Help! My potted Olive Tree (Olea Europea) is dying...

Hi

My olive tree seems to be dying and I need urgent help to save it - if possible...!

I purchased an Olea Europea - an indoor olive tree, potted - in March from Bakker-co- uk.

It was my second olive tree after the previous one held for 3 years but then died (lost all its leaves, and then then shrunk and withered away).
With it a purchased some plant food: Bakker Fruit & Berry Feed.
(I can't paste the link due to limitations of this site - but the description of the food is:

A special composition from Bakker-co-uk for all fruit trees and berry bushes. This organic fertiliser (NPK 6-4-10) is quickly absorbed via the roots and ensures vigorous growth and more fruit! For a healthy plant and tasty fruit, use this fertiliser regularly. 1.5 kg is sufficient for 10-15 m².
I was adamant not to repeat this with the new plant - but it seems it is also going the same way as the former one.

From the start the leaves felt a bit sticky - which I am not sure if that is normal.
They also had some yellow dots on them - which one could scrape off. Not sure what these were (please see below for a few images of the plant as it looks right now)

I watered it twice a week and had a wetness monitor (those long metal sticks) to make sure I am not over-watering it. The pot's soil was dense, but had openings at the bottom of the pot so excess water come out. I could never really figure out if this plant needs a LOT of water - or actually just a tad - but I stuck to the recommendation of twice a week.
During this period I kept the pot indoors, by a glass door - so it had light but not direct sunlight. I live in London on the 4th floor so I have a balcony - but I followed the advice not to keep the plant outside even in summer.
I fed the plant once a month by giving it a mild amount of the plant food. I am not sure if I have given it too much - it was also the first time I gave any plant of mine food in the form of small bits. not a liquid or a powder.
I had to go in mid September for one week abroad and during that time had the plant outside using automatic irrigation system. I think the plant started showing signs of withering after that point. Some leaves started to drop - though that was happening a bit before hand, but most prominently they started to lose their grip and now they just hanging from the branches. The yellow dots are still there - and the leaves are still hanging but gauging the wetness of the spoil the plant is not really drinking the water any more... The soil remains wet.

So - I would love an advice here. The shop I purchased the plant does not respond to my emails so I have no one to give a hand here. Perhaps someone here?
Is there still a chance of saving the plant?
What did I do wrong?
Did I receive it sick, or did I make it suck?
Did I over-water it - or under-water it?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated - including advice as to how to avoid a third plant dying like this. If you can direct me to a London nursery where I can purchase it - rather than having it shipped from the Netherlands - that would be great too!

Thanks in advance,

Iddo

 

Not looking good im afraid.
Some sort of infestation going on there.
Its getting too much water too.

These guys need maximum light, water then allow to almost dry out before watering again.
They loose leaves if they dont get maximum light. Most of these plants are forced in growers farms and wont be able to sustain the same amount of leaves when growing over here in the real world

Leave it outside unless severe frost is forecast.
Tne "soil" they come in is very dense quite clay like.
Mine were repotted with added quality compost. They stay outdoors all year. Covered overhead in winter so they dont get sodden and freeze. Have taken it down to -10.
Spring and summer i give them feed.

You could try pruning that one back,spray with insecticide allow it to dry then water a little till spring then it may well come back again.

I had a near dead stick that is coming back but will take ages so maybe better just buying another instead.

 

It does look like its died to me, but it seems to have had a serious infection of some kind of pest, possibly Aphids.

Agree wioth Wee Tam, I'd put it outside and forget it for this year, if there is life it will come back next spring, May or even later.
But I think that there will be a lot of dead wood.

Its fairly obvious its been struggling for some time.


"Indoor olive", the plant sellers come up with phrases like that, but basically there is no such thing.
House plants are usually sold as throw away items these days by the big growers, which is a shame.

 

It does look like olive scale to me, and would have been imported with the pest, or stored on a nursery with other olives infected, most Olives trees for retail are grown in Italy, Spain and Holland, Belgium.EU Bio security is not great, they have a system in place that is enforced, or skipped if funds are low., change who you purchase from, or check the leaves of a few of the plants on offer, anything other than deep green, shiney, unblemished leaves on the top, and matt green, unblemished on the underside, no tiny white spots, patches, or brown marks, do not buy. A couple of times over the past 7 or 8 years, I have rejected a trolley of Olives because they show signs of olive scale. Agree with what others have posted as to keep outside, they are plants from mountainous regions, full sun, good drainage, and protect if in a small pot.

 

Thank you very much to all of you how provided advice! You have confirmed my thinking.

1. So sounds like I have infestation. Is it worth trying to solve? How does one do that anyway - if I don't have an exact diagnosis of the problem? Is the process dangerous to the plant? I did notice some small insects in the soil which why I used limited pesticide ("Raid") to get rid of them but I am sure many more reside in the thick soil.

