Olive trees are exclusive and expensive - and they don't like cold temperatures. The right approach to overwintering is all the more important for olive trees.

With us, the olive tree should be protected outdoors during the winter months or move to a warm place

The olive tree (Olea europea) is enjoying increasing popularity on home patios or in the garden because of its Mediterranean appearance. But the tree, which is mainly found in the Mediterranean region, is only partially hardy. The wet, cold winters in our homeland are giving him a hard time. Therefore, the heat-loving southerner has to move well packed to a sheltered place in frost. Otherwise you don't get much of the actually incredibly old tree with the characteristic silvery shimmering leaves and the gnarled trunk.

Wintering the olive tree: temperatures that are becoming critical

There are over 100 different types of olive trees. Some even only appear in certain villages. They have different degrees of tolerance to cold, depending on their original distribution area. But none of the varieties are completely hardy. Most varieties tolerate light frost down to -5°C without suffering major damage. Particularly cold-tolerant varieties such as 'Aglandau', 'Bouteillan' or 'Frantoio' can easily withstand short frost periods of -20°C. These minimum temperatures are aimed at short night frosts. During longer periods of frost, however, good winter protection or relocation to a sheltered winter quarters cannot be dispensed with.

A good location for the olive tree during the winter is a bright, unheated stairwell

Overwintering the olive tree correctly: The right winter quarters

Some particularly cold-tolerant varieties can also be planted in Germany. However, only the warm Rhine Valley is suitable here. But here, too, very good winter protection is required so that even harder winters can be survived well. It looks like this:

  • Trunk and crown are completely covered with air and light permeable winter fleece
  • Cover the tree disc with a thick layer of leaves, conifer branches, brushwood, moss or bark mulch

Anyone outside theRhineland microclimate would like to call an olive tree his own, chooses the pot culture. So your olive tree can quickly move to a bright and frost-free winter quarters.

Wintering the olive tree in a pot

The pot culture makes the olive tree mobile and so it can be quickly relocated to its winter quarters if necessary. An unheated conservatory is ideal. Cool temperatures prevail here, which do not fall below the freezing point and your olive tree gets a lot of light. But even without an opulent winter garden, an olive tree can be kept he althy over the winter.

Wintering the olive tree on the balcony

Your olive tree can also spend the winter outside on the balcony in a nicely sheltered and covered place. To do this, wrap the pot in a neat layer of newspaper or bubble wrap. Otherwise there is a risk that the pot will freeze through. By this point at the latest you have lost the battle with the cold. In the event of prolonged, severe periods of frost, the pot should still be moved to a cool but frost-free place such as the garage or a shed. If such a location isn't available, the packing really begins. As with outplanted trees, wrap the crown in winter fleece. Then your olive goes into a high wooden box, which you decorate with straw, bark mulch or leaves on the inside.

Tip: For more information on how to recognize and avoid frost damage on olive trees and other plants, see our special article.

Winter olive tree in the apartment

If you want to offer your olive tree a comfortably warm place to stay indoors in winter, you are doing the tree a disservice. Your olive needs temperatures around 0 °C for the tree to enter the hibernation phase. During this time it recovers and gathers strength for new growth in spring. If you still want your tree indoors, choose an unheated adjoining room.

Caring for an olive tree in winter

Winter is used by the olive tree to recover from the strenuous growth phase of the year. So give your tree a well-deserved rest. Without doing much, the tree regains its strength.

Large olive trees planted outdoors can be protected with fleece during winter

Watering and fertilizing olive trees in winter

Nothing will grow at temperatures below 5 °C. This also means that nutrient consumption is throttled. Because the tree only uses as much energy as it does for its ownconservation needed. Therefore, no fertilizer is used in the winter quarters. Watering is also done very sparingly. Be even more careful than usual to avoid waterlogging.

Should you prune the olive tree during the winter?

No pruning during hibernation. It is better to prune in early spring, before the tree leaves its winter quarters. This is when the plant has the most energy because it has recovered well over the winter. After pruning, the tree uses this energy for vigorous new growth. You can find out how to prune your olive tree here.

Olive tree loses leaves in winter: what's going on?

If your olive tree loses its leaves in the winter quarters, this is due to too little light and too warm temperatures. If the tree is placed in a brighter, cooler place, it usually recovers without any problems.

If you have an olive tree in a pot, you should put it in a bright and frost-free place in winter. For more information on pot culture of olive trees, see our special article.

Category:

Trees