About Olive Trees

Arbequina Olive Tree is a compact, productive evergreen tree valued for its graceful silvery-green foliage and small, flavorful olives. Native to Catalonia in northeastern Spain, ‘Arbequina’ is one of the world’s best-known oil-producing cultivars and is particularly well suited to home gardens, edible landscapes, sunny patios, and large containers.

The narrow leaves have deep green upper surfaces and silvery undersides, creating a soft shimmer when the branches move in the wind. Over time, the trunk develops the textured, sculptural character that gives mature olive trees their unmistakable Mediterranean appearance.

Arbequina olives are small and begin green before gradually changing to reddish-purple and then dark purple or nearly black as they mature. They are best known for producing a mild, aromatic oil with fruity flavor and relatively little bitterness or pungency. The olives may also be cured for eating, although their small size makes them better suited to oil production than many traditional table varieties. Fresh olives are extremely bitter and must be cured or pressed before they are consumed.

What to Do When Your Arbequina Olive Tree Arrives

Open the shipping box as soon as possible after delivery. Carefully remove the packing material without pulling the plant by its trunk or branches. Inspect the container, soil, stems, and foliage. A few bent leaves, broken twigs, yellow leaves, or dropped leaves can occur during shipping. Minor cosmetic stress is normal and does not necessarily indicate that the plant is unhealthy.

Check the soil before watering by inserting a finger approximately one to two inches into the potting mix. If the soil feels dry at that depth, water slowly and thoroughly until excess water drains from the bottom of the nursery container. If the soil is still moist, allow the plant to drain and wait before watering.

Place the plant in a bright, sheltered location for its first few days. Do not immediately expose it to intense afternoon sun, strong wind, or extreme heat. Gradually increase its exposure to direct sunlight over approximately one week. Begin with morning sun or bright filtered light, then add more direct sun each day.

Wait until the plant has recovered from shipping before fertilizing, heavily pruning, or repotting it. A newly delivered Arbequina Olive tree benefits most from stable conditions, appropriate moisture, and time to adjust.

When to Plant Olive Trees

Spring is generally the best time to plant your olive tree outdoors. Wait until the danger of damaging frost has passed and the soil has begun to warm. In regions with mild winters and hot, dry summers, Arbequina may also be planted in fall. Allow enough time for the roots to begin establishing before freezing temperatures arrive.

Avoid planting immediately before a hard freeze, during saturated winter conditions, or at the beginning of an extreme heat wave.

Container-grown trees can be repotted during much of the active growing season, although spring is usually the easiest time for the tree to recover.

Where to Plant Olive Trees

Arbequina performs best in climates with long, warm to hot summers and relatively mild winters. Choose a location that provides 15 to 20 feet spacing all around the tree to accommodate its mature width. A tree allowed to grow freely should have substantial room, while one maintained through regular selective pruning can fit into a smaller home landscape.

Gardeners outside Zones 8 through 10 should generally keep Arbequina in a movable container rather than planting it permanently in the ground. Place the tree on a sunny patio, terrace, balcony, or deck during warm weather. 

For in-ground planting, choose the sunniest suitable location available with excellent drainage and good airflow. Avoid low areas where rainwater or cold air collects. In climates near the colder edge of its range, plant near a south- or southwest-facing wall that provides some protection from northern winds. Leave enough space between the wall and the tree for the canopy to develop and air to circulate.

How to Plant Your Olive Tree in the Ground

Olive trees require excellent drainage, tolerating sandy, rocky and relatively lean soils. They can grow across a broad soil pH range as long as the drainage is suitable.

Remove grass, weeds,  and debris from the planting area. If the native soil is sandy or loamy and drains well, extensive amendment is unnecessary. If the soil contains heavy clay, compacted layers, or remains wet after rainfall, plant Arbequina on a broad raised mound or berm. Do not dig a deep hole in thick soil and fill it with loose potting soil, as this can create a basin that traps water around the root ball. 

Dig a hole approximately twice as wide as the root ball but no deeper than the root ball itself. Carefully remove the tree from its nursery container. Handle it by the root ball or container rather than pulling it by the trunk. If roots are tightly circling the outside of the root ball, gently loosen the outermost roots with your fingers. Remove any badly kinked or girdling roots with clean pruners.

Position the tree so the top of the root ball sits level with or slightly above the surrounding soil. Arbequina should be planted at the same depth it was growing in its nursery container. Most nursery Arbequina trees are propagated from cuttings rather than grafted. If the tree does have a visible graft union, keep it clearly above the finished soil line.

Backfill around the root ball with the original native soil. Gently firm the soil with your hands to remove large air pockets, but do not heavily compact it. Water slowly and thoroughly after planting.

If the tree arrives attached to a nursery stake, inspect the ties regularly. Loosen or remove any tie that begins pressing into the trunk. Remove the stake once the plant can stand securely without support.

How to Plant Your Olive Tree in a Container

Choose a broad, stable pot for the tree form, which may become top-heavy as the canopy and fruit develop. Place the container on a sturdy rolling plant stand before filling it. Moving a mature olive plant is much easier when wheels are part of the original plan.

