PRUNING OF THE YOUNG PLANT AND THE OLIVE TREE FROM A TRUNK

Juvenile or formation stage. The purpose of training pruning is to build the framework or skeleton of the tree. During this period, very little pruning should be done. It is more common to practice tipping to reduce the vigor of branches that predominate over others.

Growth and production stage. An unpruned olive tree tends to produce more fruits than it can sustain. This characteristic becomes more pronounced with age, and excessive harvesting greatly hinders the growth of the year's shoots, resulting in reduced fruiting the following year and alternate bearing. The goal of production pruning is to achieve, during the adult period, a productive canopy volume in order to obtain maximum harvests, extending this productive period. Eventually, the olive tree will require rejuvenation.

Old age or renewal stage. Towards the end of its adult period, the olive tree begins to show signs of aging, starting an imbalance in the leaf/wood relationship that leads to a decline in average yields, limited growth of shoots, smaller and less colorful leaves, and even defoliation of certain parts of the tree. These are indicators that signal the need to rejuvenate the olive tree.

Photo 1. Olive tree with excess wood and weak shoots. It needs rejuvenation pruning.

What is the main principle of pruning?

The main principle of pruning is to achieve a maximum number of leaves supported by the least amount of wood. The leaves of the olive tree are the factory that produces olives. The wood is an energy sink. For the same leaf volume, fewer branches (wood) are better. It is important to explain the basic principles of this pruning to the pruners, who are accustomed to the traditional olive pruning with multiple trunks, such as the meaning of a branch at a 60-degree angle. For many, this is a "sucker" and they remove it.

How is it pruned?

Below is the Decalogue of Modern Olive Pruning from the educational bibliography of Servifapa.

Photo 2. Servifapa

We complete this information with the following clarifications regarding the points in the decalogue. Regarding the 1st and 2nd points, which state: 'not touching the canopy in the first three years,' we emphasize that it is necessary to maintain this criterion unless, upon visual observation, the olive sapling shows very rapid growth in the second year, with the dominance of a single central branch. To prevent having "olive-cypresses" without a cross formed one meter above the ground in the third year, it is advisable to tip the apex of the predominant branch to reduce its vigor and allow the formation of the cross.

When should pruning be done?

As a general rule, pruning should be done when the vegetative activity of the olive tree is at its minimum (from December to March). Pruning should take place after the harvest, avoiding pruning when the sap is already flowing, as wound healing is worse at that time.

What is the pruning scheme for a sapling?

Photo 3. JLCS Drawing

Clarifications: There are two reasons to leave the branches that emerge from the trunk at about 60 degrees from the horizontal:

• More vertical branches transmit vibrations better than more horizontal ones.
• The angle of the main branches (60 degrees) is related to the height of the olive tree and the maximum width or diameter of the olive tree, which, in turn, is related to the planting frame and the free space for machinery to pass through the row.

Illustrative images: