Is this olive tree beyond hope?

[KingscoteStaff]

Photo taken today - no leaves at all in the (very congested) centre.

Lots of leaves on the end of 50% of branches.

If I cut it back hard will the branches sprout again from lower down?

Yes, but dont cut the whole lot out or it will go absolutely nuts with lots of silly wispy new branches. Maybe take out ⅓ of the branches and see what happens.

My partner rescued his in a similar condition. I think they’re quite hardy

Is it potted?

Yes, in a (I presume) much too small pot - about the size of a Top hat.

Mine was in a similar state last spring. I repotted them in a larger planter and found some vine weevil grubs in the soil, so I removed and treated the soil. They look much better now.

Mine were *

@KingscoteStaff they are ok in pots but you need to fertilise them and make sure they are watered adequately. They are slow growing so if you do prune it make sure you are happy with looking at it when it’s a bit sad.

We have 4 of them in a range of pots/in the ground etc and they are a strong favourite of mine.

Thanks chaps.

So... Can I prune it down beyond any leaf?

And... How big a pot - it's about 5 ft tall now.

What kind of fertiliser do they want?

For that size olive go a min pot size of 24 inches diameter. You can buy olive fertilisers on Amazon,