For container planting, use a loose, fast-draining potting mix. A quality citrus, cactus, palm, or Mediterranean-plant mix can work well, provided that water moves freely through it. Do not use ordinary garden soil by itself in a container. It can compact and remain wet for far too long.

Carefully slide the tree from its nursery pot. If the root ball does not release easily, squeeze or tap the container rather than pulling on the trunk. Gently loosen tightly circling outer roots.

Position the tree at the same depth it was previously growing. Do not bury the top of the root ball or lower trunk. Fill around the root ball with fresh potting mix. Work the mix into larger gaps without packing it tightly.

Leave approximately one to two inches between the soil surface and the container rim. This space makes thorough watering possible without washing soil over the sides. Water slowly until excess water flows freely from the drainage holes. Allow the container to drain completely. Never leave an olive tree standing in a saucer filled with water.

Watering and Fertilizing your Olive Tree

Arbequina is drought-tolerant once established, but a newly planted tree still requires regular water while its root system develops.

Immediately after planting, water thoroughly to settle the soil around the roots, then water every one to three days until new leaves and shoot growth confirm that roots are establishing. Adjust frequency for rainfall and temperature. As the tree becomes established, allow the upper soil to dry between deep waterings.

Mature in-ground trees tolerate dry periods, but flowering, fruit set, fruit development, and overall yield improve when soil moisture is available at critical times. Water is especially important during the weeks before flowering and through early fruit development.

Container trees require more frequent watering than in-ground trees because their roots occupy a limited volume of soil. Check container moisture by inserting a finger several inches into the potting mix. Water when the upper portion has dried, then saturate the root ball until water drains from the bottom. Do not keep the soil constantly damp and reduce irrigation gradually as temperatures cool so as not to encourage tender growth to winter injury. Overwatering is one of the most common causes of decline in container olives.

Use a balanced fertilizer or one formulated for olives, fruit trees, or Mediterranean plants. Follow the product label carefully.

How to Care for Olive Trees

Olives bear on shoots produced during the previous growing season. Avoid removing all of the young wood while pruning, or the tree may have little remaining material on which to flower and fruit.

Prune in spring as active growth begins and the greatest danger of severe freezing has passed. Avoid significant fall or winter pruning in cold-prone climates because pruning can stimulate tender growth and expose branches to freeze damage.

Container trees can be selectively shortened to maintain a practical size. Remove entire crowded branches or cut long shoots back to a side branch rather than repeatedly trimming every tip.

Arbequina may exhibit alternate bearing, producing a heavy crop one year followed by a lighter crop the next. Consistent care and moderate pruning during heavy-crop years can help reduce this swing.

Protecting Your Olive Tree from Cold

Container trees are more vulnerable because cold surrounds their roots from every side. Move containers into a bright, cool, frost-free garage, sunroom, enclosed porch, or greenhouse before hard freezes.

Protect young trees whenever a damaging freeze is expected. Water dry soil a few days before the freeze. Moist, bare soil absorbs and releases more heat than dry soil. Cover a small tree with frost cloth or another breathable material, extending the cover to the ground to trap rising warmth. Do not allow thin plastic to rest directly against the foliage.

Moving Your Olive Tree Indoors for Winter

Whenever possible, transition the tree gradually. Move it into partial shade for several days before bringing it fully indoors, reducing the abrupt change from strong outdoor sun to weaker indoor light. Place the tree in the brightest, coolest suitable location available. Expect some leaf drop as the tree adjusts and do not immediately respond by watering more heavily. Once inside, keep the soil on the drier side without allowing the root ball to become completely desiccated.

Moving Arbequina Olive Tree Outdoors in Spring

Wait until the danger of severe frost has passed. Do not move the tree directly from indoor conditions into intense full sun. Leaves that developed inside can scorch even though Arbequina normally prefers full sunlight. Begin in a sheltered position with bright shade or gentle morning sun. Over approximately seven to ten days, gradually increase exposure to direct sunlight. Increase watering as temperature, sunlight, and wind rise. Resume fertilizer only after active new growth appears.

Harvesting Arbequina Olives

In general, the olive harvest period is from July through October. Actual timing varies considerably with climate, weather, crop load, and the intended use of the fruit. 

All Arbequina olives begin green. As they mature, they transition through yellow-green, reddish-purple, and finally dark purple or black. Harvest timing affects both flavor and oil characteristics.

Green olives generally produce less oil but create a brighter, grassier, more pungent oil. Darker, riper olives contain more extractable oil and tend to produce a softer, fruitier, more buttery flavor. For a balance between oil quantity and flavor, harvest as much of the crop begins changing from green to purple. Pick fruit by hand or gently strip it from the branches onto a clean sheet or collection net.

Process harvested olives promptly. Fresh fruit deteriorates quickly after picking, which can reduce both curing quality and oil flavor.

Raw olives should not be eaten directly from the tree. They contain naturally bitter compounds and must be properly cured in brine, water, salt, or lye, or pressed into oil, before consumption. Use a tested food-safety method when curing olives at home.