Let's play a game of 'is it alive or has it died?'

[poppetandmog]

They're dead aren't they? (olive trees)

I think so. There doesn't appear to be any new growth there

Feed it and wait a few weeks

This is mine and I'm still hopeful, but realistically delusional! Yours still has leaves...

@poppetandmog there may be hope
@Amireallyhere I fear probably not

Don't water them too much but do feed them. They love tomato feed!

I saved some olives (very big and very expensive, £2k each in really big pots - not mine I add) by replacing most of the compost with fresh (I mixed grow bags for tomatoes with normal compost and top soil with some gravel mixed in for drainage) and then fed them twice weekly. After being near death they were producing olives the following year!

They're alive. Second what @SleepingisanArt says!

Agree - make sure they're somewhere sunny. My two looked awful a month ago, leaves falling, going brown etc, & suddenly they've burst back into life with new leaves & flowers. Never had an actual olive grow though.

My little olive had no leaves at all and was giving a very good impression of death until about a week ago, when a couple of tiny green bumps appeared, so don't give up hope.

No advice, but I love the title of this thread!

if you scratch away the top layer of bark low down on the trunk you’ll see if there’s healthy green flesh underneath or if it’s woody and dry like a twig

My olive also died. I wonder if it was the crazy weather last year? 😔

@RosaSkye if there is green underneath near the stump, should you cut it back? the twigs on my 'dead' one near the top snap off?

@poppetandmog my mum said the same about hers last week and it looked just the same as yours but it is still alive!
I'd leave it alone and see what it does between now and next spring.

@PickledMuffin you can certainly cut off the dead branches, but best not to shock it by cutting it all back at once I would think… someone more knowledgeable than me will perhaps come along soon!

you basically want lots of light to get to anything that’s still alive

@RosaSkye thank you 🙏

Put it in the ground in full sun, feed water and give it time. Mine was worse and is alive and kicking for me

Mine lost all its leaves last summer (I was away and my husband didn't water it). I'd had it for 20+ years. New leaves appeared and then the hard frosts came and they all dropped again... but it's now got green shoots, so I'm feeding it and praying!

Thanks all. I'm going to repot with some fresh soil, give it a feed and hope for the best. Will report back if there's any olive related news.

good advice! Was coming on here to say if you snap a twig off near the base and it’s green in the middle then your tree is still alive.

I have my green fingers crossed for you @poppetandmog !