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Olive trees give our terraces or balconies a Mediterranean flair. They bring us a bit of vacation home. In summer, during the outdoor season, olive trees do not require special care. However, if the wet and cold season arrives in this country, the Mediterranean friends should move to their winter quarters in the apartment at the latest after the first night frost. Since the olive tree has a hard time with the dark and cold season, it needs a special place so that it feels comfortable.
origin
origin and climate
Olive trees are native to the Middle East, South Africa and of course the Mediterranean. Nothing is more typical of Spain or Italy than an olive tree. It is therefore also an important part of the cultural landscape in these regions. Olive trees grow best at an average temperature of 15 to 20 degrees Celsius. These permanently warm temperatures cannot be offered to the olive tree in this country. That's why it hibernates either protected outdoors or in the apartment.
hibernate
Hibernation as a container plant
Olive trees are cultivated by us as container plants. In spring and summer, the Mediterranean plants can enjoy the German summer. They also need the outdoor season, because olive trees only survive as a pure houseplant in extremely rare cases. When autumn arrives and the temperatures drop, the outdoor season for the olive tree ends. The plant must be brought indoors before the first frost, if possible.
If the first frost is missed, don't worry, older olive trees will survive a light frost night. With very young olive trees, however, you should be very vigilant when it comes to frost. They are not yet as hardy as their older colleagues.
Tip: Even if it is difficult to wait for the first frost, the olive trees should remain outside as long as possible.
In the dark
hibernation in the dark
If there is no bright and cool place in the apartment for the olive tree, it can also spend the winter in the dark. However, this should only be seen as an emergency solution, the olive tree will not survive a dark hibernation for several years. During a dark hibernation, the tree sheds its leaves. For this reason, watering needs to be reduced even further. If the plant has survived the hibernation well, it should sprout again in the spring when it comes out into the light again.
Tip: In this case, slowly get the olive tree used to the light. A stopover in the apartment before going outside again is ideal for this.
winter quarters
Olive trees do not tolerate warm temperatures during the winter. Therefore, a normally heated living space is not a good winter home for the plants.
A room is ideal:
- with temperatures around 10 degrees Celsius
- with lots of brightness
Unheated conservatories or cool bedrooms are suitable as winter locations for the olive tree. The latter, of course, only if they are bright enough, or you can support the olive tree with a special plant lamp. Since pests also like to nest during the winter, the winter quarters must be aired regularly. This prevents pest infestation.
Tip: If there is no suitable room available in the apartment, the olive tree can also spend the winter in the bright hallway.
winter care
Olive trees are among the most undemanding and easy-care plants. Nevertheless, they cannot do completely without care during the winter. In addition, the winter care should not start abruptly. Depending on the weather, the plant should therefore be prepared for hibernation as early as late summer.
- Reduce watering moderately
- Slowly increase watering distances
- stop fertilizing
For the plant, these measures mean that a leaner time is coming and it should stop growing in order to save energy. If the olive tree is drastically switched to winter care, i.e. overnight, it will give you the cold shoulder and drop its leaves.
Once the olive tree has moved, it only needs a little water during the winter months. The following applies: the darker the room, the less water is given. Under no circumstances should the soil become too wet or even cause waterlogging. This usually causes the roots to rot and the tree to lose all of its leaves.
Avoid waterlogging by:
- create a drainage layer in the bucket
- only use planters with drainage holes
The following materials are suitable for the drainage layer:
- Shards of old flower pots that have been cleaned well beforehand
- gravel
- gravel mixed with sand
Tip: Waterlogging also includes excess irrigation water that collects in the saucer.
To cut
Since olive trees grow very slowly, they do not need to be pruned. However, you can remove dead wood before moving to winter quarters. Do not inflict any cuts on the tree. Closing the wounds is an additional effort for the olive, which is supposed to adapt to the poorer conditions.
pests
Olive trees are rarely attacked by pests during the outdoor season. In winter, however, pest infestation is more common. The causes often lie in the care. The typical pests that nest on plants in winter include.
- Scale and Mealybugs
- spider mites
- aphids
Scale and Mealybugs
These plant lice love the warmth. Therefore, you should definitely make sure that the olive hibernates coolly at 10 degrees Celsius. As a preventive measure, you can expose older olive trees to a light frost overnight, which the pests, unlike the plant, cannot survive.
spider mites
These annoying pests attach themselves to the underside of the leaf and produce a white web as the infestation progresses. Spider mites particularly like dry conditions. It doesn't matter whether it's dry room air or dry soil, they attack the plant almost overnight. Moisture, on the other hand, does not like and tolerate spider mites at all. So if an infestation sets in, then as an exception, water the olive tree more vigorously and put it under a light-colored plastic cover for one or two days.
aphids
Aphids can be found on the underside of leaves. If the infestation is already far advanced, you must cut off the affected parts of the plant. If you discover aphids before they have formed colonies, you can also spray the sapling with nettle broth.
Tip: If pests have attacked the olive tree, isolate it from other plants. Because the pests spread quickly to neighboring plants.
After hibernation
After hibernation
If the temperatures outside rise again to 12 degrees Celsius, the outdoor season for the olive tree begins again. Make sure there are no more night frosts. In our latitudes, this is usually the case after the ice saints. However, since the olive tree should be allowed to stay outdoors for as long as possible, it can be put outside as early as April. Should frost unexpectedly set in, it will survive a night outdoors. If the frosts in April are persistent, it must be brought back into the apartment overnight.
Tip: The olive tree does not like constant back and forth between winter quarters and balcony or terrace. However, if it has to be brought into the apartment for your own protection, it is best to place it in front of the balcony or patio door.
As with wintering, the olive tree must also be prepared for the coming outdoor season, otherwise it can get sunburned. In order for the tree to settle down and acclimatize again, place it in a shady place at the beginning. So it can slowly get used to the sun's rays. With the start of the outdoor season, the plant will need to be watered more. The same applies here: after the barren period, the plant must be slowly and moderately accustomed to the new conditions. So that the tree can continue to grow well, it can also be fertilized again.
toxicity
There is no evidence that cats could poison themselves by nibbling on the olive tree. It can be dangerous for turtles, as they may eat the leaves in large quantities. Cat owners can therefore overwinter an olive tree in the apartment without special measures to protect the cat.