air-layer Olea Europea

Hi All,

Recently I bought a small olive, base roughly 12cm across narrowing to some 3 cm very quickly. The canopy then sits 20cm higher. I would like to graft the top out, and keep the base to create 2 bonsai. I have however no experience with olives. So some advice please:

I felt it was best to not air-layer befor having some green below the layer. Therefor I trimmed the top hard to induce sprouting at the base. After 3 weeks still no bud forming at the base, even though the top has created new sprouts, which have been removed and have resprouted by now.

- Can one air layer olives (Also so late in the year?)
- Will olive resprout at the base?
- Do need to wait for new foliage to appear below the intended layer before setting the layer to ensure survival of the base[which is the reason why I bought the plant in the first place)?

As I am a new contributor (but avid reader) of the site, just to give you some insight in my skills: I have been growing plants of all sorts for the past 20 years; a biologist by training. I do not have a lot of experience in bonsai itself; Fiddled with it some 20 years ago, but re-kindled the love for it when I finally decided to settle down and got myself a stable enough lifestyle some 3 years ago. Now mainly loads of pre-bonsai; rowing from seed, cutting, garden centre and some old stock from hedgerows etc. Nothing close to being called bonsai.

Thx,

Jelle.

Hi Jelle,

First, you may have to adjust my experiences to suit your climate as I live in Perth, Western Australia where our trees grow almost the whole year round, even in our mild winter of 0 - 20+ C.
Second, I have no problem airlayering olive. Very easy infact. Best time for me is Spring.
Third, my olive bud back without problem. My olive also grow from bare base. I have also managed to grow from the bottom half of the base which was cut off.

Hope this helps.
Cheers,

CJ
http://newzealandteatreebonsai.blogspot.com.au/

Hi CJ,

thanks for that. WIsh I was back in Australie (Used to live in Melbourne & Darwin).

Do you recommend letting the olive sprout from the base before setting the air-layer?

J.

Jesse,
What a small world. In tropical Darwin, trees grow year round.

Of course it is safer in colder climate to let the tree shoots from the base before u cut off the top. In Perth, I don't need to. It will be a waste of time to take that precaution. So u will have to decide as I have not experience growing bonsai in your kind of climate.

Cheers,

CJ