Grow an olive tree indoors is a matter that you will need to prepare beforehand because it requires some specific tools and procedures.
In this article, we will explain the process of growing an olive tree inside and also care tips about how to ensure that the trees grow healthy and prosper.
Contents
How To Grow an Olive Tree Indoors?
You can grow an olive tree indoors by selecting the best type of seeds, preparing the soil, sowing the seeds in the potting soil, and taking optimum care of the tree. Lastly, you must also tackle the issues that come up.
Olive trees are evergreen trees from the tropical and humid regions of the Mediterranean and Asia. These are huge trees that grow fruits of many different colors, sizes, and tastes, but when grown indoors, they are not grown for their fruit, and they will thrive in such a beautiful way with the right care needs to be given.
1. Get the Best Seeds
The seeds of an olive tree are much harder to germinate than the normal seeds because they have a very hard and sturdy covering on them. You will need to physically break into them with a blade to make them eligible for germinating.
The olive tree comes in over a hundred varieties so that you can pick the specie according to your aesthetics and liking. However, every specie will have a hard seed that you will have to crack, so be detailed on this matter.
Olive trees are much harder to grow from seed than from cutting via the probation method. This is because the seed has to start the growth from square one, but the cutting only needs to restart the change, which is much easier and quicker. However, your choice is whether you want to go with the seed growth or the cutting development.
After cutting in the seed, keep it in water for some time because it will need to rejuvenate its nutrients and growth hormones. After this, place the seed inside a dampened towel for further use, and ensure you do not let it dry.
2. Prepare the Soil
The second step is to prepare the soil for planting the seed in. The soil for the olive tree should be moist and highly fertile, and only then will the seed find it worthy to grow in; otherwise, it will be a failed project.
You will need to decide on a good-sized pot for your olive tree, which shouldn’t be too small, will congest the growth of the root system, and shouldn’t be too big that you will need to use a big amount of soil.
You can always repot the tree into a different pot later on when it outgrows its current pot but make sure that the root system has enough space to expand well.
The root system of an olive tree also tends to grow and spread largely. You can use a clay, porcelain, plastic, or terracotta pot. These all will go great with the aesthetic foliage of the olive tree when you have placed in indoors and are growing in such a climate.
3. Sow the Seeds
The third step is to sow the seed inside the pot. Sow the seed at least three inches deep in the soil and make sure that you cover the rest with soil. Lightly tap the soil in place and sprinkle it with water. You must now move the pot to an area with good sunlight and leave it there.
Now that your plant is planted, you must monitor how it grows and be sure that you tackle any issue that comes along so that it grows in a proper way.
In short, you will notice that the olive trees will take a long time to grow and even longer if grown from seed or grown for their fruits. Luckily, the pits inside the olives are its seeds, so you can store them whenever you want to grow an olive tree.
The trees can grow up to a few feet, so make sure you have the space and patience for them to grow that long. If you are new to gardening, the olive tree may not be the best start for you as it can take a lot of time to grow to produce leaves.
4. Apply After Care
The last step in the procedure is to apply the necessary aftercare for the tree. This will include giving the plant at least eight hours in direct sunlight, a good amount of water each day, and repotting the tree when necessary. In addition, you must remember that the olive tree is prone to attracting insects and pests, so you will ensure you have your preventive measures and defenses in place.
The most common problem with growing an olive tree indoors is overwatering. The overwatering can cause the olive tree to grow roots, yellow leaves, and a few barren branches. This problem can be taken care of easily.
The olive tree might look dry and dull, prompting you to water it consistently, but you should not. The olive tree normally looks like that and does not need much water, so you should adopt your watering schedule.
It can take around three to five years for the olive trees to create their first harvest, but for them to fully grow the olive, it can take around eight or so. That is the least number of years it can take, so plan accordingly.
Even though the plant is easier to grow and care for, it still takes time to grow naturally. Alternatively, olive trees are not grown indoors for their fruit but for their beautiful foliage. The olive tree, therefore, will develop leaves in a few weeks if given the right light and water.
They are grown for their beautiful and fuller foliage, which remains healthy even after small care. The thing about olive tree plants is that they require a fair bit of sun each day, so even if you want to keep them indoors, you will need to keep them near a window or a glass door to get their sunlight every day.
5. Be Aware of The Pests
The most important insects that hinder the growth of an olive tree include black scale, parlatoria scale, apple weevil, garden weevil, Rutherglen bug, and an olive lace bug.
These bugs can disrupt the natural growth of the olive tree. However, these pests and insects can be removed and controlled through an organized routine of sprays and precautions.
You can use insecticides and pesticides beforehand, keeping insects from roaming around for a short time. The olive tree is quite famous for getting insects and fungal infections, so keep the roots and the plant in check.
Conclusion
Olive trees are great to have at home, and if you can grow them inside, as a house plant, they would look even more interesting, and in this article, we talked about how you can grow an olive tree indoors for your home garden, but in case something was unclear, here is a short review for you:
- You can grow an olive tree indoors by selecting the best type of seeds, preparing the soil, sowing the seeds in the potting soil, and taking optimum care of the tree.
- Olive trees are much harder to grow from seed than from cutting via the probation method.
- The seeds of an olive tree are much harder to germinate than the normal seeds because they have a very hard and sturdy covering on them.
- An olive tree can grow up to a few feet in a year, and there are many different kinds of olive varieties you can choose from when it comes to growing them indoors, so have your pick based on your aesthetic.
Here we come to the end of the article about growing the illustrious olive trees inside your home, as this article was helpful for you, and now you can grow an olive tree for yourself.
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