skybluem
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Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Apr 22, 2012 5:14 am
Location: Cyprus

Olive trees leaves look miserable

Hello everybody!

I don't know if anybody can help on this. Two of the olive trees at my parents' garden look miserable (photos attached). It's been some weeks now and although my parents added fertiliser and they water them twice a week nothing improved. They are full of olives that also look a bit withered and I don't think is the best moment to spray them. The first impression you get when you see them is as if they need water. I find it strange that this is really the problem because they are watered twice a week (climate here is hot in the summer) but it has always been like this. As you will see from the photos the leaves look a bit curled/folded and down but no dry leaves. What sort of sickness is this and what needs to be done? We heard from other people around the area that their olive trees started getting sick too.
Any help appreciated!
Thanks in advance.

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olive tree looking miserable
olive tree looking miserable
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rainbowgardener
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Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

I don't know anything about olive trees, which don't grow where I am. But twice a week sounds like too much. It may mean that they aren't watering deeply enough. Trees have deep roots. What you need is to water very deeply. Put the hose on trickle and let it run for hours. When you are done, dig down and see how far down the soil is damp. You want it moist as deep down as you can get it, at least six inches.

Shallow watering encourages shallow rooting, which is then vulnerable to drying out.

If you water it deeply, don't do that more than once a week, less if you get any rain or if the tree is well established. Olive trees are extremely drought tolerant once well established.



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