This is not a dwarf olive of the type bred for bonsai, but a regular fruiting olive tree that has been in this growing pot in full sun
with daily watering for about two years now. It has been pruned at least once since potted in this repaired concrete growing pot that is
painted in the Hawaiian royal (ali'i) colors. I prefer the concrete growing pots to terra cotta because they are heavy and resist tipping
over in strong winds.
Here is the tree after pruning. Olives are very forgiving and can be pruned even more severely without problems.
After wiring. Next the tree will go into another growing container after root work.
The olive has been removed from its pot.
Most of the soil has been removed from the roots with the root rake.
I removed the remaining soil with water spray from a hose. It's easier to trim the roots that way. I have propped the tree in a painted galvanized
steel sheet metal growing box that has five holes in it for drainage.
I covered the container's holes with screens and wet sand and put a mound of potting soil in the center to put the tree on at the upright planting angle.
The box was then filled with potting soil, watered, wet sand added on top to increase firmness and add weight, and watered again.
This is the side view. The tree will grow in this container for a few years. It may be ready for a bonsai pot in about ten years. Bonsai teaches
us not to be in a hurry. Perhaps it will be show-ready a year after its second and right-sized bonsai pot five years after that.
Email Richard dot J dot Wagner at gmail dot com