Can you kill an olive?

[Joel]

Hi guys! I need some help.

My girlfriend has started to like plants....yay! And has even shown some interest in bonsai. The strawberry I gave her is flourishing and even out competing mine. She germinated some Viola seeds and seems to understand their requirements. I figured it was time to get her a bonsai. I found an olive that was both hardy, and replaceable in the unlikely event of its death. It has been recently potted into Kens mix (2/3 diatomite, 1/3 zeolite). I gave this to her about a month ago.

ITS DYING!!!!!!!!!!!

She called me up to tell me that this small and largely unstyled tree was dying. She was worried that I would freak out or be upset with her for killing it. I simply laughed it off and said "bonsai isn't for you" because she killed an olive. She took this all with the humour that was intended.

I just want to know how it could have happened. It is still alive, but dropped all of its leaves. It is in a great potting mix, by a warm wall (because we are coming out of winter, i recommended she placed it by a wall that receives sun up until around mid day). She said she has been watering it daily, which shouldn't be an issue with Kens mix and given that it is in a small pot. I am truly stumped. I didn't realise olives could be killed. The national parks will want her services!

I am encouraging her to get another tree, and she is keen to try another species. What species should I give her? I have junipers, figs, tridents, elms and many more to spare.

Joel

[mickaus]

I have tried and failed in my attempts to kill a privet, a trident and a fig so I would say any of those are a good bet.

That being said it is probably also worth investigating what has gone wrong with this olive. Was she fertilizing it? Does she have any pets who might have been marking their territory etc?

[Chris]

I would suggest another olive. When the olive was taken from the ground did it have roots ? My advice is to scratch the trunk and see if it's still green under the bark. If it is plop it in water for a little while changing the water once a week. If it's still green then it should be fine. some olive sulk as one would with a chain saw going threw them but somehow the love it and keep growing.

[kcpoole]

How weird, Killing and olive
Maybe try her with a fig? Another olive and see if she can repeat it. If so sell to the NPWS

ps. I am watering daily still all my trees in My mix and have had none go bad due to to much water

Ken

[Joel]

Nope. The olive had been in a small pot for quite some time. I repoted it about 2 months ago and kept most of the roots. It was really healthy and put out new growth about 2 weeks after the repot, and new fine white roots were already throughout the soil when i gave it to her. It was healthy and actively growing. It had been fertilised before i gave it to her with Charlie Carp and it also had the root tonic Seasol. I suggested that perhaps her cats urinated on it, being diatomaceus based growing medium, but she said they definitely didn't. It is still alive, and I have told her to reduce watering due to the lower evapotranspiration rate because of the decrease in leaves. I have been doing bonsai for over 10 years now, and growing olives for about 5. I have never seen an olive do this! I have heaps of olives in the same mix with rapid lush growth. I might give her a bunch of trees that like different conditions and then I can tell what's happening based on what grows best.

Joel

[ozzy]

My advice is to scratch the trunk and see if it's still green under the bark.

My missus does that test on me sometimes when I fall asleep on the lounge just to see if I'm still alive

[Craig]

Nope. The olive had been in a small pot for quite some time. I repoted it about 2 months ago and kept most of the roots. It was really healthy and put out new growth about 2 weeks after the repot, and new fine white roots were already throughout the soil when i gave it to her. It was healthy and actively growing. It had been fertilised before i gave it to her with Charlie Carp and it also had the root tonic Seasol. I suggested that perhaps her cats urinated on it, being diatomaceus based growing medium, but she said they definitely didn't. It is still alive, and I have told her to reduce watering due to the lower evapotranspiration rate because of the decrease in leaves. I have been doing bonsai for over 10 years now, and growing olives for about 5. I have never seen an olive do this! I have heaps of olives in the same mix with rapid lush growth. I might give her a bunch of trees that like different conditions and then I can tell what's happening based on what grows best.

Joel

Joel, now might be a good time to update your "bonsai age"

[Joel]

I don't like the idea of "bonsai age". Credibility should be from the advice given, not the amount of time people have spent doing bonsai. There are people who have made more progress in 2 years than others have in 20. I only stated in this case, it allows me to say that I have not personally seen this happen in the conditions that are present locally.

Joel

[Jamie]

I have managed to kill one too. It was an air layer that had a good amount of hardened off roots. once removed from the parent, potted up it powered on for a couple months then started to slowly cark it. no reason for it either.

cant help with why it has happened, just saying it is possible. as for another tree fig should be good, other wise chinese elms are pretty indestructable too and are good for a beginner.

[Handy Mick]

Just blame Ken everyone else does

Mick

[_gurbuz_]

hello guys, i am from Turkey and we have many cities which you can see olive trees all around. The thing is i talked with a local villiger and he told me that olive trees dont die so easily, even they believe that olive trees become alive after you think that its dead! (he gave me an example that a tree of him in his garden got frozen but after that it started to give leaves again!)

so i just wanted to share the information which i heard...


regards

[Joel]

Thanks -gurbuz- and welcome to Ausbonsai! Enjoy!

Joel

[Graeme]

It isn't that hard to kill an Olive. I have two in the back yard right now to prove the point. I have no idea what killed the second one, but have a fair idea about the first. I repotted it a while ago and got called away mid way through. Tree sat in it's foam box for quite a while before I remembered it, Obviously didn't appreciate keeping it's full head of foliage after a fairly drastic root prune. Did someone say something about balance?

[kcpoole]

It isn't that hard to kill an Olive. I have two in the back yard right now to prove the point. I have no idea what killed the second one, but have a fair idea about the first. I repotted it a while ago and got called away mid way through. Tree sat in it's foam box for quite a while before I remembered it, Obviously didn't appreciate keeping it's full head of foliage after a fairly drastic root prune. Did someone say something about balance?

LOL
I think I might have killed one in the garden !
I have a few small ones in the garden here ground growing, and I lifetd and repotted them a month or2 ago. I extended the watering system to them, But think i did not go far enough. When I had a look today, it is decidedly Droopy and not looking as healthy as the other

Whoopsy !
Gave them ll a good hosing to day so we will see

ken