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Varieties
In this system it is very important the variety that
you choose to plant your orchards. The majority of olive
varieties begin production not before the fifth or sixth
year, and are too vigorous to fit in this system. After trials
with more than 100 Spanish, Italian, Greek and French varieties,
the clones Arbequina I-18, Arbosana I-43, and Koroneiki I-38
have been shown to be the best varieties for high density orchards.
These clones are designed to grow slowly, mature early, bear
abundantly with an olive that has a fruity, delicate and
elegant top quality olive oil.
For more information see Genetics.
Soil
Olives trees are able to grow in ground where nothing else can grow.
High salt content, rocky soils can be suitable for olive
trees. Also, they need a small amount of water. That makes a
big difference because the grower can find inexpensive land
and does not need too much water avaibility. Some farmers say
that the most difficult tree to kill is an olive tree.
Spacing
Typical spacing of varieties for high density orchards (Arbequina
I-18, Koroneiki I-38, and Arbosana I-43) is 12-13 feet between
rows and 4-6 feet between trees, depending on the type of soil.
Planting
The trees are produced in pots, they have a healthy and well
developed root system, so once the ground is ready and the
irrigation system is installed, they can be planted at any time of the
year. This offers a big advantage of planting flexibility
to the grower and dramatically reduces the number of losses.
Pruning
Varieties used in high density olive orchards are pruned to
a central leader. A bamboo, wooden stake or metal pole must
support the plant to be trained in the first three years.
The tree stakes are supported by a one-wire trellis system
with end poles and metal stakes spaced for support of the
wire down the row. The trees are not headed when planted and
are allowed to grow up the stakes in a central leader fashion.
The tree canopy is kept to about 2 feet above the orchard
floor and topped to a level of 7 feet.
Harvesting
By using over-the-row mechanical grape harvesters, expensive
hand labor is all but eliminated, harvesting time is much
shorter, and the olives do not fall on the ground. You can
harvest at the perfect ripening time, that way olives can
be processed much faster. All these factors are critical to
having the highest quality of extra virgin olive oil.
A typical two-man grape harvester can be used to effectively
harvest 1 to 1.5 acres per hour.
 
Too see a video demostration of the High Density Olive Orchard
harvesting system you will need QuickTime. Click
here to see the video or,
if you don't have the necessary QuickTime player, Click
here to get it.
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