2. Would it be a good idea to get rid of the soil I was given (indeed - very thick soil) and try and replace it with a 50/50 soil and compost mix (which seemed to have worked well with my tomato plants)?

3. I can put the plant out in a shielded area (though not covered) but the reason for the purchase was to have it in my living room. Would it survive London weather (which sometimes does have frosts in the winter)?

4. So perhaps I need to ask whether you have a few recommendation for a small tree (up to 60cm), that can remain potted, won't require huge amount of watering, is not sensitive to infestations, can be easily - and healthily!) sourced in London and that has perhaps the "look and feel" of my (now dying) olive tree? I got it as a present reminding me of my Mediterranean home so ideally if I can find a replacement that is akin to the olive tree that would be great!

 

I'd put it out side and leave it, see what happens next spring, they are fairly hardy and only if we get an arctic winter will London weather kill it. Maybe the cold will suppress the infestation.

I'd not repot now, but make sure it doesn't get water logged during the winter.

You could try a weeping fig as a replacement, it's fairly easy to get hold of.

 

I have mine overwintering in our unheated greenhouse...you've put me on bug watch now!!

 

Thank you for the quick responses.

@pete That is a good suggestion. Do weeping figs - especially Ficus benjamina - remain in their overall manageable size of up to 50-70cm - or do they grow and grow, requiring to remove them into a bigger pot/soil?

As I am about the put the infested olive tree out - do I need to take any special precautions before I bring a new plant for the same spot? The floor is obviously kept clean, but can these infestations reside in my floors' hooks and crannies, or somehow remain anywhere near the spot once the plant is removed?

 

Hi, I would think it would be ok to bring a new plant to the same position.
The Ficus is only a suggestion, another could be Yucca or Dracaena, which are easier to manage.

Size will always change if a plant is thriving, but you can prune most houseplants to some extent to keep them within limits.

 

As Pete said, I have never heard of an indoor olive tree. My potted olive tree was looking very sad early this year, pete advise a feeding regime. I fed it once a week for about two months, and now it's bursting with health They are hardy to -10°c, so it is fine outside all year.

 

Hi dear gardeners,
After our discussions I have purchased another tree (the other tree is still around but is just a stump and twigs - but I do water it from time to time hoping it would spring back to life, but I am not hopeful).

The tree was delivered from Germany, I think (I bought it on Amazon) and arrived clear of any dots or blemishes, in early December. I re-potted it into a bigger pot, mixed 50/50 soil and compost and waited.

About 2 weeks later one branch started growing with a bright green leaves, different from the rest of the leaves. I kept watering it twice a week, and with holes at the bottom of the put I assumed I can't really over water it. It got about 400ml of water each time (between 1-2 glasses of water) and a small amount of plant food as liquid (heavily diluted per instructions; I did not give it the plant food in the form of palettes that I gave the previous tree).

About a week ago I noticed that green leaves that shot up wilted - and I assume dit was due to me forgetting to give it water once. I immediately watered it and made sure that didn't happen again. But the green leaves remained wilted.

I thought that maybe the pot's soil is too dense so I re-potted it yesterday - this time washing off some of the soil that stuck to its most outer roots as the soil there looked not just muddy but almost like clay, the soil that the plant came with. I watered it and hoped it would be able to now drink the water properly and regain it's shape. But 24 hours - it looks just as bad.

Can anyone assist /advise me what the heck I should do?
As this is the third olive tree that I am having issues with - are they especially sensitive?
They are all grown by the porch door (so indirect sunlight and a steady temperature at home of 24-25 degrees.

Your advise would be greatly appreciated!

Iddo

Attached are some pix.

 

And of course - why aren't the rest of the tree also showing signs of growth...?
Why are the new leaves so big and different from the rest of the tree...?

 

I think its dead.
Olives are not good house plants I'm afraid, they grow seasonally and are not like some tropical plants that kind of tick over all year.
They rest in winter and should not be encouraged into growth, should be kept cool and on the dry side all winter if grown as a pot plant.

 

I'm sure you can find a hardy one that will love your London balcony if it gets sunlight. Once they have decent light they're pretty robust. I have one in a pot outside in a sunny sheltered spot that's never been brought in or protected - it survived the Beast From The East, and once survived two and-a-half years without ever being watered or fed (I was abroad),

 

Your still giving it too much water. Mine right now are outside under a plastic cover. Been down to -5c and its been freezing for weeks now. Havent been watered in months. Still have their leaves.

Stop watering it.leave it to almost dry out, get it outside in spring, water it then let it go dry and repeat. Mine like a seaweed feed. Goodluck