Talk:Olive

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Help! I have an olive tree in my southern California back yard. About 1 year ago I noticed that some branches began turning completely brown, as if on a dead tree.

Over the course of the year more and more branches (seemingly one at a time) began turning brown.

Now the tree is 2/3rds brown and would seem to be dying (sob).

A nurseryman suggested fire blight to me and I treated it with the recommended anti-fungal; there has been no discernible improvement (4 months later).

I've read that olive trees are more apt to become diseased in rich, well-fertilized soil than not.

Perhaps there is a hint here, because I planted the tree on the site where I had kept compost at one time, and also near a garden pond from which I would remove sludge and use it to fertilize the general area. But that had all ceased a year or 2 before the brownning of the branches.

I am so afraid I am going to lose this tree.

I'm not finding anything on line, and an olive tree grower to whom I referred the problem could only think of the possibility of gophers getting at the roots--but I can see no evidence of gophers.

Finally, a neighbor has a huge hedge of bamboo about 5' away, and the shoots do come up around the olive tree, I remove them, but perhaps they are acting like a gopher would to the roots?

If you can help, please let me know?

Thank you.

Margaret A.