How to Grow Olive Seeds? A Detailed Guide to Olive Planting Methods and Steps
The olive is native to southern China, growing wild in ravine and hillside mixed woods below 1300 m in altitude, or cultivated in gardens and beside villages. So how do you grow olive seeds?
1. How to grow olive seeds?
1. Seed selection
To grow olives, choose new seeds that are mature, plump and intact, and be strict about seed selection; if you buy old or rotten seeds, the germination rate will not be high and the yield will certainly not be very high either. Before sowing, olive seeds should undergo cold stratification in sand, which helps the seeds germinate faster and better.
2. Sowing
Olive seeds can be sown in early spring, or as late as Qingming; sowing at this time is more favorable for sprouting and gives better germination results. The seeds are generally broadcast directly: scatter them evenly over the prepared soil and then cover them with soil.
3. Fertilizer and water management
After olive seeds are sown, care work is also needed; later this mainly means good water and fertilizer management, watering and fertilizing appropriately to ensure enough water and nutrients and promote better growth. At the same time, weed promptly to keep weeds from affecting growth, and take drainage measures in the rainy season to avoid problems caused by waterlogged soil, then carry out pest and disease control to make sure no major problems arise.
2. The nutritional value of olives
Olives are nutritious. The flesh contains protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamin C and minerals such as calcium, phosphorus and iron. Its vitamin C content is 10 times that of apples and 5 times that of pears and peaches, and its calcium content is also very high and easily absorbed by the human body, making it especially suitable for women and children. In winter and spring, chewing two or three fresh olives a day can prevent upper respiratory tract infections, hence the folk saying “winter and spring olives rival ginseng”.
The olive is an excellent windbreak species and street tree. Its wood can be used to build boats, make railway sleepers, furniture, farm tools and building materials. The fruit can be eaten raw or pickled, and used medicinally to treat laryngitis, coughing up blood, thirst, and enteritis with diarrhea. The pit is used for carving and also medicinally; it is effective for treating fish bones stuck in the throat.