Olive trees are excellent potted plants for both outside and inside but the right soil is key to their success.
So, what is the best soil for a potted olive tree?
The short answer is a well-draining potting mix. This is important because it has good particle spacing — the tree roots can grow through the potting mix, water can flow, and the tree can absorb important nutrients to remain healthy.
However, since the potted olive trees will not have much soil, it will also be important to keep it nutrient-rich once it gets established.
This article will show you everything you need to know to get the soil right for your potted olive trees, how to care for after planting, and how to test and prepare the soil before planting.
As a result, you should be able to enjoy a well-growing healthy tree.
What is the best soil for olive trees in pots? Soil requirements
If you want your potted olive tree to stay healthy and continue growing, you’ll need to provide all of its requirements.
Below are some essential considerations that you will want to keep in mind.
Type of soil
An olive tree in a pot will tolerate a variety of loamy soils, including combinations of silt, sand, and clay, including clay loams, sandy loams, silty clay loams, and silt loams.
pH of the Soil
The best soil for olive trees would be a neutral soil with a pH between 6 and 7.
Soil drainage
Ensure that the soil has good drainage. There should be drainage holes in the pot or container that you are keeping your olive tree in.
All in all, a potting soil mix is best suited because it will have larger particles that allow the olive tree’s roots air, as well as smaller particles that will allow the soil to retain moisture.
The potting mix should be high in nutrients like phosphates, nitrogen, and potassium, so be sure to check the package ingredients when purchasing commercially made potting soil.
But you can also make your own potting soil mix for your olive tree.
Making olive tree potting mix
To obtain the ideal soil for olive trees, you may need to create it yourself!
It’s easy to create if you follow these steps carefully.
What you will need:
- Bark (or vermiculite/perlite)
- Sand
- Peat
You will need equal amounts of each ingredient so be sure to measure accurately.
When Mixed -You will find the potting mix is loose enough to allow excess moisture to drain freely.
Does olive tree soil need changing?
Yes – infrequent repotting is also an option!
You will find that the olive tree will probably outgrow its pot in around three or four years.
When repotting the tree, it is best that you mix a fresh batch of potting mix to replace the old soil.
If you are switching pots, wood or ceramic pots are the ideal choices for olive trees because they allow for more evaporation.
Whereas plastic, glass, or metal pots allow for more moisture to be retained.
If you wish to continue using the same pot, that is an option as well! You can simply remove the tree from the pot and prune it down and repot with the new potting mix.
Evaluate your olive tree soil
When trying to find the best soil for your olive trees, it’s important to understand the biological, chemical, and physical composition of the soil.
This is important to make sure your tree is healthy and growing.
The physical composition can be readily determined by either touch or you can see it.
You will have an opportunity to look at the soil and feel it with your hands but the chemical composition and biological composition will need soil testing.
Testing soil is important to get the pH and see if you need to apply anything to the soil.
Additionally, olive trees will not tolerate poor draining soils so it is imperative to check moisture levels so the trees can survive.
Soil testing is relatively inexpensive to do it yourself, Home soil kits are a great option with relatively comparable results with laboratory soil testing.
Testing soil will tell you what macronutrients will need to be added to the soil.
For example, it could be deficient in nitrogen, sulfur, potassium, or phosphorus. If the soil tests lacking, you will be able to add the appropriate fertilizer that is good for olive trees.
Testing pH
You can purchase affordable pH testing strips for soil online or at your local gardening store.
The desired pH for the soil is neutral (between a pH of 6 and 7):
- If your soil pH is acidic, (less than a pH of 6), then lime may be applied to increase the pH.
- If your pH test reveals your soil is alkaline (greater than a pH of 7), you may lower you soil pH by adding sulfur.
As you add fertilizers to soil, your soil pH changes over time. When you turn your soil to plant, part of the process should be evaluating the pH regularly and amend your soil accordingly with either lime or sulfur.
The importance of drainage
When considering the best soil for olive trees, drainage is essential.
Here are some tips on ensuring adequate soil drainage for your tree:
- Double check that the pot has many holes, so excess water isn’t pooling in the area around the tree’s roots.
- Before you add your soil, add between 1 inch and 1.5 inches of SMALL stones at the bottom of the pot.
- If you are using a tray – also put gravel into the tray to reduce water pooling on the tray as well.
- If the container has large drainage holes, then you can place screen at the bottom ontop of the stones and the soil.
Final thoughts on the best soil for olive trees
Selecting the appropriate pot and soil for your olive tree is a critical part of ensuring it has the best chance of growing and being healthy. If you can test your soil, do so.
Knowing your soil’s composition and, in particular, its pH is key to being able to adjust it to suit an olive tree’s requirements.
Once you have got your pot and soil sorted out, it is important to remember it is not the end of the process. Regular maintenance and monitoring will be really important.
Once a year (minimum), add compost to the soil to assist with boosting nutrient health, and nitrogen in particular.
Your moisture meter is the cheapest and most effective way to moderate your tree for moisture and ensure that you’re watering it correctly and monitoring your soil drainage.
You also want to make sure to monitor your tree for diseases, pests, and weeds, too.