How To Bonsai An Olive Tree (A Detailed Guide)

This method works well when you need to add significant movement to the tree or have strong branches.

Move olive branches into position 

Once your tree has been wired, move the branches into position. 

The best way to do this is to use your thumb and index finger on the points where the wire caused the olive tree. 

If the branch returns to its original position, you will require a thicker wire.

Remove the wire

Do not unwrap this by hand, as it can cause further damage to the tree. 

Wiring an olive tree will take 6 to 8 weeks, which will be longer than other plant species due to the speed at which the tree grows. 

Prune the tree 

The next step in creating an olive bonsai is to regularly prune the tree. 

Pruning an olive bonsai tree will prevent growth from getting too big on your tree, and it is vital to keep a clean-looking tree that falls into the exact size classification you like. 

This process is simple enough: ensure that if any leaves or branches go out of the general silhouette of the tree style you are going for, these are pruned. 

To prune, use a sharp pair of bonsai shears or scissors and cut the branch at the base of the leaves at the petiole of the tree. 

If you are unhappy with how dense the canopy of leaves is for your olive tree bonsai, consider defoliating 80% of your olive tree bonsai leaves. 

This will cause more leaves to grow from the buds of the leaves you have just pruned, creating a denser, thicker leaf canopy. 

When removing the leaves, it is important not to make one giant cut across multiple leaves but to cut each leaf individually; doing this can cause irregular growth and damage the leaves. 

Don’t over-prune, however, as branches and leaves will be vital for overall bonsai health, such as through photosynthesis. 

Repeat the process 

So, the steps we talked about above will cover the first ten or so years of growing an olive tree bonsai and how to train an olive tree bonsai. 

However, growing a bonsai tree is not an easy process, so you will likely have to repot your tree, wire your bonsai, and prune your tree regularly to achieve the desired look and style for your olive tree. 

To summarise: 

• Repotting should be done ideally every 3 to 4 years when young or 5-8 years if you have an older tree. 
• Wiring should be done once per year once the olive tree has matured. Wiring can be started in the late winter/early spring to make the most of the tree’s growth season.  
• Pruning should be done whenever the tree grows beyond the silhouette of the tree style you have in mind – think of it as trimming a hedge. 
• Defoliation should be done roughly once per year – only during the early spring. 

Creating an olive bonsai tree can take decades, but following these steps will work wonders!

 Advantages of an olive tree bonsai

Olive tree bonsai has several advantages, including: 

• Water requirements – Whilst these trees still need to be watered, they often do not need to be watered as much as other bonsai species. Watering once per day should work. 
• Clean the air – Should you keep your olive bonsai indoors, it can help with purifying the air. 
• New roots – The Olive tree’s bonsai can easily create new roots, making it much easier to create deadwood such as nebari. 
• Longevity – Olive tree bonsai comes from olive trees that can live for thousands of years if cared for properly.  
• Fruit-bearing – olive tree bonsai can also bear olive fruit 
• They can be grown indoors, ideal for tight spaces such as apartments. 

Disadvantages of olive tree bonsai

Like all tree species, olive trees also have many significant disadvantages. 

These include

• Slow growing – Olive tree bonsai typically only grow a few inches every year, meaning they can take a while to shape 
• Tough wood – Olive tree bonsai has tough wood, meaning stronger copper wire has to be used when wiring – this is more likely to lead to breakages in the mark. 
• Harsh winters – Olive tree bonsai need to be kept indoors during cold winters, or else they will die 
• Sunlight requirements – these trees require a lot of sunlight. If you keep these indoors for years, their health will suffer. 

What are the best species for olive bonsai? 

One of the best things about olive tree bonsai is that about 20 or so olive tree varieties can be used to transform into bonsai trees. 

All of these will have characteristics of small, dense leaves and thick trunks, making them a natural fit for growing. 

The two major olive species used for growth in olive bonsai are the wild olive (Olea sylvestris) and the European olive (Olea europaea). 

Now, while you can successfully grow both of these, I’ve created a table below comparing the two so you can decide for yourself which works best for you:

Are olive bonsai trees evergreen?

Olive bonsai trees are evergreen, meaning you won’t have to worry about their leaves falling off in the fall or winter. These trees are usually suited to warmer climates; however, you can expect them to keep their leaves even in cooler temperatures.

How to grow an olive bonsai tree – Videos

Now, I appreciate that some of you are very visual learners, so I found the following videos, which should help create your olive bonsai.

Olive bonsai care requirements

I’m sure many of you still have questions about the exact care requirements for olive tree bonsai. 

Hopefully, the next few points should help clear up any additional queries: 

Temperature requirements for olive tree bonsai? 

The best temperature to keep an olive tree bonsai in is 0-95 degrees Fahrenheit (-12 to 35 degrees Celsius). Should the temperature drop below this, the bonsai will freeze. Should temperatures exceed this, olive bonsai will burn. 

Growing olive bonsai in the cold?

So, one of the critical things we have not discussed is how to grow an olive bonsai tree in colder temperatures. 

