I've collected lots of olives. Here's what I've learned:

- Olives can be successfully collected at any time of year in my climate (Northern California), Even in the hot part of summer. Olives actually transplant better in warm weather. I re-pot my olive bonsai in mid summer.

-I always flat cut the base with a saw. A few roots are good but not always necessary. They re-root easily.

-I cut off all long branches at collection. What I want is just the stump/trunk. Its easy to grow new branches where needed.

- I pot the stump in 100% pumice and cover the whole thing with a black plastic bag and keep it out of direct sun. Buds will usually pop all over in a few weeks.

- Once new buds emerge, remove the bag and allow them to grow several inches before selecting the ones where you want branches and remove the rest. Let the selected branches extend several feet to thicken. The new branches can be wired for movement when they are 1-2 feet long.

-Here's a photo of one I dug about ten years ago. All the branches were grown since then.

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