Olive Tree Care Guide — Potted Olive Trees | The Plant Runner

Olive trees look incredible indoors — but most homes can't actually support them. If you've got consistent, direct sun and the space to match, they can be one of the best statement plants you'll grow. If not, they'll struggle quickly and let you know about it.

That's not a reason not to try — just a reason to be honest before you buy.

Photo by Norbert Velescu

The system behind olive care

Light sets the pace with olives. Water and potting mix follow from that. Feed supports whatever growth is already happening. Get light wrong and nothing else you do will fix it — which is why this guide starts there.

Light

Olives are full-sun plants, end of story. They want consistent, direct sun for 6–8 hours a day. A north-facing window, a sunroom, or a conservatory is what you're looking for. If you can't feel direct sun on your hand for part of the day in the spot you're considering, it's not enough.

If you do have that spot, rotate the pot a quarter turn once a week to keep growth even and stop the tree leaning as it chases the sun.

No direct sun but set on an olive? A grow light positioned above the plant is a legitimate solution — olives respond well to supplemental lighting. Without adequate light though, everything else you do for this plant is wasted effort. Worth reading Understanding Light and Plants before you commit either way.

Water

Olive trees need a full soak — and then they need to dry properly. Sitting in damp mix is where things go wrong.

When you water, distribute evenly across the entire root ball and keep going until water runs from the drainage hole. Then wait. Only water again when the top 3–5cm of the mix is bone dry.

Through spring, summer and autumn olives put on a lot of growth and get genuinely thirsty. In winter, cut back significantly — unless you're running a grow light and light levels haven't changed, in which case maintain the routine.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Alisha Goodwin | Wanaka, NZ (@the_alpine_abode)

Mix

Fast drainage is essential. Olive trees evolved in Mediterranean conditions — gritty, free-draining soils that warm quickly and don't hold moisture for long.

Our preferred blend for olives indoors is 3 parts Cacti & Succulent Mix to 1 part Indoor Potting Mix. The Cacti Mix gives you the drainage and structure olives want; the Indoor Mix adds a bit of moisture retention so the blend doesn't dry out instantly.

One honest note on this blend: our Cacti & Succulent Mix is formulated slightly acidic (pH 5.0–6.0) because that's what cacti want. Olives genuinely prefer slightly alkaline conditions (pH 7–8). The blend works structurally for olives, but if you want to do it properly, mix in a small handful of dolomite lime when you pot up. The lime raises pH toward what olives actually want, and adds calcium and magnesium — both of which olives use heavily. A handful per 8L of mix is roughly right.

Pot into terracotta if you can. It's porous, helps the mix dry evenly, and gives you a more forgiving margin on watering. Glazed ceramic and plastic work too, just water more cautiously.

Feed

Feed fortnightly through active growth with a complete liquid fertiliser — one that covers NPK plus trace elements. Indoor Plant Food works well for olives. You don't need to overcomplicate feeding — consistent, complete nutrition through the growing season is what supports steady growth.

In winter, drop back to once a month or skip entirely if growth has stopped. Feeding a dormant plant does nothing useful and can build salts in the mix over time.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Well Worn Interiors (@wellworninteriors)

Humidity

One of the easier boxes to tick. Olives like it dry — average room humidity is fine. No misting, no pebble trays, no humidifiers needed. This is one of the reasons they suit most Australian homes.

What can go wrong

Most issues with olives come back to light and watering not lining up. Here’s how to read what the plant is telling you:

Scale — the most common issue, indoors and out. Small, flat, brown or tan-coloured bumps on stems and leaves. Wipe the foliage down with a soft cloth or cotton bud — physical removal is the most effective first step. Follow up with a neem oil wipe to clean the foliage and keep leaves clear. Repeat weekly until no new ones appear.
[Link: How to manage scale on indoor plants → /blogs/the-plant-runner-blog/scale-insects-indoor-plants]

Mealybug — small, white, fluffy insects in the cracks and crevices of stems and leaves. Treat the same way as scale. Easier to spot and generally easier to remove.

Root rot — yellowing leaves and slowing growth are the early signs. Pull the plant out and check the roots — soft, dark brown roots confirm it. Prune out any affected roots immediately and repot into fresh, dry mix. This is a water and mix problem at its core, not a disease problem.

Curling leaves with brown edges — usually too much direct heat, often from glass intensifying sunlight. Move slightly back from the window or adjust the angle.

No flowers or fruit — patience. Olives can take years to produce their first fruit indoors. In the meantime, that silvery green foliage and mottled grey-white bark is the real show anyway.

If you can meet the light requirements, olives are one of the most rewarding indoor trees you can grow. If not, there are easier ways to get the look.