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Olive tree brown curling leaves

casimira.kcasimira.k Posts: 3
in Problem solving
Hi,
I bought an olive tree recently and had her pruned and repotted. The first guy sadly chopped her quite a bit! Then I got someone else to finish the reporting. Since her pruning / reporting her leaves and branches have turned brown and dry, curling downwards. They aren’t falling though. I scratched a few branches and bark and it’s green so I believe she’s alive. I water her deeply maybe once a week and have given her plant food to the soil and a slow release fertilizer for fruit trees. Please help save Olive :( see photos for the progression (outside photo is her original, then second photo was just after pruning, third photo is today). It’s been about 2 weeks. 


Posts

  • UffUff Posts: 3,199
    It looks as though the olive has gone through one or two changes. The first pic shows it as being outdoors and in a pot that is probably too small. Was it originally planted in the ground?

    The second pic shows it as having been repotted and on a balcony and starting to look quite sick and the last pic as looking very sick.

    Can you give more information please? Are you in the UK, does it receive enough water, is the pot big enough?

    I'm wondering if it was planted in the ground and then potted up for sale and not a pot grown tree. 
    SW SCOTLAND but born in Derbyshire
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    I'm sorry to have to say that your plant has been pruned far too severely at the wrong time of year and is suffering from shock, with leaf yellowing, curling and browning being the result.  A real shame as it was originally a lovely plant.

    It may recover but you must be careful not to overwater it, only do so when the top two inches of compost are dry.  These plants do not enjoy exposure to cold winds and need sunshine to flourish.  You may need to reconsider placing it elsewhere if you have somewhere sheltered that gets sun. 

    I notice a vent to the left of your plant.  If this is an extractor and continually blows air in the direction of the plant, it won't be happy.  The medium into which your plant has been repotted must also be free draining, ideally a gritty, loam based compost, not ordinary multi-purpose compost.  

    It will take some time to recover, much TLC needed at the moment!  Here's some more information which may help:How to grow olives: RHS advice / RHS Gardening
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    Olive tree like to be outside and are not suitable for growing indoors.
    Your's appears to have been fine whilst outside and now it's indoors it's looking very poorly. The air inside is very dry compared with outside and I think that's the most likely reason the leaves have died off.
    I've had one in a pot outside for about 20 years that I keep small.
    I prune it whenever it needs it (several times a year) and it's seems quite happy.

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    I think it's outside on a balcony @Pete.8 - I thought like you did at first and had to look twice!
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    Oh yes - I dunno then

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • casimira.kcasimira.k Posts: 3
    Hi all,

    Thank you so much for the helpful tips! I truly want to try and save her. :(

    To answer some questions:

    - I don’t know if it was originally in the ground, but I doubt it since the person I bought her from gave her to me in a pot with a lot of weeds (first pic)
    - She’s on a balcony that faces West so gets a lot of mid afternoon sun but not as much in the AM
    - I live in Melbourne, Australia, so this is summer heading to autumn eventually 
    - The original pot was 30cm and now it’s in a pot that is around 55cm/110L I think and the tree is a little over 1.5m
    - I water her thoroughly once a week; water eventually sits in the saucer under her but she’s too heavy for me to remove the water from the saucer (I’ve only had her for about 3 weeks, and have watered her maybe 2x)
    Plantminded said:
    I'm sorry to have to say that your plant has been pruned far too severely at the wrong time of year and is suffering from shock, with leaf yellowing, curling and browning being the result.  A real shame as it was originally a lovely plant.

    It may recover but you must be careful not to overwater it, only do so when the top two inches of compost are dry.  These plants do not enjoy exposure to cold winds and need sunshine to flourish.  You may need to reconsider placing it elsewhere if you have somewhere sheltered that gets sun. 

    I notice a vent to the left of your plant.  If this is an extractor and continually blows air in the direction of the plant, it won't be happy.  The medium into which your plant has been repotted must also be free draining, ideally a gritty, loam based compost, not ordinary multi-purpose compost.  

    It will take some time to recover, much TLC needed at the moment!  Here's some more information which may help:How to grow olives: RHS advice / RHS Gardening

    This is so helpful thank you! If you or anyone else has tips for how best to help her get out of shock please let me know. She’s still green when you scratch the bark.
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    See if you can get help to lift the pot out of the saucer and on to some pot feet - blocks of wood, tile or stone would be fine  The water needs to drain freely otherwise oxygen will be depleted from the soil and the roots will rot. 

    Try an internet search for "transplant shock" for more information - most causes are physical damage or cultural deficiencies.  Hope this helps.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • casimira.kcasimira.k Posts: 3
    Plantminded said:
    See if you can get help to lift the pot out of the saucer and on to some pot feet - blocks of wood, tile or stone would be fine  The water needs to drain freely otherwise oxygen will be depleted from the soil and the roots will rot. 

    Try an internet search for "transplant shock" for more information - most causes are physical damage or cultural deficiencies.  Hope this helps.
    Thank you Plantminded! What if I use a turkey baster to remove most of the water in the saucer? would that be okay ?
  • BorderlineBorderline Posts: 4,700
    I imagine the original plant was dug out of the ground and shoved into that pot temporarily. You can see the branches bending downwards indicating water not reaching the plant. It may recover more if you further prune it again. That may help it.

    If your balcony is windy, that will also be an issue whilst it is trying to settle in. Wind will strip water from the leaves very quickly. Ensure you have planted it in soil/loam a based compost. They need more substantial base for long-term planting.
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