Olive Trees are Deciduous or Evergreen

Have you ever seen olive trees? If you have seen them, you may see that these trees are shady and you may wonder whether they are deciduous or evergreen. Now, let’s find out the information about it here along with the other facts about olive trees.

The Difference Between Deciduous and Evergreen

First, before knowing whether olive trees are deciduous or evergreen, it is important to know what deciduous and evergreen are. As explained  on Science Daily, deciduous plants are defined as plants that will lose all of their foliage for part of the year. Furthermore, it is also explained on that site that in some cases, the loss of the foliage occurs in winter in temperate or polar climates, while others lose their leaves in climates with seasonal variation in rainfall during the dry season. According to Gardening Know How, deciduous trees and shrubs range in form, size and color and they shed their leaves each fall before they go to sleep for the winter. On that site, it is also explained that the term deciduous is a fitting name for the plants as the word means ‘tending to fall off’. Deciduous plants shed the part that they do not need anymore to survive for the season.

What about evergreen? Evergreen is the converse of deciduous. According to Britannica, evergreen plants are plants which retain their leaves through the year and into the following growing season. Usually evergreen plants leaves are  thicker and more leathery than deciduous trees where in autumn or in the tropical dry season they shed their leaves Also, the leaves of evergreen trees are usually like needles or scales in cone-bearing trees.

Are Olive Trees Deciduous or Evergreen?

Well, after knowing the difference between deciduous and evergreen, are olive trees categorized into deciduous plants or evergreen plants? As explained on Olive Grove site, olive trees are evergreen trees. These trees will be able to add a Mediterranean scent to your garden or patio and in some cases, these trees can produce fruit.

Since olive trees are evergreen trees, these plants do not lose their leaves in winter. However, evergreen trees will renew their leaves where it means that they gradually drop all of their leaves and then they will have new leaves throughout a period of 6 to 14 months as explained on Wikifarmer.

Varieties and Harvest of Olive Trees

According to Flower Power, Kalamata, Manzanillo, Verdale and Nevadillo Blanco are the most widely grown varieties for gardens. Kalamata is a dual purpose black olive which is suited to pickling or pressing. Manzanillo is a large green fruiting olive, Verdale is used for pickling or pressing. How about Nevadillo Blanco? It is a heavy cropping black olive and it is the widest grown oil-producing olive in Spain.

When is the best time to harvest olive trees? It is in autumn to early winter when the fruit is plump and dark green or purple black. The taste of ripe olives are bitter so that they must be processed first in brine before they are able to be preserved for being consumed. The olives which are used for oil will be pressed or put through a centrifugal extraction process to extract their oil.

Growing Olive Trees

According to My Perfect Plants, here is how to grow Olive Trees. First, you need to do that in the area where it will get a minimum of 6 to 8 hours of sun per day. And it is recommended for the plant to get full sun all day with a lot of light. It is better to choose a site which has very well drained soil. It is important to note that olive trees do not tolerate soils which are heavy and clayey and it needs to drain easily.

How fast do olive trees grow? This question may come to your mind when you have a plant to grow it. Arbequinas is able to grow to 20 feet tall and 15 feet wide. So, if you want to grow it, it is important for you to plan ahead. If you plant multiple trees, they must be spaced about 10 to 20 feet apart. And it is important to note that they prefer dry air.

If you are sure that you want to grow this plant, then you are able to dig a hole about twice as wide as the pot and at about the similar depth. You have to straighten out and/or trim any roots which are coiled before you put the root ball in the hole. You have to make sure that you do not bury the plant deeper than it was in the pot. You only need a few inches of soil above the system of the root and don’t disturb the roots too much. At this time, make sure that you do not add slow release fertilizer. The thing that you have to do is to fill the planting hole in with the native soil and water deeply. You are able to spread a layer of organic mulch and you can do that around 4 to 6 inches deep over the root zone and a little beyond. However, it is important for you to avoid piling it against the trunk.

You have to water the plant deeply two or three times a week for the first six months when the new landscape tree is established. If you set up drip irrigation, it will help the roots of the tree to grow and it will be able to improve the production of fruit.

Can Olive Trees be Grown from Seeds?

After you read the information about growing olive trees above, you may wonder whether you can grow olive trees from seeds or not. According to Wikifarmer, you are able to grow olive trees from seeds. However, it is important for you to note that the propagation by seed is not recommended for commercial use. Why? The reason is because the varieties of olives may differ significantly from the variety of the seed. Besides, the plants-seedlings are characterized by a very long period of juvenility. As a result, it can cause remarkable delay of fruition.