Some defoliated olives

[EdwardH]

I've never been a huge fan of olives however you have just changed my mind. They are very nice. Well done

[ozzy]

I've never been a huge fan of olives however you have just changed my mind. They are very nice. Well done

I think I'm just a victim of my circumstances, there are billions of olives around here, more olives than gum trees so thats probably how I got started on them.

[Graeme]

I believe these are European olives, usually pretty easy to collect when you dig up the whole stump as I did with these, the larger ones I chainsaw at the base and that can be a bit harder to get them going again, keep them well watered.

My information, supplied by Janet Sabey, is that the Olives found around the Adelaide area aren't really any specific type as they are the result of so much cross breeding (most I believe are from already cross bred plants). I forget now how many different type of Olives Janet said were originally grown around Adelaide, I have 14 in my head but that could be for any reason . Most, apparently were European varieties, but there were also some African as well. The reason for there being so many different varieties, was because in the early days a lot of research was being done to find those varieties that would flourish in the SA climate. Over the years, popularity of Olive products has seen the rise and fall of many Olive plantations around the area. Unfortunately when the demand for Olive products fell the trees didn't and so birds got to have a field day with the seed. Many untended plantations resulted in a lot of natural cross breeding of the fruit due to insect/bee/etc activity. That seed was deposited around Adelaide by the hungry birds and germinated it areas new to that variety. More crossbreeding took place and on it went, until the situation we see now where the only use for the Olives growing wild in and around Adelaide is Bonsai and as root stock for grafting. The later because this new breed of Olive is so tough nothing will kill it, making it ideal root stock.
The best place to find Bonsai stock is still under any of the tall gum trees that grow around Adelaide. Birds roost in the trees and do what birds do, unfortunately Olive seed germinates really well after going through a birds digestive system, so many of the trees have quite a good Olive population growing under them.

[Mount Nasura]

Great read, interesting info cheers

[ozzy]

I did read somewhere that scientists are going around taking samples from the wild growing Adelaide Hills olives in order to grow for possible future strains for farming, the hill side where these came from had thousands of wild olives on it but has since been poisoned off by Landcare groups, I'm glad I saved these ones otherwise they would have suffered the same fate.

[GreenThumb]

Congratulations, stunning trees.

[Ben Thomas]

Amazing trees! Thanks for sharing, gives me inspiration!!

[Graeme]

Ozzy, have you been back to the area again? I used to get my Olives from a park in Adelaide (forgotten the name), landcare went in and cut all the Olives down and poisoned them. 12 months later you wouldn't know they had done it, there were Olives everywhere.

Edit: Just checked and the Park was Shepherds Hill - gotta love Google

[ozzy]

I've since found some new areas that Landcare haven't got stuck into yet, the olives are hard to kill thats for sure.

[peterb]

Hi Ozzy
mate love the trees, do you just defoliate them as you would a deciduous tree, and when do you do it . Do you also just cut through the stalk of the leaf so that you leave a bit. Sorry for all the questions but what you've done with those trees is fantastic and i would like to follow suit .
regards
peterb

[ozzy]

Hi Ozzy
mate love the trees, do you just defoliate them as you would a deciduous tree, and when do you do it . Do you also just cut through the stalk of the leaf so that you leave a bit. Sorry for all the questions but what you've done with those trees is fantastic and i would like to follow suit .
regards
peterb

Hi, I defoliate when they are growing strongly, when I defoliate I usually cut all stalks back to the first set of leaves, or maybe a bit longer depending on the circumstances ie if a longer internode is warranted because its closer to the trunk, the leaves I just rub off with my fingers by pushing in the opposite direction to the way the branch is growing, the only wiring I do is at the start to get the beginning of the branch to point downwards or horizontal then I only use the clip and grow method.

[Sammy D]

Really nice olives. Something for me to aspire to