Announcing a new arrival

[ducks4you]

Hijacking (slightly)--I have heard that the virgin and extra virgin olive oil being sold to us from overseas is a watered down kind of poorer blend, and that California is bottling some very nice virgin olive oil. Any truth to this?
Also, was the parent olive a virgin, or were there other clones?

 

[jackb]

Hijacking (slightly)--I have heard that the virgin and extra virgin olive oil being sold to us from overseas is a watered down kind of poorer blend, and that California is bottling some very nice virgin olive oil. Any truth to this?
Also, was the parent olive a virgin, or were there other clones?

Ducks,
True that a good deal of olive oil has been adulterated. There have been a number of articles written on the subject, as it has been going on for many years.
That said, I have no idea of the history of the parent plant, as I purchased it from a nursery out west and have had it for sometime. The number of cuttings taken should make no difference at all; olives love to be pruned, they must be pruned to produce. Depending on the time of year they are taken many of the cuttings will root under the proper conditions, all will be genetically identical to the parent.

 

[valley ranch]

Oh! I would love to have an Olive Tree.



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Much of what is sold is not even Olive Oil.

 

[jackb]

Oh! I would love to have an Olive Tree.



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Much of what is sold is not even Olive Oil.

If you are serious you might check this site. I have purchased some very nice trees from them.

http://www.groworganic.com/fruit-nut-trees/potted-trees/olive-trees.html

 

[valley ranch]

I will check them out, but it get very cold at ether of our locations. I think I'd have to build a heated greenhouse for an Olive.

 

[Smart Red]

Or, (hopefully soon) just put it in the basement growing room for the winter. I am so excited.

 

[jackb]

They can take temperatures to slightly below freezing, some varieties handle low temps better than others. They do make excellent house plants though. Mine are in five gallon pots and live outdoors all summer. In the winter I bring them indoors and give them indirect light, water them very sparingly and only feed them once every blue moon. They are drought resistant and not many bugs bother olives. Being evergreens they hold the leaves all year. If you do buy one plant, you should check and make sure it is self fertile. Google Santa Cruz Olive Nursery and check the varietals list. It has pretty much all the varieties you might find and gives the specifics on the plants.

 

[jackb]

Or, (hopefully soon) just put it in the basement growing room for the winter. I am so excited.

You might plan on using flat white paint on the walls to reflect and capture as much of your light as possible. It is far less expensive than the reflecting foil they sell for hydroponics, but works almost just as well with just a few percent more light loss. Good luck Red, waiting on photos, and RESULTS!

 

[valley ranch]

What is the largest one you have growing. You said you're hoping for fruit.

 

[jackb]

In terms of height I keep them all under four feet so I can accommodate them indoors under lights in the winter. I have about a dozen varieties and most of them are flowering now, so yes I am hoping to see some olives this year. The trees have the most buds I have ever seen this year, so perhaps this will be a banner year.