How to Grow an Olive Tree from Seed or Cuttings

You can grow an olive tree from a pit or from a cutting, but the two give very different results. A cutting is a clone of the parent tree and can fruit in 3–5 years. A seedling is genetically new, usually takes 8–15 years to fruit and may produce small or poor olives. Both are rewarding projects; just choose the method that matches what you want.

Can You Grow an Olive Tree from a Store-Bought Olive?

Almost never. Supermarket olives have been cured in brine or lye, and often pasteurised, which kills the embryo. Use fresh, uncured olives picked from a tree, ideally when fully ripe and dark.

Growing an Olive Tree from Seed

1. Collect: pick ripe fresh olives in autumn or early winter.
2. Clean: soak overnight, then rub off all the flesh; oil and flesh inhibit germination.
3. Nick the pit: carefully clip or file the pointed end of the hard shell (endocarp) without damaging the seed inside, or crack the shell in a vice and remove the seed. This greatly improves germination.
4. Soak: 24 hours in lukewarm water.
5. Cold stratify: place the seeds in damp sand or perlite in a bag in the fridge at 4–7 °C (39–45 °F) for 4–8 weeks. This mimics winter.
6. Sow: plant 2–3 cm (1 in) deep in a seed mix with grit, keep moist (not wet) at 18–24 °C (64–75 °F) in bright light.
7. Wait: germination usually takes 1–3 months and can be erratic; success rates of 20–50% are normal.

Pot seedlings on when they have several pairs of leaves, and grow them in a bright, sheltered place for their first year.

Growing an Olive Tree from Cuttings

This is how most nursery olives are produced. Semi-hardwood cuttings taken in late spring or summer root best.

1. Cut 12–15 cm (5–6 in) lengths of this year's growth, about pencil thickness, from a healthy tree.
2. Remove leaves from the lower two-thirds, keeping 4–6 leaves at the top.
3. Dip the base in rooting hormone (IBA); olives root much better with it.
4. Insert 5 cm (2 in) deep into a mix of perlite and peat-free compost or pure perlite.
5. Keep humidity high with a clear cover or mist, and the base warm at 20–25 °C (68–77 °F). Bright, indirect light.
6. Roots usually form in 6–10 weeks. Tug gently: resistance means roots.

Hardwood cuttings in winter and large "truncheons" (thick branch sections planted directly) also work in warm climates, but more slowly.

Other Methods

• Grafting: commercial orchards often graft a chosen variety onto a seedling or vigorous rootstock.
• Suckers: shoots at the base of an own-rooted tree can be dug up with a piece of root in early spring.
• Air layering: wound a branch, wrap with moist moss and plastic, and cut it off once roots form.

Seed vs Cutting at a Glance

More Olive Tree Guides

• How to Grow Olive Trees: The Complete Guide
• Olive tree fertilizer
• How often to water olive trees
• How to prune olive trees

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take an olive seed to germinate?

Usually 1–3 months after stratification, sometimes longer.

Will an olive tree from seed produce olives?

Eventually, often after 8–15 years, but the fruit may differ from the parent and can be small.

Can you root an olive cutting in water?

It sometimes works but often fails; a moist, airy medium such as perlite with rooting hormone and bottom heat is far more reliable.

When is the best time to take olive cuttings?

Late spring to summer for semi-hardwood cuttings.