Will Olive Tree Grow In West Texas
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Reduce the amount of water fertilizer and pesticides that you use in your landscape.
Will olive tree grow in west texas. Trees may live well over 100 years. Olive trees for zone 7 there are several varieties of cold hardy olive trees that best tolerate the lower temperatures in zone 7. The olive may be grown as an ornamental in these areas. And yes you can grow olive trees in this zone.
Instead the tree sets flower buds during the winter only after being exposed to cool nights 35 to 50 and. Studies by the late jim denny at texas a m university indicated that the olive could be grown as a fruit tree in large parts of east central and south texas. The best area in texas to attempt commercial olive production is in the southwest region north of laredo and southwest of san antonio known as the winter garden. Olives are native to the mediterranean basin which usually has mild rainy winters and hot dry summers.
Growing olive trees in texas. Unlike most fruit trees in texas the olive does not set fruiting buds in the fall. In contrast texas sometimes has severe winter freezes that can kill olives to the ground. It is native to no other state in the united states.
Historically this texas beauty grew no further north than certain lower rio grande valley counties including hidalgo jim hogg and willacy. Unless you live in isolated pockets of east central and south texas you will need to grow your olive tree as an ornamental and here s why. However the trees would freeze to the ground three of ten years. Texas red oak quercus texana may grow larger but without irrigation and pampering remains smaller.
Other choices include mesquite prosopis glandulosa manzanilla olive olea manzanilla mexican persimmon diospyros texana western soapberry sapindus drommondii and nutleaf hackberry celtis reticulata. Reports from the rio grande valley indicate no fruit production on olive trees there and reports from corpus christi indicate that fruiting is very sporadic. The olive is an exotic fruit crop in texas. Create beautiful low maintenance landscapes while conserving and protecting natural resources and the environment.
Scientific name common name area best adapted for growth rate outstanding characteristics 1 east texas 2 south texas 3 west texas 4 north texas 5 central texas 6 adapted to most areas of texas medium and large trees. You just have to know which cold hardy olive trees will thrive here. In the united states texas olive occurs in the wild in very few locations. In north and west texas and the hill country the frequency of freezing temperature is too great to allow for cultivation of olive.