I understand that the yield of olive trees varies. One reference mentions a production per tree of 9 kg to 50 kg. I am trying to determine how this would translate into the number of olives produced per tree. How does the number of olives produced vary from tree to tree? Do some produce several thousand while others only a few hundred?
Yield depends on tree size and age, variety and growing conditions. There are reasons to keep a tree small, to facilitate picking from the ground, for instance. Some mature trees which have not been pruned can reach 40-60 feet in height and produce up to 800 kilos of olives while others only produce 50. For the same size tree, some varieties have more or larger olives. In an "on" year there will be more olives on the tree. Water and fertilizer will increase yields. Olives range from 1 to 14 grams so a large tree could conceivably have upward of a half million olives if its a small fruited variety.
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