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Pruning the olive tree, general principles
Among the various attentions that it is urgent to devote to the olive tree, we find the pruning operation among the most important. Specifying that, depending on the variety of olive tree and the geographical area, different pruning methods have been developed, it is worth highlighting some general precautions, which must be taken as guidelines for those who wish to carry out this operation. First of all, pruning must be done every year, simply using scissors for the smaller branches and the saw, or chainsaw, for the larger ones. Each time you make a cut, you must be careful to leave the surface smooth and oblique, so that water does not stagnate and mold does not form. The pruner, if he has experience, knows how to adapt his technique to the particular situation of the plant, taking into account its characteristics, variety and region. To be good pruners, in addition to basic theoretical knowledge, a lot of practice is needed, since experience is the only way to modify your actions, adapting them to the specific situation.
Well pruned olive tree.”>Why, when and how to prune
Well pruned olive tree. » width=”745″ height=”559″ longdesc=”/giardinaggio/potatura/potatura-ulivo.asp”>The main objectives of pruning olives should be to maintain the efficiency of the foliage, regulate its growth and reduce excess production to counteract the alternation of annual production. In addition, interventions are also carried out to promote a better relationship between the leaf surface and the wood and allow good air circulation and effective light exposure of the plant. As for time, the rules are different depending on the age of the plant. In an olive tree in the first years, the interventions will be contained and only those of the cutting of the shoots will be carried out, which are nothing more than dormant buds on the trunk and the branches which have grown too much and could alter the balance of the plant. . In the adult stage of the plant, the pruning will be more energetic, until it reaches its maximum expression during ageing, when the alternation of production will be accentuated. In the past, it was thought that vigorous pruning favored fruiting, but today we learn that this, in addition to being false, can cause serious imbalances in the vegetation of the plant.
dry pruning
One of the main interventions is the so-called dry pruning. In breeding pruning, it is printed on the plant, directly in the nursery, thus leaving the desired number of branches directly. Later, in the planter, the shape is imprinted even better, with training pruning, which will lead, in the adult plant, to the desired result. Dry pruning operations take up about 30% of all time spent growing olive trees, so I’m definitely not increasing both in terms of time and cost. Both in dry pruning and in green pruning, the so-called suckers, which grow straight and lonely both on the stem and on the branches, must be removed. We can leave them only rarely,
Olive tree pruning: Green and extraordinary pruning
The main reason for green pruning is to eliminate the herbaceous part that grew from April to July, both in the aerial part and in the stump. This pruning only absorbs about 10% of the time devoted to the cultivation of the olive grove, however all the pruning interventions still represent a very significant item of management costs. In rare cases, extraordinary pruning is also carried out, which, however, significantly changes the plant that is the subject of the operation. It is put into practice, for example, by replacing an entire branch with a suction cup. It is essential, once the cut has been made, to coat the surface with Bordeaux mixture to avoid infection of the plant. In the reform operation, however,