For better growth, you must plant tea olives in a certain way.
You should consider many things before planting, like how far apart to plant tea olives, how much space you need to give them, and why the spacing is essential.
Here is all you need to know.
How Far Apart to Plant Tea Olives?
To grow a lush, substantial privacy hedge, you should plant Tea Olives in rows 4 to 5 feet (1.2 to 1.5 meters) apart.
Locations for planting tea olives include natural settings, flower gardens, and foundations. The care recommendations are the same whether Tea Olive is produced in a natural environment or container because they grow well in any soil and adapt to negligence.
For growing tea olives a hole roughly one and a half to two times the breadth of your plant’s root ball, well-drained soil, and 4 to 8 hours of direct sunlight is required.
Moreover, if you place them close to your front door, windows, or balcony, the aroma will drift outside on windy days.
Tea Olive blooms for four months and emits a fantastic fragrance that surrounds your yard. Unlike other fragrant plants that give off the scent only for one month.
Why is Tea Olives Spacing Important?
Spacing is crucial for maximizing the harvest. If tea olives are planted too close, their branches get tangled up with one another, and they won’t grow properly. It’ll reduce the amount of fruit that can be harvested by about 1/3.
Plant tea olives at least 3 feet (1.2 meters) apart for good coverage. Evergreen trees are often planted in groups or rows. It is essential to plant them far apart so that they can grow without too much competition.
Spacing them out just far enough so they don’t touch one another will allow better light penetration, disease prevention, and more space for roots.
It results in excellent water retention and less competition for nutrients from weeds or neighboring plants.
In short, the plant gets the best of everything if you plant it far apart.
What Will Happen if You Plant Tea Olives Too Close to Each Other?
Tea olives need plenty of space to grow, and you can’t plant them too close to each other. If you plant tea olives too close together, the harvest quality will be affected.
If the distance between plants is too small, the flowers will not be fully open, and pollination will not occur as it should.
The tree may also have difficulty growing because it needs more sunlight than it receives in closed circuit.
Placing these plants too close together can cause diseases to spread more easily and makes them more vulnerable to pests.
What Will Happen if You Plant Tea Olives Too Far From Each Other?
Planting tea olives too far apart reduces biodiversity and bee diversity. So many factors can affect the yield – soil, plant density, irrigation, and even climate change. Placing tea olives too far from each other may cause the plants to grow slower and yield less.
Some gardeners have differing views on matters such as planting tea olives too far from each other will lead to a lower yield.
They argue that there is no significant difference in the harvest quality. Also, the volume of those who plant tea olives close together and those who grow them further apart is almost same.
The best way to grow a tea olive is to plant them at a distance of fewer than 4 to 5 feet (1.2 to 1.5 meters) apart.
It will help them grow efficiently, as they will have increased access to pollination, which in turn will lead to more fruits and nuts.
How To Plant Tea Olive On The Ground?
Olive Osmanthus, commonly known as “sweet olives,” are incredibly simple plants to grow if planted correctly and in the correct location.
However, a little experienced guidance can go a long way.
Let’s dig into the step-by-step procedure for growing tea olives!
Step 1
- Make a planting hole at least twice as wide as the hole your Tea Olive plant will grow in but not wider than the root ball.
- Put the native soil out of the planting hole and around the hole’s border in a wheelbarrow.
Step 2
- If the native soil in the planting hole is not fertile and its permeability is low, you may need to mix it with soil remediation.
- Combine sand, composted cow dung, mushroom compost, and a good planting mix with the dirt cleared from the planting hole when growing in dense clay or poor soil.
- A blend of peat moss, compost, and topsoil may help retain moisture when growing in sandy soils.
- No soil amendment is required in fertile, well-drained, loamy, wet, healthy soil.
Step 3
- Take a tight hold of the plant’s base and try to raise and remove the Tea Olive from the container. It might take some time, so be gentle.
- It’s also possible to gently tap the container’s side if the root ball is stuck.
- If the plant is root-bound, you can use a garden hose (buy from here) to spray water over the sides and bottom of the root ball. It makes it easier to remove roots since some soil has been washed off the surface of the root ball.
Step 4
- Make sure that the top edge of the root ball sits just above ground level (1 inch or 2 to 3 centimeters or so) if you are planting in well-drained soil.
- Also, to get the right planting height, backfill with a soil mixture.
Step 5
- After placing your Tea Olive in the planting hole, push the soil mixture around the root ball with one hand while holding the plant straight with the other.
- It will help remove any air pockets.
- You can soak the dirt once you have filled the hole halfway.
- Once you reach the top border of the root ball, keep backfilling.
Step 6
- Next, thoroughly water the planting area and cover the root ball to a depth equivalent to its height.
- To give your newly planted Tea Olive an extra push, you can water it with a mixture of root stimulators (buy from here), which encourages early root growth and a better root system.
Step 7
- Keep your planting area moist and weed-free by mulching with old, shredded, chipped wood or pine straw.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Where to Plant Tea Olives?
Most tea olives can grow in either full sun or partial shade. Some variegated varieties, including “Goshiki,” may exhibit leaf discoloration with full sun exposure.
Moreover, tea olive plants thrive in fertile, wet, drainage-friendly, acidic soil. After becoming developed, they can tolerate some drought.
Q2: How Wide Does a Tea Olive Get?
Although elder plants may reach 30 feet (9 meters) tall and 12–15 feet (3 to 4 meters) broad, they grow at a decent pace to reach 15 feet (4 meters) tall and 8–10 feet (2 to 3 meters) wide.
The beauty of the plants is particularly appealing, with glossy, deep-to-medium-green leaves that come to a length of around four inches. They may have rounded, smooth edges or teeth.
Q3: How Fast Does a Tea Olive Tree Grow?
Tea olives are also referred to as “false hollies” because of their habit of growing like dense, evergreen shrubs or small trees.
Spring and summer are their peak blooming seasons, even though they occasionally bloom throughout the year.
Tea olives grow slowly to moderately, between 4 and 12 inches (10 to 30 centimeters) per year. Furthermore, organic matter, soil quality, nutrient availability, and water availability all contribute to plant growth.
References
Wilsonbrosgardens, hgtv.com, brighterblooms, hgic.clemson, cesonoma
