An ancient Greek legend says that the olive tree is the creation of the hands of Athena herself, the goddess of wisdom, the patroness of peaceful labor and just wars. She stuck her spear into the ground, and an olive tree immediately grew out of it, and the new city was named Athens.
European olive
Olive is an evergreen plant (tree). Its leaves are dark green on the outside and silvery on the inside.
The flowers of the tree are very small and fragrant, they are collected in brushes, and the crown is wide and sprawling, the branches and trunk are curved. The bark, as a rule, is gray in color, it is covered with scales and forms peculiar sagging.
The fruit of this plant is probably familiar to everyone, it is a pulp with a stone. The tree blooms from May to June, but the fruits ripen from October to December. The plant grows quite slowly, but it is very drought-resistant and durable.
I must say that the European olive is a noble tree with an interesting history. Each leaf of the plant lives one year, sometimes two. At the base of eachThe leaf contains a kidney that has been at rest for a long time; it begins to grow only when it is urgently needed. For example, when trimming or some kind of damage. Such an amazing property makes the olive very stable, it is capable of full recovery.
Useful properties of wood
The European olive is under the influence of the hot rays of the sun and the healing sea air all year round. Perhaps this is what gives its fruits and leaves unique properties. Archaeologists claim that the beneficial properties of the leaves were known to people several millennia ago. They have a pronounced antimicrobial effect, and therefore are used as an anti-febrile agent and for the treatment of purulent wounds. In addition, a decoction of the leaves helps to normalize blood pressure.
The leaves of the plant secrete a lot of phytoncides, which is priceless in medical practice. Decoctions of them are used as a diuretic for edema, as well as for preventive purposes against atherosclerosis and obesity.
Harvesting
Harvesting from trees begins at a time when most of the fruits acquire a purple hue. On the one hand, they are not quite ripe yet, but it is at this moment that they have the highest percentage of oil, with a strong aroma and very little bitterness. Before the start of the harvest, canvases are spread under the trees, on which the olives will actually fall. The fruits are knocked down with a special rotating device, while they are not damaged, but remain intact. There is another way to collectharvest. The trees are carried out with special "rakes", as if combing them. Ripe fruits fall to the ground.
After the fruits are harvested, the crown is pruned. This is a very important and responsible work, because olives are formed on two-year-old branches. Therefore, the procedure itself is carried out by a special specialist - a cutter. This profession is passed down from generation to generation. As a rule, the crown is formed in the form of a bowl, this is done with the aim of good penetration of sunlight.
European olive: care at home
In principle, the olive can be grown at home in our latitudes. To do this, the tree needs to be properly cared for.
European olive tolerates our climate well. But still, the trees need to be watered quite regularly, while moderately. This is best done with water at room temperature. During active growth, the plant must certainly be fed. The European olive loves sunny places. In the summer, it is better to move it to a balcony or terrace. In winter, it is better to place the plant in a cool place, and from February to start increasing the temperature. In spring, trees should be moved to the most lit places where they feel best. They begin to bloom in May, June, when the temperature reaches eighteen degrees.
In spring, trees respond well to fertilizing with complex fertilizers with nitrogen. This results in an earlierlaying flower buds.
Flowering and pollination of plants
Small white or slightly yellow flowers with a delicate delicate aroma appear somewhere in mid-June. Olive European at home blooms a little longer than usual, about a few months. The flowers are pollinated by the wind and insects, but if there is no wind at all, then the branches should be shaken daily. In the process of self-pollination, fruits can be tied in different sizes. But cross-pollination significantly improves the yield and quality of olives. The European olive at room conditions gives about two kilograms of fruit, and in a garden - up to twenty kilograms.
To get a harvest, you need to know how to care for the European olive. In principle, this tree is very drought-resistant, however, in the absence of a clear increase in branches, it must be understood that it lacks moisture. In addition, the plant is very light-loving (in poorly lit places, branches are exposed), it does not tolerate acidic and marshy soils. Liming the earth can significantly increase the yield.
Olive propagation
The European olive is propagated by cuttings, seeds and grafts. Before planting, the seeds are dipped in a 10% alkali solution for 18 hours, then they are washed and the nose of the bone is cut off with secateurs. Then they are planted to a depth of about two to three centimeters. The first sprouts appear after two or three months.
When propagating plants by grafting, use the original wild tree. The first fruits from such a tree can be seenonly in 8-10 years.
For cuttings, cut 2-4-year-old branches are used, the diameter of which is 3-4 centimeters. The sections are treated with garden pitch and then added dropwise in a horizontal position in March into the sand to a depth of ten centimeters. Since there are a lot of dormant buds on the cuttings, the first shoots will appear in a month. Before planting, the cuttings must be treated with a growth stimulator.
Next, you need to try to maintain the most favorable and mild regime:
- The optimum temperature is 20-25 degrees.
- Good lighting, but no direct sunlight.
To keep high humidity, the box with the cuttings must be covered with foil. Seedlings are sprayed (it is sprayed, not watered) with water at room temperature at least once a day. Plants are transplanted after two to four months. They will begin to bear fruit only in the second or third year.
The best time to plant is autumn (for regions with mild winters). Trees are fed with manure, while adding superphosphate so that there is no soil oxidation. And in the spring they lime the earth.
At home, it is necessary to carry out a shaping and he alth-improving haircut of the crown. To do this, remove weak, dry and excess branches and give the crown the desired shape.
Since ancient times, the olive has been grown for its fruits, which were soaked and then s alted, after which they acquired a very pleasant taste.
What is a bonsai?
Very often culture in our latitudes is grown exclusively for decorative purposes. BUTso you can safely form a bonsai. European olive has an irregularly shaped trunk, few branches, on which dense leaves with contrasting colors are located. In general, the plant is quite beautiful, interesting and perfect for forming a bonsai from it.
Such a tree will decorate not only the room, but also the garden. According to the reviews of knowledgeable gardeners, we can say that this plant is not very whimsical to care for, and therefore you can safely take on growing it at home, at least for decorative purposes.
How to form a bonsai?
For the formation of bonsai, you need to pinch new shoots during the entire period of tree growth. This will give an impetus to the appearance of many buds throughout the tree. However, the process cannot be carried out at a temperature of 10 to 35 degrees. This can lead to a reduction in the size of the leaflets. Young plants pinch up to 1-3 leaves.
When pruning large branches during the vegetative growth period, numerous, vigorous growth occurs in the pruned areas. Therefore, unwanted buds must be removed, otherwise there will be too many shoots. Large branches are best removed in autumn or winter, when growth is significantly slowed down. Oliva reacts quite unpredictably to pruning of large shoots.
When forming a bonsai, you need to be careful, because the plant is quite brittle and the bark with wood is very easily damaged. Therefore, it is necessary to wrap the tree with wire very carefully; at the same time, young branches should not be touched, less than three years old.years.
Based on the European olive, you can get absolutely any style of bonsai. Preferred are vertical and broom-shaped. Spider mites are very dangerous for the plant, they are completely invisible on the tree. They greatly deform the leaves, they begin to curl and fall off green.
Instead of afterword
What is the European olive? First of all, it is a wonderful beautiful plant that produces wonderful fruits. In addition, it is used for decorative purposes to decorate the home and garden. If desired, the European olive can be grown at home and even get fruits. The tree is valued not only for its delicious fruits, but also for its medicinal properties, which have been known to people since ancient times.
