Soil recommendation - Arbequina Olive

[MartyB]

Hello again,

I recently acquired a Arbequina olive tree from a local outfit; it had a label from a California nursery (fourwindsgrowers.com). I am not crazy about the soil its in, it seems to be some sort of mulchy cedar-like, an off-red colored mulch of some sort.

I'd appreciate some advice on some better draining soil, as well as when I can attempt to repot it into this soil. I am currently in zone 5b so summer temps are in the 25-32C ranges in july and august, and around october-november when temperatures are below 10C I have a temperate location I keep my trees until the beastly winter is over.

So any tips as to what composition of soil I can put together as well as whether or not I need to wait till next spring would be appreciated for this newbie. thanks!

 

[sorce]

seems to be

Should be....

"Know for sure".

It's just one of those things.

A lot of times they just throw a topper on crap...not they, the place you bought it from particularly....
But it is best to dig in, or pull it up, and find out.

Sorce

 

[MartyB]

Should be....

"Know for sure".

It's just one of those things.

A lot of times they just throw a topper on crap...not they, the place you bought it from particularly....
But it is best to dig in, or pull it up, and find out.

Sorce

well I don't have a spectrum analyzer to determine the chemical makeup of this soil . Here are some pics. and as far down as I dig, I have at least 5 inches of this in a nursery pot. Spongy, not soggy wet but moist.

 

[rockm]

Funny I just planted one of these in the backyard of my parents' house in Texas. The tree is marginally hardy in Zone 7 east Texas. It was in similar soil. I has blasted it all out with water and planted it in the ground. Apparently it has pushed a foot of new growth and has bloomed repeatedly. It already had a crop of tiny olives on it.

If you have one in Canada, low-frost winter storage is a must. Free draining soil would do it some good too.

Interesting stuff here on cold and flowering
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/fruit-nut/files/2010/10/olives.pdf

 

[sorce]

Lol....I don't know where our olive keepers are...Probly cutting rampant ass growth!

But with the way they respond to root pruning, I reckon you can repot it now.

But that soil doesn't seem awful.

Sorce

 

[Adair M]

In early June, I bare rooted mine and put it in Boon's Mix. Same mix as for a pine.

They'll tolerate the occasional frost. But not a "freeze" if you get what I mean. In winter, in Canada, I'd give it the same treatment as you would a ficus.