When it comes to growing trees, there’s one thing every gardener needs: a whole lot of patience. This is especially true if you’ve got your heart set on an olive tree. These beauties are famous for growing at a snail’s pace, but there’s a major silver lining to their slow-and-steady approach—they live for an incredibly long time.
Centuries of Growth
As long as an olive tree stays healthy and protected, it can easily live for three to six hundred years. In the Mediterranean, there are even legendary specimens that have been around for two to three thousand years! Their slow growth is actually their secret to longevity. Most trees eventually die because they get too big for their systems to transport water and nutrients all the way to the outer branches, but the olive tree’s compact growth habit keeps it going for centuries.
Cuttings vs. Seeds: Which is Faster?
If you’re dreaming of harvesting your own homegrown olives, you’ll definitely want to start with cuttings rather than seeds. If you go the seed-starting route, you’re looking at a wait of at least ten years before you see your first fruit. With cuttings, you can often start picking olives after about seven years. As a general rule of thumb, an olive tree’s trunk diameter grows by about one centimeter (roughly 0.4 inches) per year, though keep in mind that growth can vary from season to season.
Tips to Speed Things Up
If your olive tree seems to be stuck in neutral, there are a few things you can do to give it a little nudge. Here’s how to boost that growth:
- If you’re growing your olive tree in a pot, try moving it to the sunniest spot you can find. These trees are sun-worshippers!
- Give it a nutritional boost with the right fertilizer. Look for something rich in phosphorus to help it along.
- You can also try increasing your watering schedule. Just be super careful here—olive trees hate “wet feet,” and overwatering can quickly lead to root rot.
