Olive trees grow slowly and generally need light pruning once a year, if they are healthy and well maintained. It is best to start shaping the tree when it is still young or about 2 years old, then check it every year in late spring or early summer to see if it needs maintenance pruning. With a little annual care you can guarantee your tree a long and fruitful life of at least 50 years.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Cutting the Tree with the Appropriate Tools
Step 1. Get sharp and clean pruning tools
Make sure both your shears and saws are - if they're old and you're not sure they're sharp, you can sharpen them yourself or take them to your local hardware store for a modest service.
To clean the shears or saw, immerse the blades in isopropyl alcohol for 30 seconds to disinfect them, then dry them gently with a clean towel
Step 2. Use branch shears with a diameter of less than 2.5cm
You can get a pair of double-bladed shears from your local hardware store to cut out the smaller suckers and branches. Consider using a pair with shock absorbers to reduce fatigue while pruning.
Find a pair of double blade garden shears at your local hardware store
Step 3. Use a handsaw for branches up to 7 cm in diameter
If they are located in the innermost and dense part of the canopy and have a diameter between 2, 5 and 7 cm, the ideal is to use a hand saw with a rigid blade at least 38 cm long to obtain a better result.
Such a tool is available in most hardware stores
Step 4. For larger branches you should use a chainsaw
If you are pruning an old and neglected olive tree and need to remove the largest branches, you may need a chainsaw. Use a light model to avoid fatigue and remember to take numerous breaks. Stand with your feet on the ground or on a stable platform and wear a hard hat, goggles, gloves, and sturdy clothing.
Avoid using a chainsaw if you suffer from any ailment that causes weakness following physical activity or if the tool is too heavy to handle
Step 5. Make angled cuts flush with the branches
They will prevent water from penetrating inside and infecting the branch. Make a cut at the point of contact with the main branch from which the one you are cutting starts.
Avoid leaving stumps, cut cleanly and in contact with larger branches
Part 2 of 3: Giving the Basic Shape to the Olive
Step 1. Start modeling the tree when it is one meter high
When the tree is about 2 years old, one meter high and 3-4 large side branches, you can start giving it a shape.
The tree will not begin to bear fruit before reaching 3-4 years of age. This first pruning only serves to begin shaping it to promote healthy growth and good fruiting
Step 2. Pruning once a year in late spring or early summer
The tree will begin to bear fruit in the fall, so the ideal time to prune it is just before the new growth begins for the next year. Try to prune on a dry day so that the cuttings don't get too wet and are exposed to infection.
Olive trees grow slowly and generally do not need to be pruned a lot: it is enough to do it once a year
Step 3. Avoid cutting young branches too much
It is important to maintain a balance between giving the tree a shape that will be its main structure for the rest of its life and allowing it to grow and create energy reserves. Excessive pruning will stop the tree from growing.
If the olive tree is a few years old but has not yet reached one meter in height, does not have a trunk and 3-4 large side branches, you can postpone pruning for a year
Step 4. Aim for a Martini glass shape
This is the healthiest shape for an olive tree, with the trunk representing the handle of the glass and most of the branches growing sideways and slightly upwards. The central part shouldn't have too many branches to allow light to filter through.
Step 5. Choose 3-4 large side branches to form the main structure
To get the "martini glass" shape, choose 3-4 branches that grow laterally and slightly upwards and leave the smaller branches that branch off from them intact, even if they point downwards.
- Instead, you can cut other vertical, small or fragile branches.
- If your tree has only two strong side branches, you can prune those that are very thin or vertical, but the following year it is preferable to look for two more to keep. The ideal is to have at the end 4 strong lateral branches that form the main structure.
Part 3 of 3: Maintaining the Olive Shape with an Annual Pruning
Step 1. Observe the tree at harvest time
During fruiting you will notice that the larger side branches are weighed down by the fruits: they are the ones that are best kept in the next pruning. Other branches, on the other hand, will grow vertically or look old or frail.
- Make a note of these vertical branches to prune them later.
- The olive tree could bear fruit in alternate years: in any case, a light annual pruning is the best practice to stimulate its growth.
Step 2. Remove the vertical branches
Those facing upwards, especially if arranged on the top and slender and puny, should be removed, like those inside the glass-shaped canopy.
- The general rule states that a bird should be able to fly through the tree: if the latter has too many vertical branches in the center, the bird will not have the opportunity, so they must be removed.
- Another reason for pruning vertical branches is that the fruits grow only on the lateral ones: it is important to leave the tree more energy to invest in the latter.
Step 3. Cut off any side branches that have become brittle and frail
Over the years, some lateral offshoots that branch off from the main branches can age. If you look at the tree at the moment of fruiting, it is those old branches that once gave fruit, but no longer.
Cut them to encourage the tree to grow other fruit branches
Step 4. Always remove suckers from the base of the trunk
Any sprouts below the main branch of the tree, which descend along the trunk towards the base, should be removed. These are usually small branches, arranged vertically or oriented downwards or which are in any case out of place with respect to the main shape of the tree.
