Bonsai Newbie: Olive bonsai, don't know what to do. Please help!

[Chrissoriano7]

I have a little olive tree here, about 5 inches to the tallest point. It has a diameter of about .2 of an inch. I bought it and I want to turn it into a bonsai. Where do I even start and what can I do at this phase of its life? Thanks for all the help.

 

[leatherback]

You can consider giving the whip a but of shape. A straight trunk is mostly boring for bonsai. For the rest.. Let it grow.. It will first need to build a bit of trunkmass. Depending on where you live, you might have to wait a long time for that to become a decent sized trunk. I would also look into getting a bit larger plants. In general one could say that bonsai are created from much larger plants. As such, getting larger plants to begin with safes you time.

 

[BunjaeKorea]

Please fill out tour profile. knowing geographic location helps greatly in giving advice

 

[Chrissoriano7]

Thanks you for the great advice just did. My hardness zone is 8b but in late January it will be 6a because I'm moving.

 

[Shibui]

What to do depends on what you want at the end.
Bonsai can be hulking great monsters or tiny petit little ones. They can be straight or twisted or almost any combination you can think of.
With such a little starter the future is wide open for you to grow whatever you fancy.
If you want a thick trunk bonsai in your lifetime you'll need to let that little baby olive tree grow. Into a large pot or into the garden for a few years to get the fastest possible growth which will help thicken the trunk. After the trunk reaches suitable size cut back hard and start growing from the shoots that sprout.
If you feel like having a little tiny bonsai you could use a smaller growing pot to help control growth a bit. Let it grow then cut back repeatedly. Train new branches as they begin to grow. Repeated pruning will make it ramify and become bushy.
In either case, water regularly whenever the soil gets to just damp. Fertilise every 2-3 weeks in the growing season. You may need to make special arrangements for winter depending how cold it gets where you are.

 

[sorce]

Welcome to Crazy!

Speaking of crazy.....
Who moves to 6?

Sorce

 

[Chrissoriano7]

if this helps, here's a picture

 

[Chrissoriano7]

Welcome to Crazy!

Speaking of crazy.....
Who moves to 6?

Sorce

You're right ha. But I'm originally from there. And only moved away for two years then I would return

 

[Chrissoriano7]

I have a little olive tree here, about 5 inches to the tallest point. It has a diameter of about .2 of an inch. I bought it and I want to turn it into a bonsai. Where do I even start and what can I do at this phase of its life? Thanks for all the help.

How do I train it, what do I use? What type of pot and soil should I use? Do I need to prune it in any way?

 

[Tycoss]

At this point, Just let it grow until at least next spring when it can be put outside. Then, think up a plan for how you want it to look eventually, wire some curves into the lower trunk to match that image and let it grow. Way oversized pot, fast draining soil, and as muck light as you can give it will help thicken the trunk and keep the shape it is wired into. Don’t worry about pruning, branching or leaf size until you are getting closer to the trunk size you want. Good luck, just take your time with it.

 

[Silentrunning]

You should do absolutely nothing right now. To the tree I mean. You yourself should sit down with the search function on this site to familiarize yourself with olive trees and soil. You will then feel much more comfortable going forward. There are many helpful videos on YouTube also.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

This looks like a fresh cutting. I have one just like this, although a few years older. I honestly don't expect to do any work on mine within the next 5-10 years.
Olive trees are awesome when they age; they get cool bark, character, holes, weird coiled wood and all the things you'd like in bonsai.
But they do have a tendency to not show any of those traits within the first 20 years or so.
This plant is far from that point, just like mine is.

So I gave it a big pot, some good soil and I've put it aside for 2026 or so. Sure, Texas has a more olive friendly climate compared to the cold swamlands I'm from. But still olives can be sluggish growers.

I am thinking of just buying a larger and older one.. Waiting is difficult sometimes.

 

[penumbra]

Thanks you for the great advice just did. My hardness zone is 8b but in late January it will be 6a because I'm moving.

Be aware that in zone 6 this is treated like a tropical plant and kept inside in winter with proper lighting and humidity. It needs to develope in a large pot or in the ground in warmer climates. It is a few years from training still.