I was wondering if anyone might be able to help me--I have a little olive tree that I keep in a pot and bring inside for the winter. I brought it in at the end of October, and put it in a window that gets full sun and let it dry a little between waterings. It has been quite content for the past three months, but when I woke up this morning I noticed that it has shed a lot of its leaves. I have not changed anything in terms of its care, so cannot figure out what has caused this and how to help this little tree. I hoped that someone here might be able to offer some suggestions--I am worried about my olive! Thanks for your help! --Michael
Common problems with various kinds of plants being attempted inside ordinary interiors (instead of bright, humid greenhouses), that may cause them to shed are unsuitable soil moisture levels, low light levels, low humidity and mites.
Keep it in the garage or sheltered outside.... drive by the Greek restaurant in Burnaby on Hastings /Holdum it has a dozen Olives planted out of doors along the sidewalk.... they can handle -10c but not like last winter of -17c. I would have left it out side with protection even with this past cold snap in early Dec.
How is your tree doing? I hope it's showing signs of life. Olive trees need to be outside during winter unless temps drop below -8 C for days at a time (they can easily handle -8 to -12 for a few hours at night if they are mature plants). They need a dormant period which they won't experience if left in a heated room during the winter. Additionally, like citrus in pots, you need to ensure that the soil in the pot is both well-drained and has even moisture throughout the pot.
more watering,and not indoor, is good garage,if the tree is in pot for 3 years and not remove never; is re-pot time!
Olive trees don't like -10 c temps....the trunk of mature olive trees have ripped open on my farm from such severe cold. There are cultivars that can tolerate -4 c maybe a little more for a short period of time but olive trees don't like frost on their leaves forming ice....if the tree is dry from precipitation in freezing weather it will come out unharmed. A month of temps between 0 and 10 degrees celcius is adequate enough for their dormancy.