Tips

HELPFUL ADVICE

Among the various activities involving the treatment of vegetation, from time to time it is necessary to prune trees following specific techniques in order to avoid damaging the entire garden.
It is clear that the pruning process is not a universal activity, but depends of course on the type of tree planted and the results you want to achieve.
With regards to olive trees the best time of the season for pruning is in the late spring, usually from late April to late June.
Olive pruning should be done to renew productive branches, eliminate dry or damaged wood, encourage light and air penetration, support vegetative growth and contain the size of the tree. Moreover, the pruning of mature trees should be used to prevent premature vegetative ageing of the tree, reduce variations in production and avoid diseases caused by parasites.
To begin, the first thing you should do after an initial evaluation is to get close to the trunk and observe at the situation from within. Your attention should be drawn immediately to branches which have grown upward and inward. Gather all the necessary tools: scissors, shears, pruning knife, etc., making sure that they're always cleaned and disinfected periodically, to avoid transmitting diseases from one branch to another. Start to prune from the highest part of the plant, carrying out the larger cuts first, followed by the smaller ones. With the pruning, you will need to obtain a correct relationship between the wood and the vegetation.

We have listed some guidelines to follow in order to have a healthy and durable plant:

Go and view the trees and observe them (asses their health status).
Cut the dead branches.
Carry out light pruning without damaging the foliage, and in the correct season (spring). Disinfect the cuts with lime and copper.
Cut branches which are growing at the base of the trunk, which are barren branches that take nourishment from the tree.
Remove any offshoots from the trunk and branches. Even offshoots are sterile branches that originate from buds which remain dormant indefinitely.
Feed the soil naturally with home-made or certified compost or manure.
Don't use insecticides but natural remedies such as a plastic bottle with holes on either side, containing a mixture of vinegar and honey or water and fish, to fight the olive fruit fly.
Disinfect with copper, lime, iron and sulphur.
Remember what the ancients said: "The olive tree needs five things: space, rock, manure, an axe and the sun."
Have confidence in the strength of the olive tree, which has been with us for millennia, and it will have the strength to overcome any adversity.