Help Rooting Olive Cuttings

[Bonsilot]

Yesterday I removed several thick cuttings from my European Olive because I'm removing a branch.

I've potted them up in a mix of about 50/50 potting soil and pumice. The containers all have drainage holes in the bottom and sides. I trimmed much of the foliage, covered the major cuts with putty, applied rooting hormone, and tied down the cuttings.

I have a few questions and would appreciate advice on how I can ensure these guys root.

Questions:

1) Should I remove all the leaves and shoots? I have heard of olive cuttings sprouting without any leaves. And I'm concerned that the shoots may sap too much energy from the trunk.

2) Do I need to cover the cuttings with a bag to keep them humid or will I likely be fine with just misting them 3 times a day? The temperature generally isn't getting above 75°F where I'm at and they are in shade.

3) Will these pots + soil be okay? Or do I need to dig them up and try again? (I just planted them yesterday.)

If you have any other advice I'd really appreciate it!

 

[Shibui]

Rooting ability of olives depends on the variety. many are extremely easy and even huge branches can root but Kalamata is known for being extremely difficult.

Leaves are generally a good thing on cuttings as they provide for for the stem to grow new roots. The problem with leaves on cuttings is that they transpire moisture and with no roots that moisture must come from the stem which can lead to dehydration. The key is to maintain humidity so the leaves transpire less. Note that it is not temp as much as humidity.

Misting 3 times a day is a good start. More might be better. The plastic bag method is to maintain much higher humidity around the leaves and stems. I think it would be wort trying some of these in bags just in case misting 3 times is not enough.

Potting soil pumice is probably a reasonable cutting mix. Needs to hold some moisture but plenty of air. We usually try to have a reasonably sterile cutting mix. The one downside to potting soil is that it may contain diseases that could infect the base of the cuttings but it is a bit late for that now. Just have to rely on the olives being tough and hope yours is an easy to strike type.

 

[Bonsilot]

Rooting ability of olives depends on the variety. many are extremely easy and even huge branches can root but Kalamata is known for being extremely difficult.

Leaves are generally a good thing on cuttings as they provide for for the stem to grow new roots. The problem with leaves on cuttings is that they transpire moisture and with no roots that moisture must come from the stem which can lead to dehydration. The key is to maintain humidity so the leaves transpire less. Note that it is not temp as much as humidity.

Misting 3 times a day is a good start. More might be better. The plastic bag method is to maintain much higher humidity around the leaves and stems. I think it would be wort trying some of these in bags just in case misting 3 times is not enough.

Potting soil pumice is probably a reasonable cutting mix. Needs to hold some moisture but plenty of air. We usually try to have a reasonably sterile cutting mix. The one downside to potting soil is that it may contain diseases that could infect the base of the cuttings but it is a bit late for that now. Just have to rely on the olives being tough and hope yours is an easy to strike type.

Thanks for the input! Good to know why potting soil isn't used.

I'm not sure what variety it is, unfortunately. I looked at pictures of Kalamata olive trees and the olives that this tree produces seem smaller than that variety. That said, I'm not sure how to tell varieties apart.

I did end up bagging the three smaller cuttings. The large cutting is just too big for anything I have available. Hopefully, that will be enough.

And I will definitely use more pumice next time too. The combination of a shallow container and little soil is leading to very little drainage -- which I should have foreseen, but was rushing to get them all potted up.