Olive Trees in Puna

[hpp4me]

Supposedly, olive trees will grow in zone 11, but I don't recall ever seeing any olive trees in Puna.

Has anyone had luck growing them? If so, any tips?


http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/forestry/Dat...20europaea



Edited by - hpp4me on 10/18/2007 19:05:24

[Kapohocat]

We were just talking about olive trees down here where we have less rain. We would like to plant one or two.

Where's Mitzi? I bet she can answer this!

[Tolleys]

The Olive Tree, especially Olea Europaea, is a known allergen. So be careful and get the low pollen variety.

They banned the use of them in landscaping in some AZ towns including Tucson because of the allergen issue and heavy water usage, although the latter is probably not an issue in Hawaii. Here are some bits of info I found.

http://allallergy.net/fapaidfind.cfm?cdeoc=1097
http://phoenix.about.com/od/health/a/allergy_2.htm (list 20 trees to avid if you have hay fever)

I know people in Phoenix who cut down their trees because of allergies. Or many will spray the trees before they bloom with a poison to prevent the flowering. In addition the olives are very messy and leave black stains. Although, with the mold around here the black olive stains should blend right in!


Susan

[Mitzi M]

Olea europaea, the edible olive, is a hardy tree that can certainly survive here in Puna, but it requires at least 2 months of temperatures down around the 50's to flower and set fruit. Because of this, the only olives ever to produce fruit here grow above 3,500'. Another subspecies, o. europaea cuspidata, also called Indian olive is a commomly used shrub for hedges in Hawai'i. Unfortunately, the thin fleshed fruit isn't considered edible by humans but is spread everywhere by birds. The Indian olive has naturalized on the Big Island and is considered an invasive pest. For this reason, I'd recommend against planting them. If you want an olive tree here at lower elevations just for its appearance, I think you can get o. europeaea to thrive without worrying about contributing to our invasive species problem (but you'll get no delicious olives either). They can actually get by on pretty small amounts of water, but like their cousins, the Russian olives, which have become serious pests along rivers in the Southwestern US, they will soak up and as much as they can when it's available. And the allergen potential is no small matter if you (or your neighbors)are bugged by pollens. One native tree that has a similarly gnarled character is myoporum sandwicense or naio, which is moderately slow growing to 30' tall. They are native from lower dry forests to wet forests here, and will grow all over Puna. They produce clusters of small, white flowers that are subtly fragrant and can even be trimmed into a nice, dense hedge.
Check it out:

http://www.hear.org/starr/hiplants/image...icense.htm

Unfortunately, we'll still have to get our olives from a jar. Bummer!

Aloha,
Mitzi

Uluhe Design
Native Landscape Design
uluhedesign@yahoo.com

Edited by - Mitzi M on 10/19/2007 12:05:36

[Carolann R]

Had a pretty olive tree in California...it was real messy though when the fruit starts falling on the sidewalk and grass...if you walked on one it was slippery and easy to slip on. I have to say it was gorgeous though - I like Mesquite in the Sonoran Desert...very pretty gnarled branches.

Carrie

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. ~Dalai Lama

[hpp4me]

Lots of info! I'm too low to get the fruit, so it looks like I'll have to pass on Olives.

[Kapohocat]

I think we're too low too... and thanks Susan for the allergy info! I had this rosy picture of my olive trees - I would have been sneezing looking at them!

[sansei]

Brought this message forward because of a new question on olives that no one has responded to.

Olives are grown in a broad range of countries across the globe and hundreds of hybrids have be developed for different conditions. You might have better luck fruiting with varieties developed in warmer climates. Some varieties you might try are Kalamata (the classic Greek), Manzanillo (well known from its presence on the bottom of a cocktail glass with pimento stuck in it) from Spain and Sevillano (popular because it is big) also from Spain. You might also try Barouni from Tunisia. Mission is the most widely grown in California and was probably Spanish in origin because of its missionary origin.

The Italian varieties are widely available but most of them are Tuscan and will probably require more dormancy to fruit.

Many olive varieties are are self-sterile and require a pollinator so you can't only have one unless you can convince a neighbor.


Larry

[james weatherford]

Got to know olives a bit in Australia. Helped a friend with planting 10ha, and watched what was happening as olive oil took off there 10 years ago. Mediteranean climate with hot summers and mild (green, no-snow) winters.

Above descriptions of climatic requirements sound right. The 'warmer temperature' varieties pose an interesting possibility.

Are olives invasive? They do naturalize, and can compete severely with natives in Australia. There are much worse invaders there and here, but still, akahele (proceed with caution).

James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park

[mella l]

No. Cal is the second world producer next to Spain for olives and olive oil. In fact a Spanish investor just two years ago planted 600 acres here in our town.

The olives planted here are mostly manzanillo. They were brought here in the 1800's by missionaries.

Although they are not invasive here, they do need tending. An orchard that is let go lives on forever it seems as these are very long living trees. But if let go for too many years they start looking weedy like overgrown bushes, or berry thickets.

We have many boutique olive oiles here and wineries so grapes and olives thrive in the same climes.

These trees when tended make gorgeous landscape plants. grissled, grey green foliage, ropy and ancient looking trunks and beautiful limbs reaching out. Many older orchards that aren't being tended are being harvested and transplanted as landscape plants in cities like LV, LA the central valley just for their architectural presents in the landscape.

mella l