Growing Texas Olives

In this episode I discuss dormancy. What is dormancy? Why is it important? What initiates dormancy? Can we manipulate it? Dormancy is of course incredibly important for plants for several reasons, which I discuss in this episode. This episode is a good primer to the next episode which will talk more about dormancy but also about chilling requirements, vernalization, and what is required to convince an olive tree to produce flowers.

In this episode I review the 2021 calendar year in the Texas olive industry. The year started with good promise as the winter weather was just right for olives. Unfortunately, the historic freeze in February ruined all of that. I discuss how orchards are recovering from the freeze and what we learned from the recovery process. We wrap up by considering the fall/winter weather that we've received so far, and then take a look towards the future.

Aside from choosing the orchard location and selecting a cold-tolerant cultivar, what else can be done to improve the cold-hardiness of olives? In this episode I discuss several management techniques that can be applied to an olive orchard which research has shown to improve their freeze tolerance. Not only are these recommendations backed by research, but we've seen examples manifested in Texas olive orchards. 

This episode is a continuation of episode 7. Here I discuss irrigation system setup and considerations, proper planting methods and pitfalls to avoid, achieving rapid establishment of trees and the initial shaping and training of newly-planted trees. Of course, not everything that you need to know can be covered in 20 minutes, but this episode touches on the major points and discusses some of the common mistakes seen in Texas olive orchards.

In this episode we continue working our way through Chapter 5 of the Second Edition Olive Production Manual (from University of California). I talk about orchard design and spacing, discussing what factors to consider. Traditional, low density designs are discussed as well as high density/hedgerow design. I also offer advice based on common pitfalls seen in some of the early orchards designed in Texas.

In this episode I continue to review the Olive Production Manual from the University of California. We look at Chapter 5: Site Selection and Preparation. This episode ended up a bit longer than I wanted, but it serves to show just how important proper site selection and preparation are to the potential success of a Texas olive orchard.

In this episode, I review a peer-reviewed scientific publication. This published study found fairly strong evidence that the Arbequina variety is actually not as self-compatible or as self-fruitful as once thought. I interpret the study in my own words, and provide some context and explanation for Texas growers.

Intro and ending music written, composed, and performed by Jay Schmidt. Music may not be copied, reproduced, or used in any other manner without the artist's written consent. 

In this episode, I briefly recap what I saw in olive orchards during my trip around the western half of the state. We then review and discuss Chapter 4 of "Olive Production Manual" book.

In this episode, I provide some clarification about the legality of using pesticides whose labels do not include your targeted pest, and then discuss the general botany of the olive tree. The botany discussion is based on Chapter 3 of the Second Edition Olive Production Manual from the University of California. 

17 July 2021.  In this episode, I talk briefly about the potential for selling olive wood to woodworkers if you are forced to make large pruning cuts due to the freeze. We saw the 3rd generation of Palpita caterpillars this past week in an orchard in Lavaca County. I briefly discuss some thoughts on irrigation in our current orchard situations, and finish up by providing some quick thoughts on cover crops usage in Texas olive orchards.