Olive tree

[Panda34]

Hi all

First time I've posted in here, I have an olive tree that is doing really well but needs a bigger pot. I was planning on doing this in spring but had a quick look at it and the roots have come out the drainage hole and rooted into the ground underneath!

Can I just cut these off? I don't want to do the wrong thing and kill it off as it's a lovely tree!

I would repot in late winter/early spring when the tree is dormant. So do it now.
Will the roots in the ground not pull up. Cut them if you have to. A new pot should have a 10cm diameter more than the current root ball.

Thanks @AyrshireTryer that's really helpful. I haven't actually tried pulling up the roots but they're hard to get to as they've rooted into the gravel under the pot and the pot is really heavy that i can't lift it where it's now attached to the ground! Will give it a go though and see if I can save them. Will try and do it next week then

Good luck

The best time to repot olives in the UK is in late spring, when they are already in active growth and can quickly establish and grow more roots.

It is too early to do it now, we could still easily get hard frosts and that wouldn't do a repotted olive's roots any good at all. To be honest, I'd wait and do it around the end of April.