Alright, so someone asked about my olive care routine. It wasn’t exactly planned, you know? I just kind of ended up with this little olive tree one day. Saw it at a garden center, looked kinda cool, thought, “Why not?”. Didn’t know the first thing about keeping one alive, really.
Getting Started – The Clueless Phase
So, I brought it home. First job was finding a spot. I remembered hearing olives like sun, like, a lot of sun. So I stuck it on the sunniest corner of my balcony. Seemed logical.
Next up, the pot. It came in a flimsy plastic thing. I figured it needed something better, so I grabbed a terracotta pot. Heard they breathe better, helps stop the roots getting soggy. I just used some regular potting soil I had lying around, mixed in a bit of sand I had for another project, hoping that would help it drain well. Plopped the tree in, filled it up, gave it some water. Done. Or so I thought.
The Learning Curve – Mostly Mistakes
Watering. Man, that was the first hurdle. I nearly killed it right off the bat. Watered it like my other houseplants – maybe too much? The leaves started looking a bit yellow and sad. I panicked, stopped watering so much. Then, of course, I went too far the other way. Forgot about it for a few days, sun beating down, and the thing looked drier than the Sahara. Leaves got all droopy and crispy at the edges.
It took a while, but I finally got the hang of it. The trick really is just sticking your finger deep into the soil. If it feels dry a couple of inches down, then I water it. Water it really well, until it runs out the bottom, then leave it alone until it’s dry again. Seems to work.
My Current Olive ‘System’
So now, it’s pretty straightforward. Here’s what I basically do:
- Sunlight: Keep it in the brightest spot possible. Full sun all day if I can manage it.
- Watering: Check the soil every few days with my finger. Water thoroughly only when the top couple of inches are properly dry. Less in winter, obviously.
- Feeding: I don’t go crazy here. I give it some general-purpose liquid fertilizer maybe once a month during spring and summer when it’s actually growing. Just follow the instructions on the bottle, maybe even dilute it a bit more.
- Pruning: Honestly, I just snip off any bits that look dead or are crossing over each other awkwardly. I do this mostly in the spring. Helps keep it looking decent and lets air get through the branches. Nothing fancy, just a quick tidy-up.
- Pests: Haven’t had many issues, thankfully. Saw some tiny bugs once, washed them off with soapy water. Seemed to do the trick. I check the leaves now and then just in case.
How’s It Going Now?
Surprisingly well, actually! The tree looks pretty healthy these days. Nice silvery-green leaves, seems pretty content on the balcony. It even produced a handful of tiny olives last year! Not enough to make oil or anything, haha, but it felt like a win. It’s survived my initial cluelessness, that’s the main thing. It’s kinda rewarding, watching it thrive after nearly messing it up.
So yeah, that’s my olive care story. Mostly just paying attention, not overdoing the water, and giving it loads of sun. Simple stuff, really, once you figure it out.
