Olive Bonsai Care

Olives are a Mediterranean evergreen fruiting tree that can make excellent bonsai. Their small dark green leaves and wonderful bark is amazing and is just one of the many reasons why this species is so loved.

They make a great tree for a beginner and are very easy to care for.

You can read more about their bonsai suitability in – Is An Olive A Good Tree For Bonsai?

What Is The Natural Habitat Of An Olive Tree?

Olive tree naturally grow in and around the Mediterranean area. They can grow further north, but prefer northern areas where there is a milder climate.

What Soil Do Olive Bonsai Need?

Olive bonsai prefer a loose free draining soil. They dont like to sit in water.

I was using my standard mix of equal parts Perlite/Molar Clay/Compost. This mix was fine in London where it is quite dry.

I found that now living further north in a more wet climate that this mix was holding a little bit too much water in the winter for my outdoor olive bonsai.

I have since changed the ratio to about 40% Perlite – 40% Molar Clay – 5% Horticulture grit and then 15% Compost. This seems to have made the already free draining soil even more loose and the water retention is now lower. This has helped the tree a lot in the wetter climate and it seems a lot happier.

Basically the looser you can make the soil, the better it will be for the tree.

(For more info on soil read – A General Guide To Bonsai Soil)

How Do you Water An olive Bonsai?

Olive bonsai can drink a lot of water during the growing season. They can also tolerate short periods of drought.

Its best to keep the soil slightly damp at all times and water it just as its is starting to dry out. Although they can handle drought, there is no point in stressing a tree out by pushing it to it’s limit. Keep it moist at all times and it will be more than happy and reward you with strong growth.

(For more info you can read –How To Water A Bonsai)

How Much Sun Light Does An Olive Bonsai Need?

Olive bonsai love the full sun and need as much light as possible. They can still thrive in shade, but I find mine respond better to more light. They come from the Mediterranean, so they like a lot of sun.

I grow one of mine outside and it does okay. I grow two of them under a grow light and they grow like crazy. They do sit for a while, storing up energy, then put on a huge spurt of growth. This is just how they grow. However, the more light they get, the more they will grow.

How Hardy Are Olive Bonsai?

Olive bonsai get a reputation that they are not hardy. The truth is they don’t like the cold, but they can tolerate it.

I have left my olive out all winter to no ill effect. It’s too much rain that will cause it problems rather than too much cold. It can handle light frost, but I would not recommend you let it get too cold.

You should also be aware if you have a very shallow pot, or extremely cold weather. You might need to protect your tree if it gets too cold. Just keep it in an unheated shed or green house and that should be fine.

I am not sure what temperature they can handle, but I wouldn’t worry to much if it is just going to dip around freezing. However, if it is going to be at this temperature for a long time, or colder, then I would try and protect the tree.

(For more info you can read – Working Out How To Over Winter Bonsai Trees)

How Often Do You Feed An Olive Bonsai?

I feed my olives once a month with an all purpose feed during the growing season which is enough to keep them healthy and growing strongly.

(For more info you can read – Do You Need To Use “Bonsai” Fertiliser?)

How Do Olive Bonsai Respond to Pruning?

Olive bonsai respond well to pruning and are great trees for clip and grow.

Trim the branches back to 2 or 3 sets of leaves on each shoot and you will always get new shoots just below where you trimmed. Often you will get many more shoots than you need and you will need to prune the extra shoots away to avoid knuckles of growth forming in that area.

If you just repeat this for a few years you will start to build up a dense foliage mass.

(For more info you can read- How To Prune A Bonsai Tree)

Repotting An Olive Bonsai

Olive bonsai can be repotted in spring. This is when I do it and I have had no problem.

I have often read that olives can be repotted in later spring and even into the summer and this should be fine too. To be honest, my tree outside does wake up around this time anyway. It is one of the last ones to start showing signs of life.

As a general rule is you want the nighttime temperatures to be above 10°C/50°F. As soon as that is happening you should be safe to repot your olives with no problems. Any risk of frost should be long gone and the tree will bounce back pretty quickly.

(For more info you can read – How To Repot A Bonsai Tree)

Wiring An Olive Bonsai

Olive bonsai can be wired, but you will find they can be styled using only clip and grow.

I would suggest you use wire to shape the primary structure, then once you have the main skeleton set, use clip and grow to shape the tree and build out some foliage pads.

(For more info read – Why Do We Wire Bonsai?)

What Is The Leaf Pattern Of An Olive Bonsai?

Olive bonsai have an opposite leaf pattern. Each set of leaves is at a 90° angle to the next set along the branch.

They are also evergreen, so you will not see any change throughout the year.

What Pests Does An Olive Bonsai Suffer From?

I have found Olives to be pest free and very robust. They can suffer aphids and caterpillars, but these are easily treated. If your tree is healthy you shouldn’t have any problem, but you should still check it regularly for problems.

Can You Propagate An Oilve Bonsai?

Olives are easily grown from seed.

They can also be propagated from cuttings and air layers. Olives root very easily and you should have no problem making more. They are great for bonsai so you will probably want more!

They are best started as yamadori though, as you can find a tree with an amazing trunk and start with this. Some of the best bonsai you will ever seen are yamadori olives.

What Is The Growth Rate Of An Olive Bonsai?

Olive bonsai are very fast growing trees. If you give them the right conditions they will grow rapidly.

As i already mentioned, they tend to do nothing for a while, just absorbing energy and stockpiling it before have a huge quick burst of growth.

I have had some insane growth with my trees that live under the grow light, even if they are only in small pots.

Should You Get An Olive Bonsai?

Olive bonsai are very robust trees. They are very easy to care for, even in a cooler environment like mine.

They are very tough and grow vert fast. They need lots of pruning and respond well to this type of work. They make amazing bonsai trees, maybe my favourite species. You should get one, no matter what your skill level is!

I have a few olive bonsai and you can see their development:

Olive Bonsai Progression

Little Olive Bonsai (From Air Layer) Progression