A Comprehensive Analysis of the Latest Olive Planting Methods
The olive is a tropical fruit tree with considerable nutritional and medicinal value, and it also has a very wide range of uses: it can be eaten, used medicinally, and used for oil, and the olive branch also carries great symbolic meaning, making it a fairly auspicious fruit tree to grow. So how should olives be planted? Follow along with the editor below to learn the olive planting methods.
1. Site selection
The olive is a warmth-loving plant, and the average annual temperature suitable for its growth must reach at least 20 degrees or above; under such conditions the olive's yield will be better. Of course, it is also a relatively cold-tolerant plant and can survive in an environment of minus 3 degrees, but it will not survive for very long. It has strong adaptability to soil, and can be planted in any soil as long as it is not too clayey. However, the best planting site is still sandy soil, and the planting site should be relatively flat.
2. Propagation methods
There are mainly two methods of propagating olives, namely seed propagation and grafting propagation. Grafting is best carried out in February and March each year, as the survival rate of grafting is higher then. When grafting, wound healing treatment must be done well, otherwise the healing speed will be very slow, thereby affecting the growth rate of the plant. For seed propagation, the seeds need to be first soaked in warm water for half a day, and then sown.
3. Reasonable close planting
The olive is a light-loving plant and needs sufficient sunlight throughout its entire growth process. At the same time, to facilitate later field operations, planting should be carried out at a reasonable density. Usually, the best spacing is 2 m between rows and about 1.5 m between plants, and on average about 20 to 160 olive trees can be planted per mu.
4. Fertilizer and water management
Fertilizer and water management for olive trees is mainly carried out according to the growth condition, age, fruiting situation and soil fertility of the olive tree. Under normal circumstances, however, fertilization must be carried out at least three times a year. The first time is about 10 to 15 days before the olive tree blooms, mainly with high-efficiency potassium fertilizer and farmyard manure. The second time is generally after fruit set when the fruit is swelling, mainly with potassium fertilizer, combined with an appropriate amount of fruit-setting agent. The last time is after the fruit is picked, for maintenance management of the tree, mainly with farmyard manure, organic fertilizer and an appropriate amount of micro-fertilizer. In seasons with more rain, drainage should be carried out in time, but during the growth of olive branches and leaves and the fruit-swelling stage, a large amount of water is needed, so an appropriate amount of water replenishment is required.
5. Shaping and pruning
Olive trees grow relatively quickly, and their branches and leaves are also relatively luxuriant, which affects the fruiting quantity of the olive tree. Therefore, during its growth process we should scientifically prune the branches and leaves. Usually the branches and leaves at the top of the olive tree are pruned, so that the olive tree can grow horizontally as much as possible. At the same time, the main trunk and branches of the olive tree should be pruned to form a crown with clearly distinguished primary and secondary parts. In addition, the places where the olive tree's branches and leaves are relatively luxuriant should be pruned to maintain a certain degree of airiness.
6. Pest and disease control
The resistance of olive trees is relatively strong compared with other fruit trees, but anthracnose, gummosis and tree gall disease occasionally occur. For these diseases we can use Bordeaux mixture, carbendazim and thiophanate-methyl respectively for control. The most common insect pests include scale insects, mealybugs and longhorn beetles, and we usually use trichlorfon or chlorpyrifos for control.