The olive tree is an evergreen plant with numerous symbolic meanings. Apart from being at the base of one of the most important production chains in Italy and in the world, it is also grown for decorative purposes. Its robust trunk and thick foliage can become an art object in gardens and parks, when they are shaped ad hoc.
It is necessary to implement specialized technical competence and to operate with professional tools designed to achieve clean and precise cuts in order for the interventions on the plants to give the desired results.
In the Campagnola catalogue you will find proposals designed to assist you in pruning your ornamental olive trees such as pruning shears, chain pruners, loppers and saws of the PROFESSIONAL, GREEN and SMART Line that provide you everything you need to make sure you will always get the best results.
The aesthetical aspect in pruning ornamental olive trees
The olive tree is generally pruned with three different main purposes that subdivide interventions in pruning training, production and rejuvenation. On the other hand, pruning ornamental species should be carried out with a completely different purpose, which is to control their growth and to shape their aesthetics. In this way, they take on pleasing shapes with a stunning decorative effect, always keeping extreme attention on the plant health.
It is possible to find ornamental olive trees both planted on the ground and in pots such as bonsai and the purpose of those who prune their branches has a dual objective. First of all, it helps to follow the development of the foliage in order to obtain balanced and original shapes, and second of all, it ensures the health and longevity of the plant.
Olive tree pruning schemes
Usually, olive tree pruning schemes serve to maximize vegetative growth and the quality of the fruits whereas the only purpose for ornamental pruning is to transform each plan into a small work of art.
However, even in this field, there are some pruning schemes whose aim is to enhance the beauty of these plants with ancient origins. What are the main ones?
The pruning of the olive tree in a ball
The ball tree is one of the most common shapes for ornamental olive trees and gives to the foliage a spherical and compact appearance. To achieve it, you can use professional and perfectly sharp tools starting at the base and working your way up, cutting the branches anticlockwise.
If done carefully, this pruning allows you to have circular profiles olive trees in your backyards, which maintains its shape over time even with little maintenance.
The pruning of the olive tree with pom-poms
Another of the most common shapes for ornamental olive trees is the pom-pom shape. Its main goal is to create small spheres of green leaves that decorate the tree trunk whose sinuous lines are enhanced.
How to achieve this? The first step is to select which of the branches will be shaped into the round, ball-like appearance and then eliminate the superfluous ones. Besides, you intervene in the remaining branches with cutting operations that create small blooming balls.
The pruning of the umbrella olive tree
Among other most popular pruning styles for ornamental olive trees is umbrella pruning. In this case, the foliage is shaped to look like a real umbrella, with the branches bent downward to create graceful arches.
Again, you start by selecting the main branches, which will become the umbrella “ribs”, and proceed with a progressive pruning thereof, so that they branch off from the trunk uniformly and symmetrically.
When to prune ornamental olive trees
The olive tree is a hardy plant, but it is still essential to carry out the pruning with extreme care and delicacy, so as not to compromise their health. What is the best period of pruning the olive tree for ornamental purposes?
The perfect season to cut the branches can vary depending on the climatic zone, the type of plant, its age and the purpose of pruning.
Even in the case of ornamental olive trees, it is necessary to start with a training pruning, which is essential in the first years of the plant’s life to give it the desired shape, It is carried out during its vegetative periods. To keep the shape given to the foliage, the olive tree is then pruned in winter, during the months when the branches are in the their resting phase.
Old and damaged branches can be cut at any time, always bearing in mind that, when the plant is in the vegetative rest period, the wounds can heal more quickly and they are less exposed to the risk of infection or parasitic infestation.
Ornamental pruning in younger olive trees should be carried out by cutting a few pairs of shoot leaves that are about 10-15 cm long. In the most developed plants, the branches can be shortened even to lengths of about 5 cm.
In addition to aesthetic purposes, ornamental pruning always aims to ensure the proper irradiation and aeration of the branches and must be coupled with by well-planned irrigation and possible fertilization of the soil.
Tools for ornamental pruning of olive trees for gardens
Pruning an olive tree for ornamental purposes requires good technical skills, but also creativity, precision and patience. It is also an art that requires adequate tools to be carried out, first and foremost the most advanced tools for pruning.
You can also rely on Campagnola for pruning your ornamental olive trees since in our product range you will find manual, electric or pneumatic tools that you need to prune both your production olive trees and those for ornamental purposes.
Essential solutions include hand tools such as pruning shears, loppers and manual saws, which provide you with all the cutting precision you need to give the branches of the olive tree the desired shapes.
You can also count on the support of practical electric pruning shears with plug-in battery, such as SPEEDY, STARK XM and STARK XL, capable of cutting branches with a diameter of 25, 34 and 38 mm, taking advantage of powerful blades and giving you all the freedom of movement thanks to the absence of cables.
Always easy to handle and powered by plug-in lithium-ion batteries. Campagnola chain pruners, such as T-CAT M V1, T-FOX or T-REX, they can effectively assist you in cutting operations on ornamental plants. Both pruning shears and chain pruners with plug-in battery are also available with telescopic extension poles: the STARK 90-160-220 V1 pruning shears and the T-REX 160-240 and T-REX 250-300 chain pruners allow you to operate from the ground, avoiding the use of ladders.
You can also test cutting performance of KRONOS 58, the high-performance electric chain pruner powered by LI ION 700 battery, inserted in a comfortable backpack, suitable for pruning fruit trees and ornamental plants. Regarding the care of domestic greenery and for hobby purposes, choose SL 23 and SL32 pruning shears from the Campagnola SMART Line. Finally, if you prefer the power of tools driven by compressed air, you can count on the wide range of pneumatic pruning shears, loppers and pneumatic chain pruners.
The entire range of Campagnola brand products is characterized by the quality of each single component, while our many years of experience in the sector and the guarantee of competent and always available pre and post-sales assistance ensure the reliability you are looking for.
Explore all our product lines and contact us to get the information you need. You can also contact your nearest Campagnola dealer to see the tools in person and understand if they are the allies you are looking for the pruning of your ornamental olive trees.