The olive trees at the side of the house in the grove at home at the end of another hot, humid day. After the major pruning in late February the olive trees are thriving in the early summer heat, because we’ve had a lot of branches and wood removed, opening up the middle of the trees to the air and sunlight.

The process is called polyconic vase pruning, which directs the branches outwards and upwards, pulling the lymph of tree from the trunk up into three or four main branches. Too much wood and the lymph is dispersed too thinly, so this makes the trees healthier and more vital, and the olives richer, larger, and more numerous.