Olive...what to do?

Hi IBC

I have an olivebonsai that need to be cut back.
Question is...Does the branches need to have green left. Or will the a bare branch shoot new?.

Kind regards Yvonne

Hi,
My experience with olives is that it is possible to bare root them, cut all the branches and they will grow back.
At times with yamadori, it is possible to collect them with hardly any root (almost like a hardwood cutting) and they grow without problems.

stavros wrote:Hi,
My experience with olives is that it is possible to bare root them, cut all the branches and they will grow back.
At times with yamadori, it is possible to collect them with hardly any root (almost like a hardwood cutting) and they grow without problems.

What he said. I've seen a few video and tutorials where the tree was basically chopped like a firewood (no roots, branches or leaves) and it grew!!! :O I believe there are at least two threads here about it actually.

Check this
https://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t9130-olive-tree
http://dugzbonsai.com/olivehead1.htm

Hi Dario and Stavros

Many thanks for your answers...Very usefull and appreciated.

Kind regards Yvonne

stavros wrote:Hi,
My experience with olives is that it is possible to bare root them, cut all the branches and they will grow back.
At times with yamadori, it is possible to collect them with hardly any root (almost like a hardwood cutting) and they grow without problems.

About the bare roots,I collected in July 2011 2 yamadori(almost all my trees are so) olives,one didn't have any roots just that big clump which sits in the earth and the other one had almost no root,the one without roots unfortunatelly died,but the clump one is now budding as I cuted all the leafs(a terrible mistake),

Auntie Yvonne,

my olive is the wild small leafed type, from seed. Had it since 1985 or so. I tend to be cautious with the cutting back, always leaving two leaves and after resprouting, waiting for a few weeks, I cut back further.

I say this because you are much further north and may be using a greenhouse.
Stay Well.
Khaimraj

Hi Khaimraj my friend

Many thanks for thinking of me up in the cold north....your suggestion was what i ended up with daring ( four leaves).
My olive is also small leaved, and is a a yamadori from France, it has been mine for 7 years....I hope the restyle will make it become a better bonsai in the future.

Your auntie Yvonne