With the olive harvest finished, we are beginning work for the 2022/2023 season with the pruning of the olive trees.

As the first stage in this long journey, we perform the cutting or pruning of the "ramón" (the leafy branches). I already explained what "ramón" was; do you remember?

You have to shape the tree well, clean it, and remove the old wood so that light and water can reach the interior. This year, it is much more essential due to the dry weather forecast.

Taking care of each olive tree gives us a better chance of having a better harvest.

A very old proverb said:

"He who plows the olive grove asks it for fruit;
he who fertilizes it asks for it with insistence:
he who prunes it forces it to give it to him"

Pruning the olive trees after the harvest is the task that requires the most labor.

And there are several stages of the olive tree to keep in mind to do a good "corta", which is what we call it here.

Training pruning is done on young olive trees to create the structure and achieve a sufficiently balanced olive tree to support abundant harvests in the shortest possible time.
Pruning always begins 3 or 4 years after the first harvest.

Production pruning: when the olive tree has grown and is considered an adult, from 6 to 12 years old, a good balance must be maintained between quality and production and its vegetative growth, which should be appropriate for the olive tree. This lengthens its productive period and delays aging.

What is done is a thinning; the branches are pruned from the inside out.

Renovation or rejuvenation pruning: when the olive tree is already old, between 20 and 40 years old, the most decadent branches must be pruned to regenerate them and create more productive branches.

It is most common to prune every two years so that the cut branches can regenerate.

The olive tree increases its production until it reaches 35-40 years, where it continues to grow but not as quickly. Finally, it stabilizes between 65 and 80 years, which is when yields decrease.

Pruning olive trees is an essential but costly task.

The work of pruning is necessary to maintain the stability of the olive tree's vegetative and reproductive processes. It is done to increase production without weakening the tree.

The sheep remaining in the area also help by browsing on the remains left from pruning and eating the lower leaves.

Olive tree cutting, what it consists of

Once we have finished the cutting, each year it's a different plot's turn, the "ramón" is no longer burned; it is shredded or chipped.

First, the firewood is marked out, taking advantage of the sturdier branches and thicker trunks for chimneys and heating boilers.

All this firewood is left under the olive tree to be collected later.

The rest of the fine firewood is lined up to be chipped; the "ramón" is only burned in places that are on steeper slopes where it is difficult to enter with a tractor. This implies speed, efficiency, and savings, and fire risks are avoided.

This also incorporates organic matter into the soil; it is a natural fertilizer that protects against heavy rains and erosion, and in the case of frosts and extreme heat, it has an insulating effect.

Weed seeds cannot germinate because light does not reach them, and the olive trees remain protected from parasites and diseases.

Chipping the "ramón" has been a very good development, and besides being faster, it does good for the land.