Leaf drop on Olive Tree

[loella]

We had  (up until the past week or so) a lovely healthy Olive tree. We planted it a year and a half ago and it has been doing well. In May we noticed that it had started to produce loads of fruit. But in the last week it seems to have developed some yellow leaves and they are now falling. The fruit also seems to be turning brown and in general its not looking happy. Is this normal? Could it have picke up 'black spot' from nearby roses?

Help please,

Annie

[Tresco]

Hi Annie

It's quite normal for some leaves to yellow, then drop. I think Olives replace their leaves every 2 years, and this happens at the same time as the new leaves are growing.

Did you have fruit last year which didn't turn brown? I know there are some varieties where the fruit naturally turns brown.

[loella]

This is only its second year 'chez nous' so hard to know but certainly last summer it had no fruit/flowers but no leaf drop. Sounds as if we've nothing to worry about then.

Actually looking more closely, I think its the flowers that have turned brown  but they're so tiny it was hard to tell. Might get a jar of olives out of it yet!!

A

[Tresco]

Fruiting can be affected by the kind of winter you had: if there wasn't much sunshine, for instance. They also hate their feet being cold and wet (combined).

Last year we had a crop of....one[:(]

This year there are hundreds of tiny Olives there already, but I don't think they have 'set' yet.