After all, most of you will be based in myc cooler climates than the Mediterranean, where these trees thrive. 

While general sunlight and pruning goals will remain the same, soil is a big challenge for these trees. 

You see, while any solid can be used in hot climates in wetter temperatures, it is easy for these trees to become waterlogged and for overwatering to occur. 

As such, ensure that any potting soil you choose has stronger free-draining soil mixes. 

This will allow water to flow through easily around your soil and prevent the topsoil or roots of your bonsai tree from freezing in winter. 

Regular soil can be used in the spring and summer months.

How fast does olive tree bonsai grow?

Olive tree bonsai is a slow-growing tree, only growing on average between 2-5 inches per year. This means it can take 15 years for the tree to reach full maturity if growing an olive tree bonsai from scratch. 

Water requirements for olive tree bonsai?

Olive tree bonsai typically must be watered once daily in the summer and twice weekly in the winter. Touch the topsoil; water the tree thoroughly from top to bottom if dry. 

Olive trees not in bonsai form only need to be watered once weekly. However, turning the olive tree into a bonsai will require more water. 

Sunlight requirements for olive tree bonsai?

Olive tree bonsai require between 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight in the summer and 4 hours in the winter. Ensure these trees are kept in a bright spot with plenty of sunshine. 

Where to place an olive bonsai? 

The best place to keep an olive bonsai tree will be outdoors in the brightest garden or yard with plenty of direct sunlight. Olive tree bonsai can also be kept indoors, provided they are in an area with sunlight, such as a kitchen window sill.

How long does it take to train an olive tree bonsai?

It can take between 15 and 20 years to successfully train an olive bonsai to a specific style if growing from scratch. This is because trunk development and growth can take a few years, and olive trees are a slow-growing species.

Wiring and deflation can be archived relatively quickly.  

Fertilizer requirements for olive tree bonsai

Olive tree bonsai requires solid organic fertilizer once per month in the spring and summer months. Fertilizing an olive tree bonsai should be avoided in the fall and winter. Liquid fertilizer can be used once per week. 

How often should you repot an olive tree bonsai?

Olive tree bonsai should be repotted once every 3-4 years if they are younger and smaller. Older olive trees that are more than 20 years in age can be repotted every 5-7 years. 

Should you pinch olive bonsai? 

The leaves of an olive bonsai tree can be pinched between April and October. These leaves should only be pinched when the leaves are relatively long, between 7 and 9. You can then pinch these back to 2 to 3 pairs of leaves per branch.

Olive tree bonsai care in the summer 

During the summer, the following should be undertaken to care for the olive bonsai as best as possible: 

• Check multiple times daily for water requirements – if the topsoil is dry, your tree will need watering. Aim to check the topsoil during the summer at least twice daily. 
• Keep in the shade – whilst the olive tree bonsai will need up to 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight, keeping your tree in the shade in your garden can be the best option to give a low UV light year-round. This will also help prevent your tree from burning should it get too hot. 
• Check for insect infestations – pests such as aphids and spider mites love olive tree bonsai due to their fruit, so be sure to keep an eye out for these during the summer. 

Olive bonsai care in the winter

To care for an olive tree in the fall or winter, do the following: 

• Remove any olives from the tree – during the fall to mid-winter; olives will start to grow on the tree; ensure you remove these to prevent pests such as foxes, squirrels, mice, rats, and birds from attacking your tree. 
• Move your tree indoors – a cold garage works perfectly if you live in a place with a harsh, snowy winter. 
• Water once per week – during the winter, olive trees do not need to be watered as much – too much watering can cause the tree to freeze and can create frost on the tree. 

Study on olive tree bonsai

Finally, I did a quick survey of plant paladin readers who owned olive tree bonsai and asked them if it is difficult to grow and train an olive tree bonsai. 

Here are the results: 

My top picks for the gear you will need!

So like I mentioned earlier, over the past three years of running PlantPaladin, hundreds of people have asked me for my recommendations on the best bonsai gear on the market. 

Having spent thousands of dollars on bonsai items these past few years and tested at least 100 bonsai-specific products, I’ve listed my favorite products below – All of which I highly recommend and think you can get great value. 

They can purchase directly by clicking the link to take them to Amazon. 

Bonsai Tool Set: One of the significant challenges I’ve had is finding a toolset that was not only durable but didn’t break the bank. SOLIGT has recently developed a fantastic bonsai tool set that covers all the tools you need to trim, prune, and repot your trees. – You can grab it here. 

Complete Bonsai Set: Many of you will want to grow your bonsai trees entirely from scratch, but finding the varicose seeds, pots, and other items in one place can be challenging. Leaves and Sole then have created a complete bonsai set that I’ve personally used that ticks all the boxes. You can grab it here. 

Bonsai wire: The number of times I’ve run out of wire for my bonsai or purchased cheap bonsai wire that doesn’t do the job is embarrassing for me to admit. After a lot of trial and error, I found that using Hotop’s aluminum bonsai wire is one of the best options on the market. This can easily be used for both indoor and outdoor bonsai. You can grab it here.