Dwarf Black Olive Bonsai

Watering is a critical component of Dwarf Black Olive bonsai care. As a tropical species, it prefers consistent moisture but demands excellent drainage.

• Young trees: Lower transpiration due to fewer leaves means less water uptake.

• Mature trees: With dense foliage, they require more frequent watering—especially in warmer climates or under intense light.

  
  Never allow the soil to dry completely. Even, thorough watering encourages the development of fine feeder roots and supports long-term health.

Lighting is an important component of dwarf black olive bonsai care. 

Full sun is the best lighting for dwarf black olive bonsai trees. However, you may need to reduce light in the afternoon. 

The leaves of the dwarf black olive bonsai don't wilt until they're dangerously low on water. And since they're so small, it's hard to notice they’ve begun to wilt. For this reason, you may need to water your tree twice a day in hot weather. 

Alternatively, you may water your tree in the morning, then shade it in the afternoon. 

Otherwise, give your tree as much full sun as possible. 

Dwarf black olive bonsai trees prefer warm days with temperatures that are consistently above 70℉ at night. 

They need to be protected from cold temperatures and should always be kept above 45-50℉.

You may use liquid bonsai fertilizer every two weeks from spring to autumn. 

Avoid fertilizing for three months after repotting. 

Your dwarf black olive bonsai tree may also benefit from the addition of pulverized organic fertilizer in mid-spring.

You can learn more about fertilizing bonsai here.

Dwarf black olive tree bonsai are slow growers, so you won’t see a dramatic amount of change.

Pruning the dwarf black olive bonsai involves using a combination of pruning styles to create a softly ramified tree.

You can prune the branches to have secondary tertiary and branches rising over a primary branch—like a very structured pad. 

Allow a young tree to grow and thicken at the base. Once the base is the desired size, you may begin to prune the top. Cut the branches back, so you have a small amount of growth remaining, and begin developing out from there. 

If your dwarf black olive tree bonsai tree is in the second stage of growth, allow the branches to elongate as you did the trunk, to develop the desired thickness. You'll then cut it back as far as the taper or desired length. 

You will only need to prune a mature dwarf black olive bonsai tree once a year, for fine-tuning. Avoid making any wildly major cuts, focusing instead on refinement. 

Dwarf black olive bonsai will get water shoots, and you will need to prune them as they appear. 

Scars on the dwarf black olive bonsai tree can be difficult to heal, so be sure to use extreme care in pruning.

You can learn the different between pinching vs. pruning here.

You will want to wire out the dwarf black olive bonsai’s branches in its earlier stages of growth. 

Doing this will allow you to manipulate the branches and set them up as you want them to grow. 

Guy wires and similar wiring techniques aren't strong enough for dwarf black olive bonsai. Instead, you need to wire the tree in from its primary secondaries, then clip and grow from there. 

Dwarf black olive bonsai trees train well, and when wired properly, will produce a wonderfully dramatic tree.

Dwarf black olive bonsai do not require frequent repotting.

You will only need to repot when your tree loses percolation, or if you have a rotting issue. 

Your dwarf black olive bonsai tree should not be put in a bonsai pot until the tree shows a secondary branch structure. Repotting before this will only serve to hinder growth on this already slow-developing tree.

Learn about the repotting tools needed here.

Dwarf black olive bonsai trees are best propagated from seed. 

This may be done by putting a tray with organic soil underneath the branches of a flowering black olive tree. When the flowers go to seed, they will: 

 ● Fall naturally from the tree

 ● Land on the organic matter you have placed underneath it; and 

 ● Sprout 

Propagation from cuttings or air layers is incredibly difficult. 

Pests and disease issues on the dwarf black olive bonsai are usually the result of the conditions the tree is growing in.  

If the soil is over-saturated for the age of the tree, it may cause the trunk or roots to rot or become moldy.

Dwarf black olive bonsai trees may get aphids. The aphids themselves don't generally do a dramatic amount of damage. However, the surface conditions and waste (honeydew) aphids leave behind may cause problems.