Every year, millions of hectares of land in the Mediterranean are transformed into a yellow and white work of art. The olive tree blossom is pretty to look at and for the olive oil producers it is a first indication of the forthcoming harvest.

Requirements for olive tree flowering

To help the trees to develop a magnificent flowering and later bear many fruits, several aspects are relevant:

• Location: shielded from cold and excessive rainfall, the olive tree develops best. The home of MANI olives is in the Mani region of the same name on the Peloponnesian peninsula. There, temperatures rarely drop below 5 °C.
• Sun: Olive trees need a lot of light for the formation of flowers. A high number of daily hours of sunlight is just as crucial as a professional pruning of the tree crowns to allow each tree in the grove its place in the sun. In the Mani, the sun sometimes shines for up to five hours a day, even in the winter months. In July, the month with the most sun, the olive groves may even bathe in the sun for up to twelve hours.
• Soil: Nutrient-rich soil gives the olive tree the strength to thrive and blossom. The soil in the Mani, rich in stones and minerals, as well as the proximity to the sea, provide excellent growing conditions.
• Age: Olive trees also need time to "grow up" and mature. Olive trees usually develop their first flower between the fourth and sixth year of life.
• Variety: In addition to care, location and age, olive tree flowering is also dependent on variety. With the Koroneiki olive, olive cultivation in the Mani focuses on a distinctly hardy variety with a slow-growing tree and a comparatively early flowering period in the year.

When does the olive tree start to bloom?

Already in February, many Mediterranean olive trees begin to green. As a rule, the first flower buds develop at the same time as the first leaves of the year. But until their inner splendor sees the sunlight, they still need a lot of time and sufficient nutrients. At the beginning of May the time has finally come: the buds unfold to their full size and the entire olive grove begins to shine.

In the Mani in Greece, the thermometer often shows temperatures of up to 25 °C at this time of year. May is therefore the ideal time to warm up after the German winter by the Greek sun and to be inspired by the white blossom of the olive tree. When you visit the organic hotel MANI Sonnenlink, you will be welcomed in a unique way by the early start of summer.

How does the pollination of the olive tree flower?

Very few olive trees are self-pollinating. Accordingly, pollination usually requires several genetically different olive trees in the immediate vicinity. With the help of the wind, the pollen passes from one tree to the next.

When does an olive tree bear fruit?

Although olive trees usually show their first blossoms from the fourth to sixth year of growth, fruit is usually not expected until the seventh year.

Harvesting olives

Harvest time in the Mani is many weeks or months after the olive tree blossoms: between November and January. Even during the harvest it is important to think about the next flowering and to treat the olive tree as gently as possible. For this reason, harvesting in the Mani is done either by hand or with the help of so-called electric shakers.

Care of the olive tree

An important condition for a lush olive tree blossom is the care and maintenance of the olive grove. The olive trees in the Mani are cut back every year and the soil is regularly loosened. In addition, the production of the high-quality MANI organic olives and organic olive oils is based on the motto of environmentally conscious naturalness. Only natural traps are used to ward off pests, and no chemical additives or artificial fertilizers are used at all.

Tip: If you would like to admire the olive tree blossom with your own eyes, you can fulfill this wish on Seidengasse in Vienna directly in front of the MANI store. There are two olive trees that usually start flowering about a month later than their Greek counterparts. Photography and sniffing allowed!