How hardy is it?

Olives are hardy, but sensitive to frost

The real olive tree, as the olive is also often called, comes from a warm and dry climate, which is characterized by hot summers and mild winters. Nonetheless, many know Varieties of olives also from their home country light frosts, but are not used to long periods of frost and / or very deep frosts. Therefore olives are called hardy, although they are are quite sensitive to frost.

Caring for olives properly in winter

Olives need a winter breakin which they prefer to stand or at a maximum of 10 ° C in a cool and bright location in the house or apartment. Temperatures around freezing point are usually well tolerated, provided the bucket is well protected from freezing through. To this end is a root heating especially advisable in regions where it can get very cold. Olives have to be watered regularly, even in winter, but much less frequently.

Preparing for winter

Before you winterize your olive tree, you must first prepare it accordingly. For this you can use your sapling at the end of the day Prune the growing season, you should also use Patentkali again fertilize. This fertilizer is also known as potash magnesia and ensures that young shoots can lignify more quickly. Lignified shoots, on the other hand, defy frost much better.

Winterize olives

To make your olive winterproof, it first of all needs a sheltered location. The tree needs a lot of light and air even in winter, so dark basement rooms, for example, do not make sense. Instead, you can place the tree against a heat-radiating wall, ideally in a sheltered and roofed corner. Cover the soil in the pot with a thick layer of sticks or bark mulch that will last the roots warm and optimally protects them from frost. As soon as it threatens to get very cold, wrap the pot, trunk and crown with frost protection mats made of jute, sisal, straw or coconut.

What you should definitely not do in winter

• leave the olive tree in the open without protection
• move the olive tree to a dark place (e.g. B. Basement)
• place the olive tree in the living room or another warm place
• not pour
• fertilize

Select the appropriate olive varieties

There are about 1000 different types of olives in the world, some of which are very sensitive to frost and others less. How sensitive an olive tree is to frost depends primarily on its region of origin. For this reason, when buying, you should be careful not to buy a variety from Andalusia or a similarly hot area. Instead, it is better to choose trees that have been cultivated in a rougher area - these are used to some bad weather and will certainly survive a German winter better.

Tips & Tricks

If you do not overwinter your olive tree outside, but inside, you ensure plenty of light, the right temperature and a regular supply of fresh air. Olives are not houseplants, they are much more comfortable outdoors. Regular ventilation is therefore important in winter quarters.