The basic fertilization of olive
Basic fertilization of the olive is directly linked to rainfall distribution, so the rains during the winter to help the fertilizers to dissolve. Thus, in areas of southern Greece and Crete, fertilizing can start from December, while in northern Greece, between January to February.
The efficient application of the right types of fertilizers helps:
a. to maintain or increase the fertility of the field (the soil is enriched with the necessary nutrients and organic matter),
b. maintain the good condition of the olive trees, having the right balance between their vegetative growth and fruiting and
c. increase the production of olive trees every year and deal with the phenomenon of biennial bearing (a phenomenon in which a good or excellent crop is followed by a poor, low-yielding crop in the next year’s harvest).
The nutrients that should be applied with fertilizers are:
- nitrogen, necessary to enhance vegetative growth of trees, to reduce the phenomenon of biennial bearing, to increase flower production and to improve fruit set
- phosphorus, necessary for flowering and fruiting
- potassium, necessary for good fruiting, high production and an increase in the oil content of the fruit
- boron, a necessary and critical trace element for flowering and fruiting
The most frequent deficiencies in Greek olive groves concern the elements of nitrogen, potassium and boron, while phosphorus is the element most often found in excess.
A fertilization plan suitable for the olive should be designed by an agronomist, after soil analyses, leaf diagnosis and taking into account all the basic parameters related to the crop (e.g. age and growth of the olive trees, cultivated variety, slope of the soil, annual fruiting pruning, irrigation of the olive grove).
Look for the FERTECH granular organochemical fertilizers, suitable for the basic fertilization of the olive, in FERTILIS TRADE’s partner agricultural stores: