Olive tree

[M n M]

Help, Iv'e just purchased an olive tree from Aldi but part of the instructions that come with it state that it needs dunging, I know what that means but it says that it needs it with 'dung 20/10/10 with microelement' now that I don't understand.
Any brainbox gardeners out there? please, ta very much, Mick.
PS. Not many left.

[Erja]

dunging - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Dung \Dung\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dunged; p. pr. & vb. n.
     Dunging.]
     1. To manure with dung. --Dryden.
        [1913 Webster]
 
     2. (Calico Print.) To immerse or steep, as calico, in a bath
        of hot water containing cow dung; -- done to remove the
        superfluous mordant.
        [1913 Webster]

[Eggy]

M & M
If it doesn't involve digging a hole and then Squating over it at Midnight, when the neighbours aren't around, maybe it means mixing a mixture of compost with Vermiculite and sharp sand. Try searching Vermiculite on the website. I'm not a gardener but I thnk this is used to aerate the soil.
Someone may shoot me down in flames here.
Negg

[Mango]

Hi MnM

We have an olive tree in our garden, planted in your commoner garden muck!!.

We have had no problems with it and it grows every year, so I wouldn't worry too much. 

Apologies to all you professional gardeners out there if I should be treating it with more respect!!!

Amanda

[vivian]

Our's is in a pot with nothing special just normal soil from the garden.
Inside at the moment as it is only young but is looking healthy with
 many tiny buds on it, wil let you know if they devolop into olives or not.
I wouldn't bother about the dunging.
By the way does any body know how old or large an olive tree should
be before it is planted out and can stand the horrable weather we get here. Viv

[Mango]

Hi viv
Not sure how old they should be before being planted out, but ours is only young and small and is in a planter, we have left it out in the garden all winter and it is still healthy, so I guess they are hardy plants anyway.  Plus they stand the frost in Corfu in winter.

Amanda

[sharonF]

M & M
If it doesn't involve digging a hole and then Squating over it at Midnight, when the neighbours aren't around,

Negg what a very fertile imagination you have, LOL, x

[martin-w]

Hi All!
I have an Olive Tree which I purchased from Aldi about three years ago along with a Brown Turkish Fig. I planted both in large patio planters (2ft square, 18ins high) in  March of the year of purchase in general compost, after first soaking the root ball in water, with some crocks in the bottom for drainage. I dressed the top with small pebbles to cut down the weed growth and retain water.
The olive is now 3-4 ft tall and survives the winter here in Wales well. The fig is 4-5 ft tall and last year I picked 14 figs! I am going to plant it in the garden this year as it is rapidly outgrowing the planter. At the moment there are a large number of green buds waiting to burst at the onset of some warmer weather. The olive retains most of its leaves overwinter, but the fig turns some bright shades of reds and yellows and the leaves drop after the first frosts. I have not treated them in any special way and they are both healthy!
Hope that this is of some help,
All the best,
Martin.

[M n M]

Thank you one and all,
I shall just treat it like all my other plants then, a bit hit and miss but it seems to work.
It's just that I love olives and really really want to grow my own and eat them all up myself, cos i'm that way, ttfn. Mick

[Maggie]

Mick, I've also got an olive tree, and if it can grow here, then you shouldn't have a problem. (there hasn't been any dung near mine!)I have a few doubts about being able to eat the olives tho.

[Mango]

Hi Maggie

We tried the olives from ours last year and they were far too bitter to eat.

So we just leave them to drop off now and don't bother eating them.

Amanda

[Eileen]

Hi Amanda,

I think you will find that you need to soak them in brine first before they are edible.  Something to do with soaking the olives in lots of salt and water...maybe a someone with a better knowledge will come along and tell us how it's done.

Eileenxxx (yum I'm having my first wine of the evening with some good old olive paste on a dippy cracker thingy!)

[Sandy x]

Sounds good to me Eileen....could you send one in my direction please? I love that olive paste....

[Eileen]

I kept some for you Sandy....


By arillas

and to wash it down.....


By arillas

ENJOY!!!

[M n M]

Maggie, I'm sure Helen will let us know what to do with them, we will be over end September for 3 weeks.
See you around if you are there, just leave some olives and ouzo for me, ttfn, Mick.