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Help - olive tree morph!

emmaowenjonesemmaowenjones Posts: 3
in Problem solving
Hi, 
I have a standard ball olive tree that I bought and planted in a large pot indoors. It relatively quickly began losing leaves but then we noticed a lot of new growth. As these leaves and branches have shot out, they look nothing like olive leaves and are larger, shinier and flexible, with branches that flop over, instead of growing upright. This is my second olive tree and this happened to the last one although that time I only had one small branch that sprouted out. Now it is sprouting out all over from the end of the olive branches that were previously there. It doesn't seem to be coming from the location of the grafting. 

Due to it happening before, I was particularly cautious about buying one where the seller assured me it was not grafted but I read online that it is often grafted onto osmantus plants. Could I be wrong and it's something else? Is there anyway to stop the other plant growing and rescue the olive. It still has a few leaves left but the majority and all the fruit have dried up and dropped off, despite this other plant growing at knots!
Help! 
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Posts

  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    Your major problem was growing it indoors, they are outside plants.
    I don't think there is any way to rescue the Olive.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • steephillsteephill Posts: 2,841
    A photo of the plant would be useful. I can't imagine another plant growing out of the olive branches.
  • gjautosgjautos Posts: 429
    steephill said:
    A photo of the plant would be useful. I can't imagine another plant growing out of the olive branches.
    But if it did I'm sure it would be peacefully accepted😉
  • emmaowenjonesemmaowenjones Posts: 3
    Thanks for your comments.

    Here is a photo. It is very bizarre. 
  • tui34tui34 Posts: 3,493
    edited March 2021
    Another one!  Olive trees grow outside only.  Maybe find a sheltered spot in your garden.
    A good hoeing is worth two waterings.

  • steephillsteephill Posts: 2,841
    It is just fresh new growth, not a different plant. Feed and water and give it a sheltered spot outside. Olives need bright sunlight,  they won't do well indoors as you have discovered.
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    Yes, new growth is softer and greener, no morphing going on. Olives are occasionally grafted at the base onto older, healthy olive roots to encourage faster growth, in which case you will see a knobbly joint at soil level but this would not affect what’s going on at the top. I’m surprised it’s putting on any new growth, kept inside against it’s will, but plants will do their utmost to survive in inhospitable environments. Looking at the centre, it’s losing that battle. If you want a houseplant to thrive, buy a houseplant, not an outdoor tree 😃
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • emmaowenjonesemmaowenjones Posts: 3
    Thank you all for your suggestions. We grew up in France and so I wanted a reminder of that in our house. Unfortunately we don't have a garden otherwise I would definitely put it outside. 

    There doesn't seem to be a  knobbly joint at soil level. But only this bit about 15cm higher. I'm a totaly novice so I don't know at all what I'm looking at. 



    So even with this difference in leaves, is the general consensus that the new top growth is still olive growth? 

    Pictures below show new growth against pre-existing olive leaves on the tree. 


  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    Yes, that is Olive.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Bigger, greener leaves will capture more of whatever light is available. Maybe the poor thing is trying to compensate. It looks as if it's trying to stretch towards the light as well.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
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