When to Prune Olive Trees in Cyprus

When Not to Prune

Avoid pruning in the heat of summer: removing foliage exposes the bark to sunburn and stresses the tree when water is short. Avoid pruning in wet weather as well, because disease enters through fresh cuts when they stay damp. And do not prune hard just before or during flowering, or you cut off the year's crop.

How Much to Cut

Olives fruit on the growth made the year before, so a tree that is cut back hard gives few olives the following season. As a rule, take out no more than about a third of the foliage in one year.

Start with what must go: dead and broken wood, shoots growing from the base and trunk, and the strong upright shoots in the middle of the tree. Then thin the centre so light reaches the inside, and shorten the highest branches so the fruit can be reached.

How Often to Prune

A light pruning every year keeps an olive tree balanced and productive. Many owners prune every second year, which also works if the tree is not allowed to become too dense in between. An old tree that has not been pruned for years should be brought back over two or three seasons, not in one go.

Olive Trees Grown for Their Looks

In many gardens the olive is an ornamental tree. The timing is the same, but the aim is a clean trunk and a well-shaped crown, and a light trim can be repeated during the year to keep the shape.