Question
Hi there,

I'm a new plant person and so far I'm keeping them all alive pretty well. I have an olive tree that I've had for about a year or a year and a half. It was really small when I got it, and it's been growing alot ever since. It was probably about 8 inches tall when we got it, and now it's about 3 feet tall, with two branches. I've sent you a picture of it.

The pot right now is about 1 foot in diameter but it's about to get repotted into something bigger, cause it just seems to be outgrowing the pot.

The problem is, it won't stand up straight. We've tied it up to a stake, to keep it straight, but it just grows more and more and leans over more. I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong to it? Should I be pruning it or something? I think it's supposed to be a tree, but right now it seems to be more of a vine really.

Any advice?  

Answer
Sara,

It appears that your olive tree is reaching for the sun. It doesn't appear that your plant is getting much sun and this is a sun loving plant.

I do not reccommend repotting it until spring. It will become semi dormant thru the winter because of the shorter days. If you must repot it now do not go to a pot larger than a 14 inch diameter.

If it were mine I would prune the top by cutting it down at least in half. I am a practicing bonsai artist and your tree is a good candidate for bonsai. I suggest you go to a library and get some books on the subject of bonsai. Joining a local bonsai club if there is one would also be a good idea. Without pruning and shaping you will end up with a weird shaped tree hitting your ceiling fast.  In nature these trees become 20 to 50 feet tall.

Bonsai is not something I can teach you here in a letter but that is the direction I reccommend that you go with this tree. Otherwise you need to plant it outside in the ground in southern France or Italy where it never frosts. The site below has instructions for that.  

http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/olive.html

Good luck.Darlene