2016, I replanted it about 2 years ago, but noticed the leaves are getting less and less every year. What can I do to make it flourish it more?
Is that grit-the same as granite ?
Hi Bruce, not sure, I think granite may be a different type of rock. But tiny granite chips would also work. Mark
I bought an Olive Tree from Amazon (I know, bad idea).... Well it's growing out not up, doesn't have any upward stems or growth. Do I just give up???
Hi Mark, after how long should I remove the supporting rod that came with the plant?
I would say make a judgement, when you feel it has a good base of roots in the pot to keep it stable i would take it out. Certainly after a few months growth it should be fine. Mark
I am in America and I want to care for my olive trees well I confess I have no pruned them at all! And now they are flowering I’ve had them 2 years I don’t know when to prune them now
If you want the flowers to turn into fruits I would leave it alone. But if you don't care so much about fruiting you can prune when the plant is out of dormancy. Mark
How to fertilize olive trees?
Is there a specific time of year i should prune my olive tree in tbe uk
I would recommended during the growing season but allow a month of growing season after pruning for recovery. mark
@@MarksHouseandGardenUK im being proper thick now. When us growing season 🤦♂️
What is this "grit" you've added?
Just a simple horticultural grit. I buy it off Amazon. Mark
What the name is on the top was please?
It's olive tree europa
Would you carry out these kind of procedures during winter, o'r best leave it till spring of next year?
Yes I think I would probably wait now. Leave it until spring time. Mark
Is it oK to do this in march
Yes, I would, especially end of March
@@MarksHouseandGardenUK thanks
Mark im from south africa it is june now and my olive tree look like yours in that video how to save my olive tree what can i do now
Mark im from south africa it is june now and my olive tree look like yours in that video how to save my olive tree what can i do now
Mark im from south africa it is june now and my olive tree look like yours in that video how to save my olive tree what can i do now