While olive trees have always been popular in the Mediterranean climate areas where they thrive, lately they have also become popular in colder climates. Whether you grow 1 or 101 potted olive trees it will bring a Mediterranean spirit to your home or to your garden.
Furthermore, regular care and water requirements for olive trees in pots are different depending on weather conditions and location. For olive tree growers in warm, dry climates, olive tree watering is not something they often need to think about. But in cooler or humid climates, watering can be a tricky thing. Too little water and the olive tree will die. Too much and the olive tree will die. This leads to a generic question: “How often do I water an olive tree in a pot?”
Let’s take a glance at 5 tips on water requirements for olive trees in pots.
1. Regular Watering Habits
With potted olive trees, watering should be done as soon as the soil dries out or is only slightly damp.
Allow the soil to become dry to the touch between watering. Olive trees will not tolerate soggy soil and thrive in soil that is a little on the dry side.
Once per week stick finger about 1-inch (2.5 cm) below the soil surface to check for moisture. If the fingertip is dry, slowly saturate the soil until water runs out of the bottom drain holes. If you feel moisture during the touch test, do not water the olive tree. Check again in a day or so.
If you prefer a more scientific method than doing it yourself using your own senses, then use a moisture meter. I recommend getting this tool since an overwatering issue is the most common problem with olive trees in pots.
To help you out to find the highly rated and easy to use moisture meter for your potted olive tree, I added a link to Amazon if you want to have a good helper to answer your question when to water your olive tree :)
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How Many Times I Should Water Olive Tree In Pot?
The number of times the tree will need to be watered in a month will depend upon the air temperature and location of the potted olive tree.
Check the moisture of the soil once per week and decide if your olive tree is thirsty and needs watering.
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How Much I Should Water Potted Olive Tree?
Regardless of container size, tree size, or age, if being grown indoors or outdoors, always saturate the growing medium until the water runs freely out of the bottom drainage holes.
Do it once a week after checking the soil moisture.
2. Water Thoroughly
The soil in a pot needs to be thoroughly saturated with water until it is running out of the bottom drainage holes. This will eliminate any air pockets in the growing medium and ensure all tree roots have been hydrated. If the tree is not watered deeply, it will not have enough water for the week and begin drying out.
Therefore, makes sure that the drainage for the pot is excellent. If the drainage is poor, the olive tree will get too much water.
3. Reduce Watering In Winter
For your potted olive tree placed outside, reduce the amount of water given during the winter months so the roots will not freeze and not to encourage the growth cycle. Even when the tree is grown indoors the amount of water needs to be reduced in winter.
By the way, straw, peat moss, or other decorative organic mulch can be used on top of the growing medium to help to retain moisture and increase soil warmth for olive trees outdoors.
4. Water-Soluble Plant Food
Feed the potted olive tree with diluted water-soluble plant food every other week during the active growing months in spring and summer. This will keep the tree well hydrated and fed.
Depending on pot size, you may need to use plain water first until it begins to drip out of the bottom drainage holes, then use the water-soluble plant fertilizer so the nutrients will remain in the soil.
5. Well-draining Soil
Another tip to fulfill olive tree watering requirements is well-draining soil. Preferable that soil is slightly sandy so water will quickly drain away.
You can create a growing medium that is an even mixture of potting soil, peat compost, and fine sand. This mixture will create a fertile growing medium that allows water to drain through quickly while retaining enough moisture to keep the tree hydrated.
More in-depth about the best soil for olive trees you can find in our article here.
Still have questions about olive tree care and watering? Comment below or join olive tree growers Facebook group to share your experiences and get feedback: Click here to join FB Group.
Conclusion: Water Requirements For Olive Trees in Pots
It’s very important to get used to regular watering requirements for olive trees in pots. For instance, if a potted olive tree has been left dry for too long, will start losing its leaves. If your olive tree will get an excessive amount of water, meaning the drainage is poor, the leaves will yellow and begin dropping off.
So if you notice your potted olive tree is losing it leaves due to over or under watering, don’t stress out. Just resume the right watering requirements for olive trees and keep the tree evenly watered and the leaves will regrow and the tree will recover to its former beauty.
Now that you know when and how often to water an olive tree in a pot, you can enjoy your lovely olive tree without worry. For more tips on growing potted olive trees indoors, you can find here.
