Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

How to feed an olive tree through the growing season

Updated: October 2026

You have a bottle or a pack of sticks beside a patio olive. The useful questions are when to start, how much to use and when to stop. Feed in the growing season, follow the exact label dose, and do not guess when a listing omits the measure. The products on the [olive tree fertiliser comparison](/hub/fertiliser-soil-and-bark-mulch/olive-tree-fertiliser) do not all print a dose you can use. This page is from Peter F., the DIY and tools editor, in October 2026. If you buy through a link, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have a bottle or a pack of sticks beside a patio olive. The useful questions are when to start, how much to use and when to stop.

Our top picks

Generic Devonia olive tree fertiliser sticks

Best overall

Generic Devonia olive tree fertiliser sticks
4.6/10about £7.99
View offer
Janit-X Vitax olive tree liquid feed, 3 x 1 litre

Alternative

Janit-X Vitax olive tree liquid feed, 3 x 1 litre
6.8/10about £25.19
View offer
Growth Technology Olive Focus liquid, Growth Technology

Rank 3

Growth Technology Olive Focus liquid, Growth Technology
8.4/10about £12.48
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Start in active growth and stop before winter
  2. 2.Use a liquid only at its printed dose
  3. 3.Handle sticks and unclear ratios carefully
  4. 4.Know when not to feed

Start in active growth and stop before winter

Container olives are generally fed through spring and summer. RHS guidance for containers uses April to September and advises against a late nitrogen-rich feed after September. A cold, dormant olive does not need fertiliser because a date has arrived. Before the first feed, new shoots should show growth, the compost should drain, and the root ball should not already hold fresh fertiliser from repotting. If controlled-release granules went into new compost, read their duration before you add liquid. As autumn approaches, stop routine feeding rather than pushing soft growth. Move a vulnerable pot into bright, frost-free shelter when the weather requires it, and water less. Cold, damp roots are often the larger winter risk. Gritty compost and pot feet are on olive tree fertiliser for pots.

Use a liquid only at its printed dose

Read the bottle first, because the listing can conflict with it. You need a concentration, a frequency and any note about moist compost. Measure with a marked cup or a syringe kept for the garden. Add the concentrate to the stated volume of clean water, mix it, and apply as the label directs. Olive Focus is the clearest example here. The listing says 10 ml in one litre of clean water and says to alternate that solution with plain water. A maker page can be read as every watering during growth, so the bottle should settle the difference. Do not pick the more frequent line because it uses the product faster. Check that the pot drains and the tree is growing, then measure rather than estimating a capful. Mix only what you need for that session. Return to plain water when the label requires it, and stop as the season ends. Never double the concentration after a missed feed. Excess salts can damage roots. If growth stays poor, look again at light, roots, temperature and pests.
Generic Devonia olive tree fertiliser sticks

Testsieger

Generic Devonia olive tree fertiliser sticks
4.6/10about £7.99
View offer

Handle sticks and unclear ratios carefully

Sticks still need a dose for the pot. Devonia says to push them below the soil line, water normally and replace them up to every 12 weeks. The offer does not settle 18 sticks against nine, and the file gives no matching stick weight or NPK. Space them as directed, not against the trunk, and mark the date so a 12-week claim does not become a winter replacement. The Janit-X listing titled as Vitax gives 1:249 and no cap volume. Cultivers shows 4:1:7 in a field labelled mixing ratio, and the file does not say whether that is a dilution or a nutrient analysis. Do not turn either number into a capful. The three UK GROW sizes say the liquid is water-soluble and applied to the soil, and they give no millilitres per litre. Follow the instructions is not an online dose.

Know when not to feed

Do not feed a pot standing in water. Empty the saucer, raise the container, clear the hole and check for a sour smell. Roots without air cannot use nutrients normally. A soft trunk base or dark, decaying roots needs a closer look, not another can. A tree you have just repotted may need time. New compost often contains nutrients. Yellow leaves are not a diagnosis: wet roots, winter stress, a dry core and olive scab can all drop leaves, and feed does not cure a fungus or frost damage. Work through olive tree yellow leaves before you assume a deficiency. Ask for help if the trunk is soft or sour, if spotted leaves are spreading, or if a planted olive is loose in saturated ground.

Common questions

When should I start feeding an olive tree in the UK?
Start when active spring growth is visible and the compost is draining normally. April is a broad container guide, not an automatic date for every location or every sheltered tree.
When should I stop feeding?
End routine feeding as the growing season finishes, and avoid late nitrogen-rich applications after September. The physical product label may set a narrower period, and that period should take priority.
How do I mix Olive Focus?
The listing says 10 ml in one litre of clean water, and to alternate that solution with plain water. Check the bottle you receive, because a maker page describes a different frequency. When the lines differ, follow the bottle.
Can I estimate 10 ml with the bottle cap?
Only if the current label states the cap capacity. The listing file does not. Use a marked measure rather than assuming that one cap equals 10 ml.
How often should fertiliser sticks be replaced?
Devonia claims release for up to 12 weeks. Replacement should still follow the current pack label, the season and the dose for the pot. Do not replace the sticks automatically through winter.
Can I use tomato feed instead?
Some gardeners use other feeds, but formulas and rates differ. A named olive feed, or a balanced container feed with clear instructions, reduces guesswork. Never transfer another product's dose to yours.

Related pages

Olive tree fertiliser buying guide for patio olives

Olive tree fertiliser

Best olive tree fertiliser if you measure each feed

Olive tree fertiliser for pots before a larger can

Olive tree yellow leaves before you buy fertiliser

Sources

Public UK and maker sources from the research digest, used for this page in October 2026. Prices, stars and review counts are from the seven amazon.co.uk listings captured on 21 October 2026. A 1:249 or 4:1:7 line is not treated as an NPK. Spanish review texts are not UK trials. No laboratory compared these products.

  1. RHS, How to grow olives (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  2. RHS, How to feed plants (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  3. RHS, Preventing winter damage (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  4. RHS, Growing plants in containers (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  5. Olive Focus maker (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  6. Palm Centre, Olive Focus (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  7. Fertilising Products Regulations 2020 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  8. Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 Annex III (retrieved 21 October 2026)